Graphic design is all around us, from packaging and posters to a variety of promotional materials. It’s a powerful tool in the marketer’s hands; it captivates audience attention, boosts conversions, and aids in becoming an industry leader. However, you can only achieve all of this with the right approach. This includes clearly understanding what design your audience will find relatable and what’s trending out there.
To give you a summary of eye-catching and popular aesthetics, Depositphotos—a content marketplace with 250+ million royalty-free audiovisual files—shared their vision of graphic design trends for 2023.
What trend you should use in your projects depends on your audience, brand identity, and creative concept. Nevertheless, you can draw inspiration from every movement and choose separate elements if they fit your idea well. Let’s explore!
Graphic design trends 2023
Cases to explore:
Culture by Lady Gaga for Dom Pérignon
Coca-Cola gold cans & ‘Just Because’ campaign
Cases to explore:
Awwwards conference identity
Tinder 'It starts with a swipe' campaign
Cases to explore:
Real Madrid x adidas commercial
Acura’s “Type S: Chiaki’s Journey Volume 1” commercial
LOEWE x Howl's Moving Castle collection
Cases to explore:
New logo by Nokia
‘A British Original’ campaign by British Airways
Cases to explore:
Astrology club by Spotify
Astrology rubric on Tinder’s Instagram account
Many design trends appear as a response to global events, and military-inspired aesthetics is one of them. Considering the recent war in Ukraine and other conflicts in different corners of the world, military tech startups gain traction and require specific images to design and promote their products and services. Content creators and contributors to stock photography platforms can tap into this new niche with their works. Besides, there’s room to experiment and explore contemporary ways to use traditional limited and dark color palettes, as well as minimalist layouts in design.
Cases to explore:
United24 platform identity
Anduril Industries identity
The outdoors have served as inspiration for designers and artists for many years; in 2023, they will become present in different projects with an eco-conscious twist. In an effort to make a difference when it comes to climate change, content creators will explore the essence of sustainable graphic design, making it more integral to their projects. In addition to natural, eco-friendly color palettes and organic forms, brands will pay more attention to product life cycle in order to become more responsible during the production stage.
Cases to explore:
Adidas self-charging headphones
100% home-compostable coffee packaging
What’s next?
Graphic design trends are a starting point for brands and content creators looking to enhance their projects and make an impression in 2023. The aesthetics and movements mentioned above are related to recent world events or social phenomena that audiences will easily connect to.
Integrating one of these trends into your communication will not only be a way to stand out, but also a tool to achieve your goals. Every design element, color choice, or theme is decisive when it comes to engaging with your target audience and driving results. Think it through and get your creative juices flowing!
Read next: What Will Be the Biggest Tech Trend of 2023?
To give you a summary of eye-catching and popular aesthetics, Depositphotos—a content marketplace with 250+ million royalty-free audiovisual files—shared their vision of graphic design trends for 2023.
What are the 2023 graphic design trends about?
If you look at this year’s trends, you’ll notice that they are mostly about standing out with bold solutions and streamlining your messages with familiar styles of the past. Glowing textures, mysticism imagery, and expressive types give you a chance to create distinct designs that your customers will want to engage with. At the same time, you can use animecore, sans serif fonts, clear military-inspired aesthetics, and earthy tones to come up with clear-cut visuals and appeal to wide audiences.What trend you should use in your projects depends on your audience, brand identity, and creative concept. Nevertheless, you can draw inspiration from every movement and choose separate elements if they fit your idea well. Let’s explore!
Graphic design trends 2023
1. Futuristic Gleam
As people are looking for more ways to uplift their mood by surrounding themselves with bold choices, an eye-catching shine will take over many creative projects in 2023. Iridescent textures featuring mood-boosting colors and a metallic finish will add playfulness and sophistication to any image. Whether in graphic or motion design, elements of Futuristic Gleam will captivate regardless.Cases to explore:
Culture by Lady Gaga for Dom Pérignon
Coca-Cola gold cans & ‘Just Because’ campaign
2. Expressive Type
Expressive Type is another trend paving its way to the top of the trends list in 2023. Often used in attention-grabbing headlines to make a statement and fascinate users, condensed fonts feature tall letters with less space between characters. This way, designers can create a commanding and powerful composition, making both project titles and messages more noticeable. However, be careful when using condensed typefaces for body text, as they can hinder readability and turn away users from interacting with your work.Cases to explore:
Awwwards conference identity
Tinder 'It starts with a swipe' campaign
3. Animecore
With more and more people getting nostalgic about Y2K, movements and styles that were popular during the childhoods of Millennials are gaining popularity again. The most widespread is animecore, an aesthetic inspired by Japanese anime and manga culture. Featuring colorful palettes, flat imagery, and detailed characters, animecore will often be seen in all kinds of creative projects, ads, and campaigns in 2023. Moreover, audiences are hungry for the positivity that anime-inspired stories translate.Cases to explore:
Real Madrid x adidas commercial
Acura’s “Type S: Chiaki’s Journey Volume 1” commercial
LOEWE x Howl's Moving Castle collection
4. Sans Serif Revival
As attention spans are getting shorter by the day, it’s crucial to find a way to deliver information quickly and easily. Known for their clarity and often used for body copy or logo design, sans serif fonts are making a comeback in 2023. Roboto, Public Sans, and Futura will become the most popular, classic website and editorial design choices. Why? They can create a minimalistic composition, highlight imagery, and streamline your message directly to the audience.Cases to explore:
New logo by Nokia
‘A British Original’ campaign by British Airways
5. Mysticism Imagery
If you look back in history, you might notice that people more often engage with otherworldly notions during uncertain times. Searching for hints and signs about the future, they enjoy the simplicity and tranquility that mystical aesthetics express. Stars, astrological signs, planets, hands, and the third eye are widely used elements in mysticism-inspired projects. They have a familiar and easy-to-understand quality about them, making such imagery a staple in graphic design this year and, most likely, beyond.Cases to explore:
Astrology club by Spotify
Astrology rubric on Tinder’s Instagram account
6. Military-Inspired Aesthetics
Many design trends appear as a response to global events, and military-inspired aesthetics is one of them. Considering the recent war in Ukraine and other conflicts in different corners of the world, military tech startups gain traction and require specific images to design and promote their products and services. Content creators and contributors to stock photography platforms can tap into this new niche with their works. Besides, there’s room to experiment and explore contemporary ways to use traditional limited and dark color palettes, as well as minimalist layouts in design. 
Cases to explore:
United24 platform identity
Anduril Industries identity
7. Tribute to the Outdoors
The outdoors have served as inspiration for designers and artists for many years; in 2023, they will become present in different projects with an eco-conscious twist. In an effort to make a difference when it comes to climate change, content creators will explore the essence of sustainable graphic design, making it more integral to their projects. In addition to natural, eco-friendly color palettes and organic forms, brands will pay more attention to product life cycle in order to become more responsible during the production stage. 
Cases to explore:
Adidas self-charging headphones
100% home-compostable coffee packaging
What’s next?
Graphic design trends are a starting point for brands and content creators looking to enhance their projects and make an impression in 2023. The aesthetics and movements mentioned above are related to recent world events or social phenomena that audiences will easily connect to.
Integrating one of these trends into your communication will not only be a way to stand out, but also a tool to achieve your goals. Every design element, color choice, or theme is decisive when it comes to engaging with your target audience and driving results. Think it through and get your creative juices flowing!
Read next: What Will Be the Biggest Tech Trend of 2023?
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