creative in graphics

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How to Be Creative in Graphic Design

Last Updated: July 29, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Mimi Perryman . Mimi Perryman is a Bartender and the Owner of Events with LML, an events company based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area but serving the full state of California. With over 15 years of experience in the serving industry, she specializes in traveling bartender services and event planning. She earned a BS in Marketing from California State University-Dominguez Hills, is ServSafe & RBS Certified, and carries a bartending license. She also has a Marketing & Graphic Design background and is a member of the American Marketing Association. Events with LML has a 5-star rating on Yelp and is a featured vendor on The Knot. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 35,062 times.

Creativity is a huge part of being a great graphic designer. Unfortunately, you can’t just turn your creativity on when you want to do some design work. This makes being an artist or designer a little tricky. If you’re feeling stuck, don’t worry! Every great artist experiences this at some point. Luckily, there are plenty of simple little tricks to get the creativity flowing again and tackle any project in front of you.

Work at your most productive time of day.

• Some people work better in the morning, and some might like working at night. Take advantage of the time that you’re at your best.
• This is most helpful if you’re a freelancer or work from home. It might be tougher to plan if you have a day job at an office, but you could still try other tricks to boost your creativity.

Sketch your ideas out first.

• If you use a drawing pad or tablet for your computer, still try sketching on paper. Changing the medium you work with could help stimulate some creativity.
• It’s a good idea to keep your sketch pad with you at all times so you can start working whenever inspiration hits. This is another reason that a sketch pad works better than a computer drawing pad.
• Don’t worry if you’re not very good at sketching. This is just for your own personal ideas, and you’ll definitely get better if you stick with it.

Work on your own personal design projects.

• Redecorating your work space or another part of your home.
• Drawing or painting in your free time.
• Redesigning the graphics in your favorite magazine, website, or movie poster.
• Volunteering to do the graphics for a community organization.

Branch out by using different mediums and programs.

• For example, if you’re always sketching your ideas, maybe painting would be a nice change of pace.
• You could also change the program you work with. If you’re normally working with Photoshop, then switching to Illustrator might give you some new ideas.

Take on more challenging jobs to improve your skills.

• If you normally design product logos, for example, branching out and doing some web design might be a welcome change.
• It might be frustrating to try something that you’re not very skilled in, but stick with it! This is how you’ll learn and get better as a designer.

Save content that you find creative or inspirational.

• Scrapbooking with the designs you like is also a great way to stimulate creativity. You’ll keep all the designs in one place while doing a fun craft activity.
• If you use Pinterest, it's very easy to pin creative ideas or designs that inspire you and look at them later.
• It’s fine to take influence from other designers and projects, but don’t directly copy them. This will hurt your reputation as a designer.

Look for inspirational designs on social media sites.

• Remember to save any designs you like on these sites! Having a look at them when you need some inspiration can give you a nice boost.

Learn the history of art and design.

• There are tons of great art books, so your local library would be a great place to start.
• You could also look on websites for museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see thousands of pieces for inspiration.
• If you see any pieces of art you particularly like, add them to your scrapbook for inspiration.

Continue your education to get new ideas.

• If you don’t have a degree in graphic design, then going to school could teach you some extremely valuable skills and tricks to boost your creativity.
• You could also complete a certificate in design or using a particular medium. Many of these are available online for a reasonable price.
• There are also plenty of YouTube channels and websites that produce completely free content.

Clear your head to get rid of distractions.

• Meditation.
• Taking a walk.
• Doing deep-breathing exercises.

Spend more time outside.

• Even if you don’t live near a rural area, any small park or quiet area will work perfectly.
• Urban landscapes can be inspiring too. Go and check out the trains, bridges, architecture, cars, and people interacting to see if that gives you a creative spark.
• Remember to bring your sketch pad when you go out! You never know when inspiration will strike.

Put music on while you work.

• One study found that “happy” music helped boost creativity, regardless of whether or not the person liked it. [13] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source
• Note that this might not work for everyone. Some people find music very distracting when they’re trying to work, so don’t worry if you need silence to be creative. [14] X Research source

Expert Q&A

• If you're feeling stuck and uncreative, don't be hard on yourself. Every artist feels like this occasionally! It doesn't mean you're a bad artist, it just means you're human. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Sometimes taking a break is a good way to boost your creativity too. Spending hours on your computer might not be helpful, but a break could clear your mind and get the creativity flowing. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about making a graphic design, check out our in-depth interview with Mimi Perryman .

• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201906/the-most-creative-time-day
• ↑ https://youtu.be/YHNYaQzsRf8?t=58
• ↑ https://careercenter.cofc.edu/documents/portfolio.pdf
• ↑ https://www.sessions.edu/notes-on-design/how-to-become-a-graphic-designer//
• ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/challenge-your-mind-and-body-to-sharpen-your-thinking-skills-201510298507
• ↑ https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/101-ways-for-teachers-to-be-more-creative/
• ↑ https://faculty.washington.edu/farkas/dfpubs/Farkas-Farkas-Graphic%20Design-Ch11Principles%20of%20Web%20Design.pdf
• ↑ https://youtu.be/YHNYaQzsRf8?t=22
• ↑ https://www.sessions.edu/notes-on-design/how-to-become-a-graphic-designer/
• ↑ https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-exercises-techniques-activities/
• ↑ https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1482445/FULLTEXT01.pdf
• ↑ https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Music-while-You-Work%3A-The-Differential-Distraction-Furnham-Bradley/600db02254b1fd129ae05eb07eb63449a10f30a4
• ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_music_helps_us_be_more_creative
• ↑ https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/23018/1/Anna%20Bramwell-Dicks%20-%20Music%20While%20You%20Work.pdf

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What is Creativity in Graphic Design? Exploring the Power of Imagination!

Creativity is the lifeblood of graphic design. The spark ignites innovation, captures attention, and brings visual concepts to life. This blog delves into the essence of creativity and its role in graphic design. We explore how designers harness their imagination to create compelling visuals, communicate messages effectively, and leave a lasting impact on audiences.

What is Creativity?

Creativity is the ability to uniquely generate original and valuable ideas by combining existing knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is the process of thinking beyond conventional boundaries, exploring new possibilities, and finding innovative solutions to design challenges. In graphic design, creativity allows designers to transform concepts into visually captivating and meaningful compositions.

The Creative Process in Graphic Design:

• Gathering Inspiration

Every creative journey begins with inspiration. Graphic designers seek inspiration from various sources, such as nature, art, culture, technology, and everyday experiences. They immerse themselves in research, explore trends, and collect visual references to fuel their creative thinking.

• Defining the Design Brief

Once inspired, designers analyze the design brief, understanding the objectives, target audience, and desired outcomes. This step helps them align their creative ideas with the project's goals, ensuring that the design solution effectively communicates the intended message.

• Ideation and Conceptualization

The ideation stage involves brainstorming and generating many ideas. Designers sketch, write, or create mood boards to visualize and explore concepts. They embrace divergent thinking, allowing ideas to flow freely without judgment and encouraging unusual connections and fresh perspectives.

• Refinement and Selection

Designers evaluate and refine the most promising concepts from the pool of ideas. They consider factors like visual impact, relevance, and feasibility. This stage involves iterations, where designers experiment, test, and refine their designs to balance creativity and practicality.

• Execution and Craftsmanship

With a final concept, designers move into the execution phase. They utilize their technical skills, software proficiency, and artistic abilities to bring their designs to life. Attention to detail, precision, and craftsmanship is vital in delivering a polished and visually stunning final product.

How Creativity Enhances Graphic Design?

• Capturing Attention : Creative graphic design stands out in a visually saturated world. By thinking outside the box, designers create eye-catching visuals that grab the audience's attention and make a lasting impression. Unconventional layouts, unique typography, innovative use of color, and captivating imagery are ways creativity enhances a design's visual impact.
• Problem-Solving : Creativity enables designers to approach design problems from different angles, leading to innovative solutions. They can find effective ways to communicate complex messages, simplify information, or create intuitive user experiences. Through creative problem-solving, designers can transform challenges into opportunities for engaging and meaningful design solutions.
• Emotional Connection : Creative graphic design can evoke emotions and forge connections with the audience. Using the right combination of visual elements, designers can tap into the viewers' emotions, triggering empathy, joy, excitement, or curiosity. This emotional connection enhances the effectiveness of communication and strengthens brand affinity.
• Differentiation and Brand Identity : Creativity helps businesses stand out in crowded markets. Graphic designers utilize their imaginative skills to create unique brand identities, distinct visual styles, and memorable logos. By infusing creativity into branding, companies can differentiate themselves, leave a lasting impression, and establish a strong brand presence.
• Communication and Storytelling : Effective communication is at the core of graphic design, and creativity plays a crucial role in conveying messages. Designers utilize their creative prowess to craft visuals that tell compelling stories, simplify complex information, and communicate ideas in a visually engaging manner. Through creativity, designers can turn mundane content into captivating narratives that resonate with the audience.

Creativity is the driving force behind graphic design. It empowers designers to think imaginatively, solve problems innovatively, and create visually striking compositions. By harnessing the power of creativity, graphic designers can captivate audiences, evoke emotions, communicate effectively, and make a lasting impact. So, embrace your creative spirit and unleash the power of imagination in your graphic design endeavours.

Q1: How does creativity work in graphic design?

A: In graphic design, creativity is the driving force behind visually captivating and meaningful designs. It involves using imagination and artistic skills to develop original concepts, select appropriate visual elements, and effectively communicate messages. Creativity allows designers to think outside the box, solve design problems innovatively, and connect with audiences on an emotional level.

Q2: Why is creativity important in graphic design?

A: Creativity is essential in graphic design for several reasons. Firstly, it helps designers differentiate their work, making it stand out in a crowded marketplace. Creative designs grab attention, evoke emotions, and leave a lasting impact on viewers. Secondly, creativity enables designers to solve design challenges effectively, finding innovative ways to communicate complex information or create intuitive user experiences. Finally, creativity enhances communication by telling compelling stories and conveying visually engaging and memorable messages.

Q3: How can graphic designers unleash their creativity?

A: Graphic designers can unleash their creativity by exploring various sources of inspiration, such as nature, art, culture, and technology. They can research, experiment with different design techniques, and seek feedback from peers or clients. Embracing a mindset of curiosity, open-mindedness, and continuous learning allows designers to push the boundaries of their creativity and develop their unique style.

Q4: How does creativity contribute to effective graphic design?

A: Creativity is crucial in effective graphic design by capturing attention, evoking emotions, and enhancing communication. Creative designs have the power to engage viewers, communicate messages effectively, and leave a lasting impression. By utilizing their creative thinking skills, designers can develop visual solutions that resonate with audiences, promote brand identity, and create meaningful connections between brands and consumers.

Q5: Can creativity be learned or improved in graphic design?

A: Absolutely! While some individuals may naturally possess a higher inclination towards creativity, it is a skill that can be learned and improved over time. Graphic designers do learn graphic design online that can nurture and develop their creative abilities by actively engaging in creative exercises, exploring new design techniques, seeking inspiration, and being open to new ideas.

Q6: How does collaboration contribute to creativity in graphic design?

A: Collaboration plays a vital role in enhancing creativity in graphic design. By working with others, designers can benefit from diverse perspectives, exchange ideas, and challenge their thinking. Collaborative environments foster creativity through brainstorming sessions, constructive feedback, and collective problem-solving, leading to innovative design solutions.

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66 Graphic Design Ideas To Spark Your Creativity

December 23, 2021 (Updated: May 4, 2023)

Marketers have a unique role, where they get to be both creative and analytical on the job. The creative side is fun until you come across a project that causes a creative block. Having tactics to break through the brain fog and develop new ideas is a helpful resource for your marketing toolbox. Today, we’re looking at different design movements and art techniques to give you new graphic design ideas with topics like:

23 Design Movements for Graphic Design Ideas

43 art techniques for graphic design ideas.

If you love this post and find it useful, get even more creative ideas to enhance your graphic designs with aesthetics and design tools.

An artistic movement is a design style with distinct characteristics, followed by a group of artists during a specific time period. Many art movements also share a common goal or philosophy to influence how viewers see and experience the world. Designs from these eras and periods may help spark new ideas you can use in your marketing materials today. Here are examples to help inspire your next graphic design project:

1. Abstract

The abstract art movement takes real-world objects but makes them look different from how they look in real life. For example, an abstract drawing of a tree may not show it growing upward, but side to side, or in pieces. Artists like Pablo Picasso popularized this style in the 19th century. The elements that make a design abstract vary by the designer and their view of the object, not as it is, but how it could be. Characteristics of this style include the use of ambiguous shapes, unexpected element placement, inversion, and unexpected color usage.

2. American Kitsch

Image via  Wikipedia

American Kitsch became popular in the United States from the 1940s to the 1960s. Art déco, another artistic movement, served as its inspiration. Today, people associate this style with movie posters from the era, especially ones from the science fiction genre. Characteristics of American Kitsch include bold colors, cartoon-like illustrations, contrasting fonts and images, dramatic poses, and aerodynamic shapes.

3. Anti-Design

Anti-design is an artistic movement that had a philosophy to prove to its viewers: everything that was once revolutionary eventually becomes commonplace. Instead of accepting this philosophy, anti-design artists choose to go against commonly held standards. The movement rejects principles like usability, homogeneity, or anything considered “the norm” in society or design. The current wave of this movement focuses on characteristics such as clashing colors, illegible typography, crowding of elements, and the illogical use of white space.

4. Art Déco

Image via  Amazon

During the 1920s and World War I era, art déco was a symbol of sophistication, wealth, and luxury. We often associate it with architecture and visual arts. In its heyday and modern revivals, this design movement is one of the most popular in marketing and advertising. Characteristics of the style include geometric shapes, vertical lines, capitalized type, high-contrast tones, bold colors, and flat depth.

5. Art Nouveau

Art nouveau was a popular architecture and decorative art design movement, but can also apply to graphic design. The style became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States and Western Europe. Characteristics of the style include bold outlines, illustrative style, the use of natural forms, and features of female-presenting subjects.

6. Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts isn’t just a day camp activity name. This international art movement focused on craftsmanship and traditional imagery. It often features folk or medieval figures and type. The movement started in Britain and moved through Europe and North America from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It reemerged in Japan in the 1920s. Characteristics include lots of texture, illustrated typography, simple fonts, and historical themes. Popular color schemes include neutrals, like browns and creams.

7.  Bauhaus

Image via  Creative Market

The primary goal of the Bauhaus movement is to bring function, design, innovation, and craftsmanship together in art design. The unusual name comes from its founding location, the Staatliches Bauhaus art school in Germany, where students popularized these designs in 1919. Characteristics include simplicity, grid organization, geometric shapes, contrasting colors, and visual hierarchy.

8. Brutalism

The Brutalism movement began in the 1950s and was most commonly used in architecture but also made the jump to digital design. This style has some similarities to minimalist design but its own hallmarks, including influences from industrial or building materials and design. Characteristics of the movement include monochromatic color, lack of ornamentation, modular designs, repeated patterns, lack of editing, and layered pieces.

9. Early Modern

Modernism is the idea of rebelling against anything traditional, like previous styles. Early modernism is the first phase of that movement. Designers used it for everything from art to architecture, and even furniture. Characteristics include geometric shapes, photos instead of illustrations, clean fonts, and minimalistic  layouts.

10. Futurism

Futurism was an art and social movement that started in the early 20th century in Italy with parallel movements worldwide. Its focus was fitting for the time of the Industrial Revolution, with an emphasis on technology, speed, objects, and transportation. Characteristics include eclectic styles, neutral or muted colors, new technology, and offset text.

Like other art movements in this list, the grunge era also coincided with the popular music of its time. It originated from the 90s subculture movement of the American northwest, in areas like Seattle. The style embodies an urban feel combined with elements of the punk era, which came before it. Characteristics include dirty texture, crooked elements, stains, torn elements, and hand-written or hand-drawn pieces.

12. Hero Realism

Image via  Medium  by  Faizan   Bhatti

Hero Realism rose to prominence during the time of Socialist and Communist regimes in Europe and Asia. Designs featured a human figure that was the “hero” of the piece. The supplemental text acted as a call to action (CTA) and encouraged people to do something, such as sign up for a draft or buy a war bond. The Uncle Sam and Rosie the Riveter posters from WWI and WWII are popular American examples of this style. Characteristics include one focal human subject, realistic imagery, bold and clear fonts, and a poster style.

13. Late Modern

Late modernism was another phase of the modernist movement that came after World War II. It became popular in the contemporary art of the 1950s. This movement followed many of the same principles as early modernism, but with an anti-design twist. Characteristics include non-decorative typeface, distorted geometric shapes, and informal or unplanned structural layouts.

14. Maximalism

Maximalism aims to fill the empty space of a design. Artists use a variety of colors, shapes, and objects to meet that goal. It’s the opposite of the minimalist movement. To understand maximalism , think of a hidden-picture puzzle. Each time you look at the puzzle, you find a new object stashed throughout the entire design because it takes up all the available space on the page. In maximalism, the graphic designer has the freedom to decide just what elements to use to take up that space, as long as it fits the project’s theme.

15. Minimalist

The minimalist movement has been around for years, but it most recently became popular again in the 2010s for interior design. The name suggests exactly what sets this style apart from others: sparse use of elements. Another hallmark of minimalism is not using any more elements than necessary to make your point. Characteristics include neutral tones or secondary colors, the use of negative space, no field depth, and linear elements.

16. Post-Modern

Post-modernism is a stylistic phase that followed modernism. It became trendy in the 1970s and 1980s. You may recognize post-modern art for its lack of rules or structure, like anti-design, and its combination of elements from a variety of other distinct movements. Characteristics include collage illustrations, clashing colors, a tilted axis perspective, and overlapping elements.

17. Psychedelic

Image via  Behance  by  Guro   Jeppestol

The psychedelic movement influenced art and music associated with the 1960s and 1970s decades in the United States. Its origins came through inspiration from clothing, literature, philosophy, and the culture of the era, especially the hippie counterculture of the western part of the country, such as in California. Characteristics of the style include bold and clashing colors, images and type in art nouveau style, hand-drawn and illegible fonts, and curvaceous forms.

Image via  99designs

The punk movement originated in the 1970s in collaboration with the rise of the music scene by the same name. Many designers of the period didn’t train in art or design. These creators worked with bands and volunteered to help make their posters, flyers, and cover art. Most pieces have a do-it-yourself feel, like something anyone could create. Characteristics include collage style, photographic imagery, low-quality images, grainy effects, and rough texture.

19.  Retro-Futurism

Image via  Twitter  by @ chemicalcuts

Retro-futurism may sound like a contradiction, but it’s actually a combination of other design movements. It takes inspiration from nostalgic and retro designs and how those eras viewed the future. Then it combines those principles with current trending subjects. For example, take any merchandise today that uses the Friends TV series font but not for products promoting the show. This is an example of Retro-Futurism because it combines the nostalgic feel of the font from the 90s TV show with trending subjects of today.

20. Social Consciousness

Socially conscious design has become more popular as the world focuses on social responsibility and topic issues like climate change and human rights. Key focus points within socially conscious design include:

• Authentic representation: This segment focuses on preventing misrepresentation of a person, group, or culture in designs. It also avoids using cultural or religious symbols or images in an insensitive or defamatory way.
• Diversity: The segment helps represent all segments of a target audience or geographic location in a design, not just one group or subsection.
• Sustainability: This segment focuses on how graphic design ideas reflect a company’s or client’s views on environmental issues and helping the planet.

21. Steampunk

The steampunk movement became a subculture trend in the 1980s. It used inspiration from the 19th century, such as the Victorian era or the Industrial Revolution, to inspire its fashion, design, and overall aesthetic. Characteristics include vintage inspiration; neutral brown, gold, and black colors; and industrial objects, such as gears or gaslights.

22. Swiss International

The Swiss International movement earned its name from its origins in Switzerland in the 1940s. It’s mostly used for poster design because it combines typography, photographic images, and grids. Characteristics include simple design, matte color palettes, asymmetrical layouts, sans serif fonts, and the use of negative space.

23. Victorian

The Victorian movement references the period of Queen Victoria’s reign in Britain from 1837 to 1901. This period extended longer in the United States. We commonly associate the style with architectural homes of the era, but it also influences clothing and both interior and graphic design. Typical elements of Victorian style include elaborate decorative borders and fonts, symmetry, ornate imagery, banners, and minimal straight lines or edges.

Artistic techniques are the procedures or processes used to make designs. Most techniques get their distinctions from the ways they use the seven basic elements of design: line, color, shape, value, texture, space, and form. Combining multiple styles into one design helps create unique logos or projects that could help your brand stand out from the competition. Consider these art techniques and principles when searching for graphic design inspiration:

With all the computer programs available to designers today, it’s easier to create 3D designs for graphic projects. The biggest hallmark of this technique is that the images aren’t flat. This means they use principles of perspective and shading to make them look like they have depth. Areas of focus include lighting effects, shadow, and the illusion of volume.

2. Calligraphy

Calligraphy is a lettering practice that dates back to ancient dynasties across Asia and Europe. It’s a visual art related to writing that forms ornate letters with a pen or ink brush. The lettering in calligraphy often includes many bends, curves, and curls. It can also have geometric shapes or designs.

3. Charcoal

Charcoal drawing and painting combine the color aesthetic of monochrome with the hand-drawn qualities of illustration. These types of designs rely on visual tones and exploring shading and contrast to create a full image using just one type of drawing tool. You can replicate this style using computer design programs.

4.  Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a painting technique that focuses heavily on the contrast of light and dark within the piece. The name itself comes from the Italian words that mean light and dark. Works in this style help you understand the elements of value, light source, and shadow to inspire your projects.

Collage comes from the French word “ cooler ,” which means “to glue.” Traditional collage arts include taking scraps of paper, objects, or other materials from different original sources and pasting them together to create one new project. You can also create digital collages using photo editing software to snip and snag elements to create one digital document. This style is a popular influence on artistic movements like punk and post-modernism.

6. Conceptual

Image via  99designs  by @ miridi

The terms conceptual design or concept art are most commonly used in fields like film or video game design. This technique often indicates a pre-production phase where you’re just coming up with ideas, but they’re not polished or finished yet. Concept designs often have a cartoonish or illustrative style. They may mimic reality but look like a fictional version of settings or objects rather than something you’d experience in real life.

7. Dissonance

Dissonance in design occurs when two or more elements send opposing messages. This can happen in any area, such as between the words and images or the colors and the background. The most important point is that there is a visible level of contrast among the elements. Using blur, opposing colors, and images or fonts with different aesthetics can help you achieve this technique.

Doodling is a more informal type of illustration with a less refined finish. Doodles may not look like they come from a graphic designer at all, but a student or amateur artist. Incorporating doodles into your projects may give them a more childlike or relaxed quality. Doodles can be highly personal to each designer thanks to their hand-drawn elements.

9. Embossing

Embossing is an artistic process of creating an impression on an existing surface. You can do it on paper, cloth, metal, or glass. Words and logos receive embossing effects to help them stand out and be more visible to the human eye than flat techniques like etching. This technique teaches you about depth, perspective, and shadows. Many photo and design editing programs have an embossing tool that lets you add this effect to different elements in your project.

10. Embroidery

Embroidery is a type of textile technique that uses a needle and yarn or thread to create a design on another object. It’s common in fashion and housewares for ornamental design. Because embroidery uses stitching, it creates a different type of pattern than you’d see in other types of artistic mediums.

11. Escapism

The definition of escapism is the desire to look for distractions from an unpleasant reality by engaging in fantasy. This is a broad term that each designer can interpret differently. This technique doesn’t have a distinct set of characteristics. If you intend to incorporate escapism into your designs, consider themes like vacationing, outer space, or fantasy worlds with characters, like wizards and dragons.

Image via  Speckyboy  by @ steveretka

Flat style relates to minimalism in its design because it often focuses on one main visual element accompanied by  nonintrusive text. Designers initially created this technique for graphical user interfaces like websites and apps, but it’s common in graphic design now, as well. Areas of attention include lack of depth, neutral tones, straight lines, and the use of negative space.

13.  Foreshortening

Foreshortening is an artistic perspective technique that focuses heavily on angles and light sources. It often depicts human figures, though you can do it with any subject. The focus of the piece often appears at an unexpected or unusual angle to create a different view than you’re used to seeing. Like other perspective styles, this type can create an optical illusion to make a flat subject look like it has depth.

14. Geometric

Geometric design is an old principle, dating back to B.C. historical periods and locations, like those of ancient Greece. This technique is based on the rules of geometry and has a focus on shapes, often squares, circles, rectangles, and triangles. Areas of attention for this technique include straight lines and symmetry.

15.  Glassmorphism

Glassmorphism is a practice typically used in web or app design. This technique uses frames, buttons, and backgrounds to look like there’s glass on the screen. Use blurring, shapes, light, depth, shadowing, and color to achieve this effect. If using glassmorphism , keep inclusion to a minimum to make it the focal point of a project and draw the viewer’s eye to it.

16. Graffiti

Graffiti is a cousin of street art because it takes place in a public setting. It’s different in that graffiti is technically illegal if the artist doesn’t have permission to display their work where it appears. This style uses handwritten or typographic elements like words or phrases rather than images to convey the message. Use this technique for inspiration for lettering lines and curves.

17. Illustration

You can spot illustrations by their hand-drawn, or replicated-hand-drawn style. There are subcategories of illustrations that fall into this broad category, like conceptual art. These designs are interesting because each artist creates them differently with their own style and flair. Even if you get your inspiration from illustrations, you may add your own individuality to your creations.

18. Impasto

Image via  The Van Gogh Gallery

Impasto is a painting technique that uses thick, repeated layers to make the brush strokes visible in the final project. While not 3D, the image may appear to be because the lines and shapes are thick and seem to rise off the page, screen, or canvas. Areas of focus include light, texture, and tone.

19. Ink Wash

Ink wash painting is a historic East Asia brush painting practice. Using materials similar to calligraphy, this technique requires the artist to apply black ink to paper or silk to create the designs. Areas of focus include the thickness of lines, types of brush strokes, and color gradients.

20.  Kinetic

Kinetic art gets its name from its subjects, those with movement. It often focuses on machines with working parts, mobiles, or light that can change with time or manipulation. You can incorporate kinetic movement and design into both 2D and 3D pieces. Focus areas include joints, lines, and patterns of movement.

Mosaic is a design technique that comes from arranging small colored tiles on a flat surface. It’s an old practice that dates back to Mayan and other ancient civilizations. The small tiles are often opaque fragments of glass or other materials like gems, stones, or shells. The background surface is typically industrial, such as concrete. Mosaics can form just a pattern or a larger image.

Op art is an abbreviation for the term “optical art.” This type of design aims to show and understand the illusions and optical effects of perception. It was a popular technique in the 1960s and 1970s. Characteristics include a focus on contrasting colors, depth, shading, and the movement of lines.

23. Panorama

Panorama is both a painting technique and a photographic style. It’s formed by putting a sequence of images side by side to show a longer, larger view than what you could see in one canvas or photo frame. Panoramas can help you understand layout and framing for graphic design projects.

24. Parametric Patterns

Parametric patterns differ from other backgrounds or shapes because they use intricate geometric structures to make the design. Each line moves and morphs based on its position relative to another. This technique gets its name and its construction from mathematical parametric equations, a type of high-level math function rooted in geometry. Areas of focus include fluidity, 3D depth, and a sense of movement.

25. Personification

Personification is the concept of taking an inanimate object and giving it human qualities and characteristics. Personified objects in writing, film, or TV often keep some of their “object” qualities. For example, in the Disney version of  Beauty and the Beast , the enchanted objects can walk, talk, and act like humans. But Mrs. Potts, the tea kettle, comes to a boil when she’s angry. You can use the concept of personification in your designs to help sell your products or services.

26. Photorealism

Photorealism is a subtype of illustration where the designer uses hand-drawn methods to replicate an original photo image. The finished product looks realistic, but the artist created it with their hands and tools. You can replicate this style with design programs on your electronic devices.

27. Pointillism

Pointillism is a painting technique first used in Paris in the 1880s. The artist uses individual dots of paint, ink, or other materials to create an entire image from smaller particles. With this technique, you can use different colors, create a variety of shapes, and even include shading, depth, and gradient. Up close, you can see all the individual dots, but when you step back, you see one cohesive picture. You can replicate this style on the computer using a design software program.

28. Pop Art

Pop art was a new and exciting style in the 1950s and 60s, which focused on representing American popular culture in iconography. It used themes of famous products, pastimes, and celebrities to tell the “American Story,” or sometimes to mock it. Focus areas include bold colors, grainy texture, and heavy typeface.

29. Quilting

Quilting is a textile art form that involves stitching together two or more layers of fabric, with padding in between, in unique patterns. It’s a common tool to make blankets, pillowcases, clothing, or wall hangings. Patterns include the nine-patch, log cabin, pinwheel, and eight-point star. Each pattern uses a series of geometric shapes—like squares, rectangles, and triangles—but the arrangement makes each one unique.

30. Sand Painting

Sand painting is a precise art form associated with some North American and Indian indigenous cultures. It involves using crushed, colored sandstone, pollen, charcoal, or other dry materials to create a design. Because of its cultural origins, common subjects include Mandalas or other designs with intricate, repeating patterns.

31. Splatter Paint

Splatter paint originated in New York in the 1940s and was a derivative of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Jackson Pollock is one of the most famous splatter artists. You can use this technique with almost any type of paint on any surface or canvas. It’s often chaotic because there’s no easy way to control where the drops fall. Characteristics of this style include a lack of uniformity, gravity, and circular shapes.

32. Spray Paint

Spray paint is the most commonly used tool for graffiti and some types of street art. It comes in aerosol cans, with a nozzle that allows you to spray liquid near or far from the canvas. This can affect the color, saturation, and design pattern.

33. Stained Glass

Stained glass style is most often associated with windows and religious institutions, but you can use it for many artistic projects, including graphic design ideas. The glass gets its color from a metallic oxide coating during manufacturing. Then those pieces get placed in a frame and melded together with materials like stone, lead, or metal. In design inspiration, focus on characteristics like vibrant colors, use of heavy lines, fractured layouts, and opaqueness.

34. Stop Animation

Stop animation is a common term in  moviemaking , but it can also influence your static and dynamic graphic designs. This animation technique films a subject by repeatedly stopping and starting each frame. It gives inanimate objects or figures the impression of moving. It may use 2D or 3D subjects, such as paper cutouts, clay figures, or live-action people or items. This style may be popular for graphic designers who work in  GIFs , social media, or other types of clips.

35. Surrealism

Surrealism is an artistic style closely related to escapism but preceded that technique. In 1924, writer André Breton discussed the concept of bypassing consciousness to understand how thought functions. This style shows things that may not make sense in the conscious world. For example, consider dreams. Sometimes you know you’re supposed to be looking at an object you know well and your conscious mind understands that, but in the dream, that thing doesn’t look like it normally does when you’re awake. This understanding, paired with confusion, is the guiding principle of surrealism.

36. Tactile

Image via  Behance  by Natalia  Kuzmina

Tactile designs are most common in real-world images and graphics. They’re a type of adaptive image for those with blindness or visual impairments. Similar to how braille is a series of raised bumps for reading, a tactile graphic has raised or textured parts so people can experience it with a sense of touch rather than just seeing it with their eyes. Though it’s not possible yet to do this with a digital image, you can mimic the way one looks on the computer. Pay attention to color, shading, depth, and texture.

37. Tie-Dye

The earliest evidence of tie-dye goes back to the 6th century in China, Japan, and India. In the United States, tie-dye became popular in the 1920s. The concept of using colored dye to create patterns on clothing and accessories is most often associated with the 1960s and 1970s counterculture movements and rock music of the hippie era. Characteristics of tie-dye include bold colors, blending, bleeding, use of negative space, and circular patterns.

38.  Trompe L’oeil

The phrase trompe  l’oeil  is French for “deceives the eye.” This technique encourages optical illusions to trick your eyes and brain into thinking the image is three-dimensional. Subjects often include people or everyday objects. Designers may use the border of the piece and layering to enhance the illusion. Focal characteristics include framing, depth, shading, and perspective.

39. Typography

Image via  99designs  by @ stevenmink

Typography focuses mainly, sometimes only, on turning your word and font choice into the entire focus of a design. The words themselves may form shapes, or the fonts may be the primary subject of the pieces. This is a common design choice for logos, posters, and other branding materials.

40.  Ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e  is a type of Japanese printed or painted artwork that uses hand-carved woodblock to make scenes and designs. The style may be something familiar to vector graphic designers because it uses some of the same elements. Characteristics of  ukiyo-e  design include flat colors, bold outlines, and limited perspective.

Voxel  is a digital art that uses 3D pixels, called volumetric pixels, to create an illustration or animation. Similar to 3D art, areas of focus include shading, depth, geometric shapes, and lines. The video game  Minecraft  and the 2015 movie  Pixels  both incorporate this style.

42. Watercolor

Watercolor design is as simple as incorporating the look and feel, or actual watercolor painting, into your project. You can create anything in the watercolor image, from geometric shapes to backgrounds. Characteristics of this technique include bleeding and blending color, gradient, texture, and imperfect edges.

43. Wood Carving

Wood carving is exactly what it sounds like: creating an image, object, or sculpture with wood. Like other sculptors, woodcarvers often start with a log or plant of wood and cut, chip, and carve away negative space until they’re left with the desired result. Looking at these designs can help you understand positive and negative space in a work.

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Graphic Design

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What Skills Does a Graphic Designer Need in 2024? A Complete Guide

If you're interested in knowing the most crucial skills a graphic designer should have in 2024, then you've come to the right place! This guide will provide you with all the information you need on the soft, technical, and software skills necessary for graphic designing, as well as tips on how to master them.

Graphic design is a creative role—but it’s not all about hands-on design work. In addition to artistic flair, the best graphic designers must also possess excellent communication and collaboration skills, technical expertise, and proficiency in industry tools.

If you’re curious about what it takes to excel as a graphic designer, keep reading.

We’ve compiled the most important graphic design skills employers are looking for in 2024, together with advice on how to acquire them.

• 1) What is graphic design and what do graphic designers do?
• 2) 6 Essential hard skills for graphic designers
• 3) Additional graphic design hard skills (nice-to-haves)
• 4) 5 Must-have soft skills for graphic designers
• 5) Essential software, tools, and programs all graphic designers should learn
• 6) How to develop the top graphic design skills and start a career in the field
• 7) Next steps

Let’s begin with an introduction to the field.

What is graphic design and what do graphic designers do?

Graphic design is the art of creating visual content to communicate a certain message. It’s closely related to marketing, advertising, and branding, and uses different design elements and compositions to visually convey the ‘essence’ of a product.

Graphic design is everywhere, both in the physical world and the digital realm. It includes things like product labels and packaging, posters and billboards, book covers, website graphics, logos, flyers, and business cards.

Learn more: What Is Graphic Design? Everything You Need To Know .

It’s a broad and varied field, and the work of a graphic designer can differ greatly from one project to the next. But, ultimately, graphic designers are responsible for creating designs and individual design assets that connect with the target audience.

Graphic designers enjoy a creative, collaborative, and varied role. They can work in a range of industries and sectors, and there are many different career paths to choose from within the field.

Given the breadth and variety of the role, graphic designers require a broad and diverse skill set. Ready to discover the top skills you’ll need to become a graphic designer? Keep reading.

6 Essential hard skills for graphic designers

Graphic design hard skills are the technical, role-specific proficiencies that are essential for a role in graphic design. These include:

• Knowledge of graphic design principles
• An understanding of colour theory and colour psychology
• Proficiency in digital design
• Knowledge of branding
• The ability to design for print
• Proficiency in graphic design software

Let’s explore these in detail.

i. Knowledge of graphic design principles

Good graphic design doesn’t happen by accident. Throughout their work, graphic designers adhere to certain guiding principles—the “golden rules” of graphic design.

Some of the most important graphic design principles are balance, hierarchy, contrast, proportion, and repetition. These principles are crucial for the creation of aesthetically pleasing designs that accurately communicate the desired message—for example, by directing the user’s attention to certain elements on the page.

All graphic design roles require knowledge of these fundamental principles, so make sure you know what they are, why they’re important, and how to apply them to your work.

ii. An understanding of colour theory and colour psychology

Colour is one of the most powerful tools in a graphic designer’s armoury. If you want to excel as a graphic designer, you need to be well-versed in both colour theory and colour psychology.

Colour theory is the study of how colours are used in art and design. It includes knowledge of the colour wheel which depicts the relationship between primary, secondary, and tertiary colours; an understanding of concepts such as hue, saturation, and brightness; and developing an eye for effective colour pairings. You’ll find a great introduction to colour theory on the Sketch blog .

Colour psychology explores how different colours can impact people’s emotions, moods, and behaviour. For example, you’ve probably heard of red being associated with passion and excitement, blue being symbolic of peace and calm, and green representing nature and freshness.

To capture the essence of a particular brand and connect with the target audience, graphic designers must understand the role that colour plays and learn how to use it for maximum impact.

iii. Proficiency in digital design

We live in the digital age, so many graphic designers will find themselves working in the digital realm. As such, adding digital design skills to your repertoire is a must.

Some of the most important digital design skills include digital typography (using computer software to design type that will be viewed on-screen), creating logos and other web design elements (such as icons and buttons) from scratch, and designing assets, such as branded letterheads for email newsletters and banners for social media ads, for digital marketing and advertising campaigns.

Ultimately, the best-equipped graphic designers know how to translate and adapt their craft for the screen—honing their skills to span both physical and digital design.

iv. Knowledge of branding

Graphic designers rarely design in a vacuum. Usually, they’re designing for a specific brand and must therefore understand the relationship between visual design and branding.

Branding is the process of establishing and conveying a unique and memorable identity, be it for a product, a service, or a person. It’s the image and impression a brand projects to the world, declaring “This is who I am and what I stand for.”

There are many products and services which deliver the same thing, so companies must create a strong brand identity in order to differentiate themselves and resonate with their target audience. Graphic designers are often involved in this process—be it to help develop the brand identity itself, or design materials that accurately capture and reinforce the brand image.

As a graphic designer, it’s essential to understand how design helps to shape and communicate brand identity and to master the art of designing assets in accordance with brand guidelines.

v. The ability to design for print

The origins of graphic design can be traced back to the printing industry, and graphic design for print is still going strong. After all, we still need designers for things like product packaging, posters, magazines, and book covers.

To design for print, graphic designers must be skilled in layout design, typography, and colour, as well as prepress (the process of preparing your designs for printing), printing, bindery, and finishing.

Designing for print also requires proficiency in specific software (such as QuarkXpress or Adobe InDesign)—which leads us to the final hard skill on our list.

vi. Proficiency in graphic design software

Like most professionals nowadays, graphic designers use a range of specialist programs and tools. The exact tools you use will depend on the nature of your role and whether you specialise in a specific domain—for example, printing and publication or animation and motion graphics.

Still, most (if not all) graphic designers should be proficient in illustration and drawing software, as well as photo and video editing tools.

We list some of the most popular graphic design tools worth learning after our section on soft skills.

Additional graphic design hard skills (nice-to-haves)

What other hard skills might you add to your skill set?

Here are some nice-to-have skills that aren’t strictly necessary for becoming a graphic designer, but might be fun to learn and may also broaden your job prospects.

Photography. This is a common hobby among graphic designers, and it’s a useful skill to have. If you can take your own high-quality and expertly-shot photos, you’ll have access to unique images you can use in your work and enjoy full creative freedom—a big step up from stock photography.

Drawing, sketching, and illustration. Many aspiring graphic designers wonder if they need to be talented at drawing in order to work in the field, and the short answer is no. Most of your work will be done using digital tools, so drawing free-hand is not a prerequisite. That said, sketching and drawing can be a great way to develop your creativity and get into the habit of visualising your thoughts and ideas so you can share them with others.

Animation, special effects, and motion graphics. Graphic designers typically work with static images, so you don’t need to get involved in fancy animations and visual effects. But, if you do find yourself curious, it’s worth experimenting with these skills and their related software. That way, if you choose to work as a motion graphics designer later on in your career, you’ll be equipped to make the shift.

So far, we’ve covered the essential hard skills and some additional nice-to-haves. Next, let’s explore the most important soft skills for graphic designers.

5 Must-have soft skills for graphic designers

Besides job-specific know-how, graphic designers must also hone a variety of soft, interpersonal skills.

The most important graphic designer soft skills are:

• Communication and collaboration
• The ability to give and receive feedback
• Research skills
• Problem-solving
• Creativity and attention to detail

Let’s consider why these are critical.

i. Communication and collaboration

Hands-on design work is just one aspect of a graphic designer’s role. The end-to-end process of completing a project involves lots of back and forth with clients and stakeholders, and this requires outstanding communication.

Communication is key for getting to the heart of what clients and stakeholders want, and for sharing your design ideas and concepts. This includes active listening, asking thoughtful questions, communicating with empathy, and being able to effectively manage conflict.

If you can communicate and collaborate well, you’re equipped to handle one of the most challenging aspects of a career in graphic design.

ii. The ability to give and receive feedback

Graphic design is a creative discipline, and you’ll usually be working to somebody else’s brief—or at least to certain guidelines or requirements. This means that you’ll regularly receive feedback on your work.

Believe it or not, receiving feedback is a skill in itself. You can hone it by listening actively and keeping an open mind, asking questions to clarify and better understand the feedback, and summarising key points to ensure you’ve correctly interpreted it.

You may also be required to give feedback on other people’s work, especially if you work in a team with fellow designers. Good creative feedback is specific, clear, objective, and actionable.

Your clients, colleagues, and direct teammates will all appreciate your ability to both give and receive feedback, so master this skill as early as possible in your graphic design career.

iii. Research skills

A key step in the graphic design process is research—whether it’s conducting competitor research to see what other brands are doing, gathering visual inspiration for a mood board, researching to learn more about the target audience, or gaining a deeper understanding of the niche you’re designing for.

So what do “good research skills” look like? A strong research skill set includes being able to identify and set clear goals, using a variety of methods and sources for gathering information, and being able to organise your research in a way that makes sense.

If you’re required to share your research, you’ll also need to be skilled at presenting and explaining it. This is where your communication skills come in handy!

iv. Problem-solving

Every design brief you receive is a problem that needs to be solved. Or, to reframe that: a solution-finding exercise.

A key aspect of problem-solving is identifying the problem that needs to be solved in the first place. Often, this requires you to break a bigger, more complex problem into smaller, more manageable components.

Effective problem-solvers can think critically, weighing up all the information available before making a decision; being creative when coming up with potential solutions; and collaboratively making decisions which facilitate progress.

v. Creativity and attention to detail

These last two skills will come as no surprise. Creativity is at the heart of graphic design, enabling you to think outside the box and come up with unique and interesting ideas.

And, when it comes to implementing those ideas and creating your designs, you’ll need excellent attention to detail. You want to maximise every available inch of your canvas to ensure that your designs fulfil the brief and connect with the target audience—and this means paying close attention to every single element, as well as the overall composition.

These two skills together—creativity and attention to detail—make for a powerful combination in the graphic design industry.

Essential software, tools and programs all graphic designers should learn

Last but not least, the industry tools that enable graphic designers to work their magic.

Illustration and drawing software

This is the software you use to create design assets such as logos, icons, infographics, and more, from scratch. Typically, illustration and drawing tools consist of a canvas and a vector illustration and editing tool. Here are some of the most popular programs used by graphic designers.

• Adobe Illustrator —vector-based illustration software which is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. Available for Windows or Mac, with prices starting at $20.99 per month.
• CorelDRAW —an entire suite of graphic design tools, including vector illustration, typography, and photo editing. Available for Windows, Mac, iPad, and in-browser; costs $22.42 per month.
• Sketch —a Mac-only vector editing app with an infinite canvas and fully flexible, customisable artboards. Available for $9 per month or $99 per year.

Publication design software

Publication design software focuses specifically on page and layout design. If you’re designing brochures, PDFs, business cards, or flyers—essentially any kind of document—you’ll need to get to grips with publication design software. Here are some industry favourites:

• Adobe InDesign —used for designing image-rich, multi-page documents for both digital and print. Available for Windows and Mac, with prices starting at $20.99 per month.
• Affinity Publisher —a popular alternative to Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher is a page layout and design app available for Windows and Mac. Prices start at $69.99 with no subscription necessary.

Photo editing software

Working as a graphic designer, you’ll probably be required to edit photos and images at some point in your career. As always, there are tools to help you, such as:

• Adobe Photoshop —a raster-based program (i.e. it uses pixels) for creating and editing images and photos. Available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android with prices starting at $20.99 per month.
• Affinity Photo —another popular option for photo editing, available on Mac and Windows for a one-off payment of $69.99.

Video editing and motion graphics software

If you venture beyond static imagery into video or motion graphics and visual effects, there are tools for that, too. Among the most popular are:

• Adobe After Effects —a motion design software app used to create visual effects for film, TV, video, and the web. Available on Windows and Mac for $20.99 per month.
• Adobe Premiere Pro —professional video editing software available on Windows and Mac, starting at $20.99 per month.

Those are some of the most popular graphic design tools in a nutshell. For a thorough tool comparison, refer to this guide: The Best Graphic Design Software and Tools in 2024. .

How to develop the top graphic design skills and start a career in the field

To recap: the graphic designer’s skill set comprises hard skills (i.e. job-specific competencies), soft skills (the interpersonal skills that allow you to thrive in the role), and proficiency in industry software and tools.

Here are some proactive steps you can take to develop these essential skills and start your career in graphic design.

Learn graphic design theory with free resources

There are lots you can learn for free on the web—at least when it comes to the theory behind graphic design.

Read blogs and watch YouTube videos to learn about the fundamentals of visual design, the key graphic design principles, as well as things like colour theory , branding, and the difference between designing for digital and for print.

The goal here is to get an overview of the field and establish some familiarity with industry concepts and terms. You’ll formalise and structure your learning in the next step.

Take a practical graphic design course

As you explore the World Wide Web, you’ll quickly realise that graphic design is a huge topic. You don’t know what you don’t know—so, after the initial discovery phase, it’s important to take a more methodical approach.

A graphic design course will take you through everything you need to know in a logical order, starting with the fundamentals before progressing to specifics such as designing for digital, designing for print, and brand identity design.

Not only will a course give you a systematic curriculum to follow. It’ll also connect you with industry experts and mentorship and allow you to apply your skills to practical projects.

Work on hypothetical projects and build out your graphic design portfolio

As you near the end of your graphic design course, you’ll want to start thinking about your graphic design portfolio. This is how you’ll show potential employers (or clients) that you’re a skilled graphic designer who’s ready and able to work in the field.

A graphic design portfolio usually takes the format of a website, featuring a section about you and a curation of graphic design projects you’ve worked on. Ideally, you’ll choose a graphic design course which includes practical projects and portfolio-building as part of the curriculum. Take a look at a couple of projects students have undertaken while enrolled in AND Academy’s Graphic Design Courses :

• Brand Identity Design Project by Bibin S
• Poster Design Project by Dushyant Singh

Feel ready to explore the wonderful world of graphic design? Here’s what you can do next:

• Watch this session by design veteran and AND’s Academic Head, Prachi Mittal, and our Course Lead, Soumya Tiwari.
• Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
• Pursue our Graphic Design courses which includes a capstone project to give you the practical experience you'll need, and comes with a Job Guarantee.
• Take advantage of the scholarship and funding options that come with our courses to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.

Note:All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.

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17 Graphic Design Styles: A Visual Guide

Are you currently developing a brand, but aren’t sure what aesthetic you want to go for? You’ve come to the right place. 

It’s important to establish a graphic design style for your brand so it can become more recognizable both within and outside your target audience. Below are 17 different graphic design styles that are commonly used in the marketing and design world. Each design style has distinct characteristics that can be paired with other styles to create unique pieces of work. 

Use this guide to find the best design style for your brand, or if you’re a designer, use it for design style inspiration. When you find your favorite types of design styles, venture over to our icon collection and explore!

Table of Contents:

• Typographic
• Three-Dimensional
• Illustrated
• Photorealism

1. Minimalism

The minimalist movement began in the 1920s with architecture design, but has seen ups and downs in popularity since then. This design style values simplicity over intricacy, with clean geometric shapes and monochromatic color palettes.

Minimalism uses the power of white space to allow the simple shapes and designs to convey a message. Remember that less is more, and omit details that aren’t essential to the overall design. 

Luis Prado ’s design style is minimalistic in both typography and elements, as seen in the last image above.

Characteristics: 

• Limited color palette
• Minimal shading
• Bold linework

2. Maximalism

The polar opposite of minimalism, maximalism uses oversaturated color schemes and patterns in its bold design. Maximalism work commonly uses erratic layouts that lack traditional balance. Unlike minimalism, this style fills up the page rather than using white space. Layering text, images and texture are common maximalism practices. 

Jhonny Núñez is a maximalist designer who creates beautifully bright and bold illustrations full of overlapping shapes. 

• Unexpected color palette
• Contrasting patterns
• Bold fonts and textures

3. Typographic

Like the title suggests, typographic design uses font styles to communicate a message. While this design style may use illustrations or be paired with other complementary graphic design styles, the text itself is the main component. Text-based logos are a great example of typographic design in action.  

• Font is the center of the design
• Font conveys the message
• Paired with other visual styles and elements

Retro style encompasses old-school fonts and design. Examples include vintage style or 20th-century art deco. These classic art styles incorporate nostalgic elements and fonts that are recognizable to audiences of all ages. The design includes decorative elements and illustrations tied to a specific period.

• Vintage fonts 
• Details that invoke the psychedelic ‘60s and ‘70s era 
• Blended modern and retro elements

5. Abstract

Abstract design style depicts images and visual elements that are detached from what they may look like in reality. The design is open for interpretation by its target audience and uses contrasting elements of form, shape and tone. 

• Unique color palette
• Surreal depiction of reality
• Intended for interpretation

6. Geometric

This visual style is based on geometry, a branch of mathematics that focuses on the relationship between angles, lines and points. The overall design is aesthetically minimal, focusing on the balance of straight lines, shapes and edges. These simple designs can be elevated with varying color palettes and paired with images. 

Maya Ealey ’s work is a great example of geometric design that strays away from boring blocks – rather she uses color to her advantage.

• Symmetry and balance 
• Straight lines and shapes 
• Varying color palettes

The flat design style is often compared to minimalist design, as they both use the power of negative space and simplistic design. However, flat design typically uses a monochromatic color palette, as well as icons and pictograms within its illustrations. 

Flat design is a popular style to use in graphical materials such as posters and guide documents, and it’s become a staple style for websites and mobile applications.

Enhance your design with free icons

Chattapat ’s icons are great examples on how to make a flat design extremely detailed, but not overwhelming.

• Two-dimensional
• Monochromatic
• Utilizes icons 

8. Three-Dimensional

Three-dimensional graphic design brings flat design to life. The goal is to create an illusion of realism using the effects of natural lighting and shadowing. It uses elements of depth and volume to help the design look more realistic. 3D graphic design is often used in social media content, web design and animation. 

• Mirrors a real-life object
• Uses light and shadows
• Balances volume, mass and depth

The organic design style uses natural and rustic elements that connect well within the natural world. Common elements include natural textures, organic shapes and neutral color palettes. Fluid hand-drawn lines are also a popular technique in this design style. 

Organic design often incorporates botanical elements like plants and leaves, and is a common design style for eco-friendly brands and produce companies. 

• Earthy elements
• Neutral color palette
• Fluid lines and organic shapes

Modern graphic design, also known as late modernism, dates back to post World War II. Common elements of this design style include irregular geometric shapes and lines, vibrant colors and unique layouts. Fonts used with this design are usually basic sans serif fonts. 

• Vivid color palette
• Geometric lines and shapes
• Paired with sans serif fonts

11. Corporate

The corporate design style is great for brands looking to give off a more professional impression. It usually uses conservative design elements and formal font styles. Simple icons and layouts are also commonly seen with this contemporary design style. The corporate style works especially well for business presentations and marketing packages. 

• Simple shapes and fonts
• Clean lines
• Complementary color palette

12. Illustrated

Several design styles in this guide fall under the illustrative category of graphic design. Illustration style is unique to each designer and varies with techniques including animations, 3D, photorealism and more. If you’re a designer, pick up your tools and start sketching — there’s your illustrated design style right there!

We love Cachetejack ’s unique illustrative style, full of color and life.

• Hand-drawn look 
• Unique to the designer 
• Umbrella graphic design style

13. Playful

Playful design is best for work that’s geared toward families with younger children. It’s common to see lively, colorful illustrations of animals and people, intertwined with a bit of imagination. This carefree design style is perfect for children’s books and family-oriented brands. 

• Animated elements and graphics
• Vibrant color palette
• Imaginative design

14. Feminine

This illustrative style is used for brands and advertisements that are geared toward a primarily female audience.. Common elements include cursive fonts, charming decorative details and soft pastel colors. This graphic design style can be paired nicely with organic and natural elements. 

• Cursive fonts 
• Sloped and curved lines and shapes
• Delicate color palette

15. Masculine

This design style is often used in advertisements and brands that are geared toward a primarily male audience. Monochromatic color palettes, rough textures and thick-stroke fonts are popular elements for this style, as well as gritty or even rugged visuals. 

• Thick-stroke fonts
• Muted color palette
• Rugged textures and imagery 

Grunge illustration style is dark and somber — usually portraying a certain mood like anger or doom. Irregular lines and shapes and distressed elements are used within this design. Gritty textures and stained backgrounds are also popular elements. This design style is often seen accompanied by gothic and punk styles. 

• Dark and contrasting color palette
• Portrays an ominous mood
• Distressed and rough textures

17. Photorealism

With this unique drawing style, visuals are designed to look as similar to their real-life counterparts as possible. These are typically hand-drawn by the designer via pencil sketches and then transferred onto a vector or raster software-based program . They can be used for brand logos or just as a stand-alone piece of art. 

• Closely matches the real image or object
• Hand-drawn by the designer
• Uses raw materials like pencil and paper

We hope you enjoyed browsing through these graphic design styles and designer examples. When designing, try playing around with multiple styles to curate your personal style, and remember to browse Noun Project’s icon collection for more graphic design inspiration!

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The biggest trends in graphic design for 2023, as predicted by the creative industry

As we head to the end of another busy 12 months, we gather expert opinions from industry leaders to give you a sense of where graphic design is heading in the year to come.

Everland unites vegans and meat lovers with tasty new identity for a plant-based food startup

The job of the graphic designer may have changed a lot lately, but the good news is that the discipline is still in demand more than ever indeed. As businesses battle to survive the coming recession, good design will help them stand out visually, connect with their audiences, and create the brand loyalty they so desperately need.

That means the best graphic designers should not want for work in 2023, although at the same time, you may be expected to do more than ever. It's no longer good enough to only design for print or even digital. There's also motion, AR, VR, mixed reality and more. The good news is that good design is always good, whatever the platform. So as you stick to the same design fundamentals that have carried you so far, you should be in a strong place.

And at Creative Boom, we'll continue to play our part in bringing you the best graphic design news, resources, interviews and case studies that we always have. So you won't go short of graphic design inspiration or advice over the next 12 months.

To that end, we thought we'd gather some industry opinion to help you navigate the next year of no-doubt choppy waters. In this article, we bring together experts from across graphic design who share their thoughts, fears and hopes for 2023. After all, forewarned is forearmed!

Trend 1: A revolution in design tools

Arguably the biggest change in graphic design in 2023 won't be what our designs look like or how they function but how we make them. "If late 2022 was defined by the emergence of AI in art and design, I think we're really on the edge of a design tool nirvana," believes Nick Hill of Re Design .

"Plugins and tools have always been around but stuck behind tricky workflows," he explains. "Tools like Figma helped democratise the 'plugin', and at Re, we now use the software for so much more than what it was clearly originally intended for. Apps like Runway have made inpainting and masking content, which used to take hours of specialised work, available in minutes. There's been a recent resurgence in parametric type design that I'm really excited about. And tools such as Cavalry are bringing procedural and node-based design, previously only possible in expensive 3D software, into 2D."

&Walsh has been using AI art generation to help Brazilian model and influencer Isodope promote nuclear power.

Re Design's work for G42, a unique technology group that has AI and cloud at its core.

Most importantly, this removes the barrier of entry or the skill threshold to the design profession. "The playground is growing far wider, and it's becoming easier for creatives to plug in and play," Nick notes. "Maybe that will mean creatives can focus more on the big ideas and the curation of themes than on a single output.

"The tension is whether we can use this growing space almost 'invisibly' or that the tools become too evident and repetitive in work," he adds. "I've got no idea what tool or app might become a 'can't live without' by the end of 2023... and that's pretty cool."

Trend 2: Brands look for human connection

In the chaotic, post-pandemic world we're entering in 2023, people will be craving connection: moments that make us smile, says Kenneth Johnston-Cowley, design director at MadeBrave . "The most immersive way to do this is rich brand photography and film. Can our audiences see themselves in the brand, either literally through photography and film or through tone of voice?"

He offers MadeBrave's recent Velux campaign and the new wealth management brand they've created for atomos, as examples of this principle being put into action. "To stand out in the sometimes clinical world of finance, authentic and human storytelling focuses on 'hopes and dreams' moments that communicate the brand in a very intimate way," Kenneth explains. "This image style is framed by a graphic system that leaves space for interpretation. For example, imagery is cropped in a dynamic way to suggest the story continues."

Made Brave's recent Velux campaign

Uncommon London's work for British Airways

Another example he points to is the recent A British Original campaign for BA by Uncommon London, "with its limitless executions of relatable reasons to travel and clever timelessly modern art direction. Through all of these examples, the design elements act as an understated facilitator for authentic human storytelling, which is exactly what they need to do."

Trend 3: Designing for a hyper-reality

Once upon a time, graphic designers created work exclusively for print. Then the rise of personal computing shifted attention to digital. Now, it seems we're going through a further revolution.

"Today, designers are expected to be multi-specialised in both physical and digital spaces, and the future is a blend between Al, AR, VR, MR and IRL to create fully immersive brand experiences," explains Holly Karlsson, creative director at Bulletproof . "These areas are not new, but they are evolving quickly and go way beyond the traditional concept of graphic design. And that makes it an exciting time to be a creative.

"3D OOH billboards offer hyper-realistic and immersive brand experiences," says Holly, "blurring the lines between technology and reality. Then there are Al data sculptures, such as the mesmerising work of Refik Anadol and the emergence of Al image generation based on machine learning, such as DALL-E 2. We need not be afraid to educate ourselves. Instead, we should embrace these evolving mediums and use them to our advantage whilst drawing on our more traditional design skills."

DNCO captures the agile spirit of science startups with new brand for Motherlabs

Callum Goodger, senior designer at ShopTalk/DEPT , adds that: "2023 will be the year where AI-generated content will be available to the masses, with new ways in which this software can aid creative output. But designers will need to stay ahead and cautious of automated technology like DALL-E and decide if they want to integrate them into their work. The continued evolution of Web 3.0 gives artists and designers ownership like never before, so we may see further adoption of 'house styles' and design as 'art'."

Trend 4: Retrofuturism

While new technological possibilities are exciting, how will they actually influence the look of our work? "Design trends are leaning into what can roughly be described as retrofuturism," believes Andenew Ayele, associate creative director at ThoughtMatter . "The strong surge of newly available tech and digital resources have made Web3, AI-generated and 3D art accessible. These advances have also lent to nostalgia-driven typefaces, dynamic retro colour swatches, and the ability to honour previous modes of graphic production with seeming authenticity and ease."

He believes the recent rise of 'Anti-Design' is a good indicator of retrofuturism and what's to come. "Designers and non-designers alike have often questioned the relationship between people and brands because of their inability to be relatable, to create compelling ideas and individuality, to foster storytelling, to keep humanity at the forefront through their work and products," he notes. "Now is not the time for brands to swim in the sea of sameness with a safe, bland brand identity and visuals that appeal to everyone. They must have an opinion on function, impact and value.

"If this surge of tech and resources continue to blossom, the near future will be marked by a non-linear approach to time, inspiration, process and creativity as a whole," Andenew adds. "Without the constraints of rigid guidelines and limited resources, we foresee individuality and emotive work to be on the rise."

Pentagram gives the Bard a contemporary edge by mixing historical and modern type

Brand Brothers design a bold and geometric identity for film production company Rosamund

Trend 5: A fallback to the comforting past

In the 2020s, it seems like the world is changing faster than most of us can cope with. And so Greg Gibson, chief creative officer at Grizzly , believes the comfort blanket of nostalgia will be big in graphic design for 2023.

"Designers, fatigued by bright/squishy/meta/etc., will embrace familiar and even historical design over the trends we saw this year," he predicts. "Baroque influence on typography and art, the '60s or '70s influence on identity, even '00s influence on digital experiences will be prevalent.

"There's comfort in old forms and norms, especially when we're searching for something different," he adds. "During times of great change, we often find that we can create the future by reinterpreting the past through new mediums. I believe we'll see this over the next several years."

Al Connolly, designer at Thompson agrees, but thinks there'll also be a flashback to the '90s and '00s. "Y2K was a melting pot of low poly CGI, chrome and iridescent patterns mimicking the backs of CDs, unrefined interfaces and cyber-inspired fonts," he says. "In many ways, it's an aesthetic that can appear cheap and tacky. But what surrounds this is a sweet sense of nostalgia that captures a 'the future is here, and anything is possible' mindset.

"Everyone is so used to clean, corporate polished minimalism and interacting with websites that get us from A-B quickly, using clever UX/UI to a point where everything starts to look and feel the same. Combine that with widespread misinformation, data-stealing tech giants and social media damaging our mental health, now seems like a good time to look back to when technology was new and exciting."

Al certainly believes it's the right time for a Y2K reboot as we endure another round of impending doom from pandemics, nuclear war and global warming.

Pentagram's heartwarming identity for a charity that helps pets and their people

High Tide helps Symbol create a soulful and handcrafted furniture brand

Trend 6: Emulating Gen Z apps

Nostalgia doesn't work on younger audiences, of course. And so Ben Constable, motion designer at ShopTalk/DEPT , believes graphic designers will be drawing on the success of Gen Z's favourite apps in 2023.

"Influenced by the rise of apps like BeReal and the dominance of TikTok, brands will look for an aesthetic that can relate and resonate with how audiences communicate on social media," he predicts. "TikTok is a fine example of how sound can increase emotional engagement with an audience with its renowned 'reels'; a combination of sound and media which, in turn, delivers endless amounts of viral content.

"The impact of this is exemplified through Instagram and Facebook, both of which have been following this path in a bid to regain control of the social world," he adds. "From a design perspective, sonic branding can push our work into a multidimensional space, making our screens more engaging and, perhaps, hinting at what's to come beyond them."

Sonic branding, as part of The Stone Twins rebrand Songtradr to celebrate a platform 'where music meets'

Trend 7: Chaotic maximalism

The shift from Gen Y (aka Millennials) to Gen Z has made a big impact on design as a whole, says Katie Klencheski, founder and creative director of SMAKK . "Millennials were all about minimalism, but the design trends that define Gen Z are pure chaos theory meets maximalism."

The past year has seen brands across the spectrum adopt this design style in campaigns and branding. "And what we're seeing next is the version of this that reinterprets visual history, with flourishes of nostalgia-laced maximalism," she predicts.

"From the genesis of 1990s digital design backwards to remixed designs inspired by folk art and ancestral heritage, this trend involves a more-is-more approach to integrating multiple design styles together in a way that acknowledges the past by yanking it forward."

Trend 8: Beyond environmental lip service

Every year, creative leaders predict the need for sustainability will be a big trend in the year ahead. But in 2023, it seems there's a new urgency and a desire to follow through with practical solutions rather than greenwashing.

"One thing we are very much in favour of trending in 2023 is brands and designers taking more consideration towards their physical brand experience as part of their overall brand identity," says Danny Miller, founder and creative director at High Tide . "With that, we expect a rise in materials and products that are sustainable and biodegradable. Not simply using recycled materials but going beyond that and utilising plastic alternatives that are fully biodegradable and safe for the environment. For us, it's important not just what you look like but what you're made of."

So what does that look like in practice? Brands like Seed are setting a good example by using mycelium – mushroom fungus – for their packaging in place of paper or plastic," says Danny. "Haeckels is another brand that's recently partnered with Shellworks, a company we've recently been working with on their brand identity for their new skincare line. Shellworks is a company that creates fully biodegradable plastic alternatives. The vessels they developed for Haeckels' new skincare line are called Vivomer, made entirely out of a bacterial polymer, which is 100% compostable in under a year, no matter where the material ends up. It's also lighter than glass, so it will further reduce the carbon footprint when shipped."

Chicago studio Span rebrands Asian carp as 'Copi' to help US biodiversity.

Trend 9: Keep calm and carry on (with a twist)

Ellen Munro from BrandOpus thinks the desire for peace will be strong in 2023. "With so much global and local change over the last few years, people are looking for a bit of stability. In these times of uncertainty, brands will be looking to grow the emotional draw they have, retaining loyalty and offering a source of continuity.

"The cost-of-living crisis has made many of us rethink our lifestyle choices. Functional and effective design will dominate, with less space for the frivolous. Strong, confident typography will continue to be seen, paired with honest and real photography."

But Ellen predicts there'll be a flip side, too. With strikes and protests on the rise, she believes there'll also be a rebellious air to design. "That means screen-printing, hand-painted lettering and bold statements. Styles akin to items being produced on a small scale," she says.

DixonBaxi captures the spirit of real football fans with Everton FC rebrand

Trend 10: Suspicion of branding

One of the biggest challenges facing graphic designers in 2023, believes Philip Koh, director of strategy at Without , will be public cynicism in general. "Branding, already misunderstood by the public as either inane graphics on the one hand or malign consumerist influence on the other, will be regarded with increased suspicion by an audience facing crises on multiple fronts."

Of course, Philip disagrees. "Branding is not frivolous," he argues. "Design solves problems, and the work we do can have a fundamental impact, making lived experiences tastier, healthier, and more rewarding.

"Case in point, a project we're doing on school food that is just coming to fruition. Of course, the visuals are graphic, the copywriting is compelling, and the photography is, dare I say it, enticing. But the key foundation of the brand is the proposition we've created with our client, schools and their students: a modular, scalable approach to menus, service and applications that not only cuts waste and saves costs but provides nutritious food in a way that kids will choose to eat."

The lesson? "Far from being dispensable, brand design, and the ideas that underpin it, can be the solution. Just don't call it branding."

Ogilvy's brand overhaul for the New York Philharmonic pays homage to its new chapter

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Is Graphic Design Hard?

by Taylor Slattery | September 15, 2023

Introduction

“Is graphic design hard?” — this is a common question that many aspiring designers ask. The answer is both yes and no. The level of difficulty in graphic design varies depending on various factors, including your ability to break down complex processes into simple, manageable steps. In this comprehensive guide, we’ve collaborated with our partners at Sessions College to further delve into what makes graphic design challenging at times, how to overcome the most common hurdles, and how to become a graphic designer.

Breaking Down the Complexity of Graphic Design

Understanding the basics.

There’s a sort of intangible, almost magical quality about graphic design that attracts many to the field. The process of looking at a blank white canvas or artboard, and then through sheer time and effort alone making something out of nothing is not only satisfying, but borderline addicting.

At the core, graphic design is about communicating messages visually. Learning the foundational elements like typography, color theory, and layout design is crucial. When you work as a professional graphic designer, this isn’t an option. You need to have systems in place to arrive at a predictable outcome in a predictable amount of time.

The basics might seem overwhelming at first, but with the right educational resources, such as a certificate program in graphic design , you’ll find it becomes second nature in no time.

Skill Development

Once you understand the basics, the next main hurdle is learning to master the common tools and softwares used in the industry.

Adobe Creative Suite, for example, has a steep learning curve but is absolutely key for most graphic design jobs in today’s market.

Is Graphic Design Hard to Learn?

The difficulty of learning graphic design is relative to your dedication and the resources available to you.

If you’ve ever done graphic design work for a client or had the opportunity to rub elbows with some truly talented designers, then you’ll know—it’s not technical proficiency that makes you a designer great.

In fact, some of the world’s most talented, living designers came up in a time when the process was much more analog than it is today and would be completely lost if they had to try and find their way around tools like Photoshop or Illustrator themselves. Design is more about thought and ingenuity than it is about technical mastery.

Learning how to navigate these interactions is just like any other part of the design process—it takes many iterations and even more revisions. And perhaps most important of all: humility, a willingness to learn, and practice, practice, practice!

Thankfully, Sessions College offers a variety of online graphic design courses to help make the graphic design learning process flexible and convenient for students of all backgrounds and experience levels. With expert instructors and a hands-on approach, you’ll find that learning graphic design is only “hard” subjectively when you lack the proper guidance and professional experience to help you grow.

Simple Steps to Become a Graphic Designer

Wondering how to become a graphic designer? The pathway is simpler than you might think:

• Educational Background : A degree in graphic design or related field is generally preferred but not mandatory. Various online courses and bootcamps can also suffice.
• Portfolio Building : Your portfolio showcases your skills and is vital for securing clients or employment.
• Networking : Connections in the industry can provide opportunities and guidance.

Conclusion: Is Graphic Design Really Hard?

In the graphic design world, trends and tools come and go at breakneck speeds. It can feel like just once you’ve started to hit your stride, the rug is pulled out from under you and you’re left scratching your head wondering what happened.

While continuing to work as a designer means changing with the times to meet client demands and fit into an evolving visual landscape, it can be tough to know when and where to draw the line.

So, is graphic design hard? The answer will vary from person to person. With the right mindset and resources, like the courses available at Sessions College, tackling the challenges of graphic design becomes more manageable.

Take the Next Step with Sessions College

Ready to dive deeper into the world of graphic design? Explore our range of online courses and take the first step towards a rewarding career in graphic design today.

Taylor is the Managing Editor of Notes on Design. Taylor is a graphic designer, illustrator, and Design Lead at Weirdsleep .

If you are interested in developing your graphic design skills, Sessions College offers a range of graphic design courses for students at all levels. Contact Admissions for more information.

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Artificial intelligence and human expertise in graphic design.

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Vikas Agrawal is the CEO of Infobrandz , a Full Service Visual Marketing Company and has been a Project Manager in Fortune 500 companies.

Journeying through the evolution of AI in the creative industry, I witnessed firsthand how AI transformed from a helper to a valuable collaborator for designers. And I’ve found that the convergence of AI and human creativity is not a duel for dominance but a duet for excellence. It’s also apparent that AI is here to stay, with a recent study by Canva revealing that over 69% of marketing leaders find AI tools boosting their graphic design team’s creativity.

So, I’ve put together a guide on the growth of AI in graphic design and its positive synergy with humans to help you understand and leverage the strengths of AI in graphic design.

What’s New With AI?

Technology has long been a key part of graphic design, but modern AI-powered tools are going beyond traditional tools by leaps and bounds. AI in graphic design has evolved from a rigid set of design support tools to an intelligent companion that vibes with your creative frequency. Some of its growing advanced applications include:

• Website layout and composition design.

• Color and typography suggestions.

• Automated image editing.

• Personalized design recommendations.

• Direct design, asset or image generation.

Here’s the fascinating bit: AI didn’t just evolve; it has started to “understand” and envision. With the power of generative AI and machine learning, AI tools process large sets of design data to understand our preferences and styles, and then create surprisingly creative outputs. Like a sketch evolving with every stroke, AI has begun to understand and contextually replicate the nuances of line, color and texture.

The Power Of AI In Graphic Design

The numbers reflect the prowess of AI in graphic design. In fact, the survey by Canva in 2023 found that 75% of global marketing and creative leaders agree AI is an essential part of their creative tool set. To understand this popularity, I’m sharing the key benefits of integrating AI tools into your design process:

• AI excels at repetitive tasks with its superior efficiency and speed. Imagine needing hundreds of variations on a theme—AI churns these out at lightning speed.

• AI can sift through mountains of data, analyzing trends and preferences with tenacity to make informed suggestions.

• AI embodies the term “machine-like consistency,” maintaining uniformity across designs that is key for brand identity.

• AI can be your savior when you run out of creative ideas or struggle to understand complex requirements. Its creative outputs can be used as a guide or foundation for completing the design.

Some popular AI design tools that boast these benefits include Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Canva and even DALL-E 3 through Bing Copilot or ChatGPT Plus.

AI In Action

With its evolving capabilities and benefits, AI is becoming an important collaborator for humans to amplify their creativity and speed. Here’s how you can make this partnership flourish:

1. Embrace AI as a collaborator and not as a threat or replacement. AI isn’t going anywhere, and you must upskill now to leverage its powers.

2. Use AI tools to automate routine tasks like resizing images or generating basic layouts, and you’ll find yourself with more time to focus on the creative aspects of your project.

3. Combine AI analytics with human insights for targeted design solutions. Use AI-generated insights as your foundation, and build upon them with your creativity.

4. The key is balance. Start small if you need to—introduce AI tools in bite-sized chunks, learn as you go and gradually increase their role in your process.

Take, for example, the creation of an infographic. Using AI, you can cut down the brainstorming times by allowing the AI to analyze the data and suggest a design narrative that encapsulates the essence perfectly.

I’ve personally found it handy for fast personalized designs of diverse types. Take the example of logo design, where personalization is urgent. I guide AI through the ethos of a brand, and it spins out options that resonate with the brand’s voice—some even I could not have conceptualized in such a short span.

Another standout instance is how AI can pull from historical design data to predict and suggest layout trends for media kits. This predictive power lets designers stay ahead of the curve, giving burgeoning businesses an edge in their marketing efforts.

Why Human Designers Are Here To Stay

The unforeseen power of AI in graphic design naturally makes designers uncomfortable, but human designers and AI tools are forming a profitable synergy that opens up great opportunities for faster and smarter design. So, why is human guidance and editing still important when generative AI has advanced greatly?

Human designers weave empathy into their work to evoke human emotions due to superior and authentic emotional intelligence. Secondly, they have unmatched creative agility. Humans can adapt their design strategy on the fly, tackle unforeseen challenges and tweak their creations based on nuanced feedback or even subtle shifts in their client’s tone.

Also, AI tools are still tools. I remember when I noticed a major difference in output quality between two designers who tried out AI. That’s when I realized that designing the prompts, providing follow-up prompts for refinement, and then manually perfecting and enriching the outputs are key places where human competence makes a big difference. Proper human contributions make the AI output stand out from the growing crowd of standard AI content.

The Future Of The AI-Human Alliance In Design

The nuances of taste, the stroke of insight, the gut feeling of “this is it”—AI is yet to master these quintessentially human sparks. But when led correctly, it becomes the perfect partner for innovation and efficiency in graphic design. So, the future belongs to designers and agencies who can successfully augment human ingenuity with artificial intelligence to provide fast and affordable yet exceptional designs. The partnership between AI and human creativity isn’t just about working side by side; it’s about elevating each other’s capabilities to create something neither could achieve alone.

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The most annoying design trends according to graphic designers

Surprise, creatives hate minimalism.

Design trends can be a tricky thing to handle well. Of course, when a trend gets popular every corporate company wants to hop on the bandwagon, but in most cases, it slowly divulges into too much of a good thing. Unfortunately, in today's lightspeed trend cycle, the birth of a design trend also marks its untimely death. 

In the wake of this ever-changing design plague, graphic designers took to Reddit to share their design trend pet peeves – from illegible typography to cringy retro revivals – but don't take it too much to heart. As we've seen with the resuscitation of design aesthetics like Frutiger Aero , just because your favourite design trend has met its demise doesn't mean it won't come back stronger than ever.

What's bad design trend or design trend you don't like? from r/graphic_design

The most common design pet peeve shared on the r/graphic_design subreddit was the influx of soulless minimalism. Naturally, as graphic designers, there's a compulsion to explore the creative possibilities of a project – something that the minimalism trend has destroyed. 

"It has its place just like every other style, but everybody can't have a minimalist logo and branding," user u/thegreenstars says. Pointing to recent examples like the new Johnson and Johnson logo and the X rebrand , they question why brands are no longer trying to stand out against the competition. "Why are y'all ruining your brand identity and ditching your whole personality to conform to this "need" for minimalist design?" they add. 

Others cited the return of 80s/90s logo design as a creative pet peeve (check out our best logos by decade series for more retro design). User u/LunaTheLouche commented, "The 90s trend of replacing letters with numbers in a logo," was their biggest design gripe. "It’s coming back and it needs to stop. Or maybe it never went away," they add.

Also shunning the retro revival was user u/Deficon112 who highlighted the return of 1920s style anthropomorphised "mascot type hot dog/burger/pizza/sun with the big smiley face with arms & legs." Its return to modern design has become oversaturated, taking the hand-drawn animated charm out of the aesthetic. Honourable mentions also include illegible logos, forced "dual meaning" design, corporate blues, 3D balloon text effect, glass morphism, variable font widths and the dreaded Corporate Memphis .  

Increasingly we're seeing overplayed design trends popping up all over the place, like the "more" billboard marketing trend plaguing underground stations across London. While trends can help us gauge the current design climate, it's good to remind ourselves that unique creativity will always triumph over safe 'trendy' design. 

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Natalie is Creative Bloq's staff writer. With an eye for trending topics and a passion for internet culture, she brings you the latest in art and design news. A recent English Literature graduate, Natalie enjoys covering the lighter side of the news and brings a fresh and fun take to her articles. Outside of work (if she’s not glued to her phone), she loves all things music and enjoys singing sweet folky tunes.

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Big, Smoggy Bangkok Gets a Badly Needed Breath of Fresh Air

In the heart of this megacity, an industrial site has been turned into an oasis for residents (and birds, bats and mosquito-eating dragonflies).

By Richard C. Paddock

Richard C. Paddock lives near Benjakitti Park and often goes walking there.

For more than half a century, Thailand’s state-owned tobacco monopoly mass-produced cigarettes at a sprawling industrial estate in Bangkok. A steady stream of heavy trucks brought raw tobacco into the heart of the city and hauled millions of cigarettes away.

But now, that cancer-inducing complex has given way to something completely different: green space that has brought a breath of fresh air to Bangkok’s congested, often smoggy center.

The transformation has been a stunning success, creating a 102-acre oasis for city dwellers. The site — an expansion of the existing Benjakitti Park — includes a mile-long elevated walkway, as well as water-purifying wetlands, 8,000 new trees, pickleball and basketball courts, and a dog-walking zone.

The Skywalk, as the walkway is known, has become especially popular with young people. At sunset, as the heat of the day eases, it is often packed with visitors, many posing for selfies.

“Benjakitti Park is at the top of my list for places to take pictures,” said Pongsaton Tatone, a freelance photographer, who was on the Skywalk snapping shots of a group of university graduates cavorting in their gowns. “It is a very popular spot.”

The new section of the park was officially opened in August 2022, to honor the 90th birthday of Queen Sirikit, Thailand’s queen mother. Some attractions are still unfinished, including a museum.

It is unusual for a big city to add significant tracts of new parkland, especially in densely populated Southeast Asia. The $20 million addition is nearly twice the size of the original park, which features a lake and popular jogging path.

Bangkok, which has 11 million residents, needs more places like it. A 2022 report found that the city was falling short of the World Health Organization’s minimum standard of nine square meters (about 97 square feet) of green space per person in urban areas.

Like Central Park in New York, Benjakitti is surrounded by skyscrapers. It is just a few blocks from Sukhumvit Road, one of the city’s most congested thoroughfares. Vehicle exhaust fills the air along Sukhumvit as pedestrians make their way down busy sidewalks, past office towers, hotels, vertical malls, street vendors and the occasional beggar.

Mateusz Tatara, a software product designer from Poland, said he had been surprised to stumble onto a forest park in the middle of a city better known for its magnificent temples, street food, lively entertainment scene and, now, marijuana shops .

“Even now we can hear nature,” Mr. Tatara said during an evening visit to the park. “It is a tranquil, chill place.”

Just then, a flying fox — a large fruit bat with a fox-like face — soared overhead and landed in a nearby tree.

“When you think about Bangkok,” Mr. Tatara said, “this is not the first thing that comes to mind.”

The government designated the tobacco factory site as parkland in the early 1990s, and the first section of Benjakitti opened soon after that. But more than a quarter-century passed before the state-owned company, known then as the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, handed over the entire site.

Prayuth Chan-ocha , the army chief who seized power in a 2014 coup and became prime minister, took a personal interest in the park’s expansion, even as he cracked down on pro-democracy protests . He called for a creative approach to the park’s design (and he suggested the dog-walking area, a rarity in Bangkok).

To speed up construction during the pandemic, Mr. Prayuth’s government brought in the military. As many as 400 soldiers at a time worked on the project.

“The soldiers did everything,” said Chatchanin Sung, a landscape architect who helped design the new section. “They are really proud of the park.”

Bangkok, which borders the Gulf of Thailand, was built on swampland. The flood-prone city once had so many canals that Europeans called it the Venice of the East. Over time, many of the canals were paved over, and others have become polluted backwaters.

One foul-smelling canal, the sewage-contaminated Khlong Phaisingto, was tapped as the source of water for the new park’s wetlands. Water is pumped from the canal into a series of pools and channels, where sunlight and vegetation help to clean it.

The odors dissipate long before the water reaches the wetlands’ main ponds, which are filled with lotuses and other aquatic plants. There, remaining sediments settle to the bottom as the water flows to the far end of the park. In four days, it is clean enough to use for irrigation.

“Nature balances itself,” Ms. Chatchanin said during an afternoon walk through the park. “We didn’t expect it to work so well.”

The soldiers built 500 islets within the wetlands, using chunks of concrete salvaged from demolished factory buildings as foundations. They also planted more than 400 different species of trees.

A self-sustaining ecosystem, the expanded park has quickly attracted wildlife, including storks, herons, snakes , monitor lizards and dragonflies, which can eat more than 100 mosquitoes a day.

Its centerpiece, the Skywalk, gently rises and falls as it zigzags high above the wetlands. “When you walk on it, you can never see the final destination, so it makes you want to keep going to see what is next,” Ms. Chatchanin said.

Of the enormous tobacco factory that once blighted central Bangkok, only four buildings remain. Three have been converted into sports facilities. All four have been opened to the outside, with parts of their walls and roofs removed — a novel approach that Ms. Chatchanin calls natural air-conditioning.

Some rafters have been left in place, like the factory’s skeleton. Newly planted trees have already grown up through them.

“If you stand in the building,” Ms. Chatchanin said, “you can see the nature all around you.”

Muktita Suhartono contributed reporting.

Richard C. Paddock has worked as a foreign correspondent in 50 countries on five continents with postings in Moscow, Jakarta, Singapore and Bangkok. He has spent nearly a dozen years reporting on Southeast Asia, which he has covered since 2016 as a contributor to The Times. More about Richard C. Paddock