5 Design Trends I’m Delighted For In The New Year

5 Design Trends I’m Delighted For In The New Year

One of my favourite December pastimes is researching all the forecasted design trends predicted for the new year. Here are my picks for the design trends I’m most looking forward to in 2019!

01. The year of the Serif Font

Typography is one of my favourite design elements so I’m starting this list off with my favourite design trend for 2019 – bold, serif style fonts.

Their opposites, sans-serif fonts, have been a staple in online design for many reasons. They’re clean and easy to read and are very versatile. They’ve become the go-to for many brands. While the sans-serif isn’t going anywhere in 2019, design trend forecasters are predicting a shift towards fonts with more personality.

Describing sans serif’s as “soulless” and “characterless” in their 2019 graphic design trends report, 99designs says brands are moving towards fonts that have more character. Serif fonts appeal to those looking for more personal and authentic connections online.

 

Look at the application of Cormorant Light into the web design for KMN Events Co (launching in early January!). I used this gorgeous serif font in her brand colour for headings and in a smaller italicized version for subheadings. I love how soft and elegant the end result is!

Typography is also moving towards bigger and bolder. You can even expect to see strong serif fonts replacing images altogether and becoming the art itself. Serif style fonts have an element of fancy and are dramatic in heavier weights.

02. Micro-Interactions

A micro interaction is a small animation for visual effect. These small animations are already prominent in our social media feeds and app design. You can expect this trend to continue and become more widespread in web design too.

We no longer want our websites to be static and still. These micro-interactions will span every element on a web page. Each piece will have subtle, interactive elements bringing a more human response to the way we interact with our websites.

The type of interactions you can expect include soft sounds, chimes or slight visual changes when hovering over elements or scrolling through a page.

03. Asymmetrical Layouts

This design trend is in response to the uprising of web builders such as Squarespace and Wix. If you’ve used one before, you’ll be familiar with how they work. Web builders use a standard grid and placement of boxes onto that grid to hold design elements.

The rigid grid approach works well in minimalist design and will continue to be prevalent in 2019. However, designs that break the grid mould in an asymmetrical way will stand out. Bespoke web design that isn’t confined to a rigid box style will help elevate an online presence.

What’s exciting about these asymmetrical layouts is they are easy to design with Showit – another reason I love working on this platform!

Overall, you can expect more fluid shapes in an attempt to create movement through a website experience. Web design will start to break away from the confines of the rigid grid system.

The key takeaway with this trend is to look for unique and interesting ways to convey your message in the layout of your web design.

04. Custom Illustrations

Custom illustrations are listed as the overall design trend for 2019 by the designers at Milo.

While I haven’t done that much work using custom art, I love this as an alternative to photography. Illustrations have been on trend for a while now, but predictions suggest moving away from strong and bold art in favour of softer and more delicate designs.

Picture feminine, elegant, and intricate renderings that showcase your work or product. This style of illustration is perfect for the feminine brand that is looking to make a statement while still being subtle.

Not only is custom illustration being predicted in graphic and web design, but you should also see this trend carry into package design and more. One interesting application is within iconography, as we see more and more brands incorporate illustrated icons into their brand material.

05. Video, Video & more Video

With the prominence of video in our social media and marketing in general, it’s no surprise that this will now carry over into our web design too.

What I love about video is it’s a great way to capture someones attention right when they land on your website. We’ve all heard that statistics – visitors make an impression about your brand within the first second of landing on your website. Video is a great solution to capture that attention and keep it on your brand.

Google has even made a move to feature websites with mixed content over those with static design elements. Therefore businesses focused on improving searchability need to adopt video.

How I love to incorporate video into a website is to use it as a background, in place of where a large full-width picture would have lived on a site. Video also looks impressive in social media headers. It’s still not a widely adopted strategy so when you come across a brand that’s invested in video production, it sure stands out.

What design trends would you consider implementing into your brand for 2019? Drop a note in the comments below!