5 + 5 design trends for 2022 that will inspire you

The New Year has begun and we are entering it with full force, having prepared for you 5 trends in graphic design that will inspire you. But since we like the design not to be only beautiful, but also functional, we’ve decided to present you 5 more trends affecting UX design.

5 trends in Graphic Design

Last year, 2021, many artists turned inward, went out into nature and indulged in pastel colors and gentle gradients. According to Shutterstock and 99designs 2022 promises to break all design rules with unpredictable and bold looks.

1. Movement

As creative and marketing people, we love to create “thumb-stopping” content.

His idea is to make the user stop the eternal “scrolling” and engage with the content of the brand.

For several years now, video has been gaining more and more popularity in social networks, having already become an integral part of the content we consume. Consumers do not accept it as a novelty, it appears as a mandatory element in the communication of every brand. This opens up new horizons for the visual development of brands – building a “language of movement” is a new way in which a brand can distinguish itself from its competitors.

2. Gen Z are growing up

We are currently at a crossroads where Millennials are passing the baton to Gen Z. The understandings and aspirations of Millennials have largely shaped the current vision of the world around us. At the same time, Gen Z are starting to assert their opinion and change that look according to their understanding for aesthetics.

For a long time, design featured clean lines, minimalist motifs and monochromatic color palettes. As the new generation enters the design scene, prepare for a world turned upside down – chaotic, more saturated, psychedelic design with irregular compositions and neon colors.

3. Anti-design

Anti-design is exactly what you imagine when you hear the term “anti-design”. It escapes from traditional principles and conventional aesthetic perceptions, evokes with asymmetry, highly contrasting colors, abundance of elements and bold typography. It is associated with the Brutalism movement of the 1950s, but is not entirely associated with it. Anti-design consists of visions freed from the standards of beauty that someone else has imposed.

4. Ukiyo-e flat design

Ukiyo-e is a style in Japanese art that arose during the Edo period (XII – XIX centuries). It literally translates as “paintings of the floating world” and is a genre of woodblock prints and painting. One of the most famous works in this style is “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. The style includes bold outlines, flat colors and limited perspective techniques – all familiar to vector designers.

Ukiyo-e artists depict everything from landscapes, to local celebrities, to mythical scenes using this stylized technique. For the past 300 years, the main theme of this style has been everyday scenes. Today, artists use techniques specific to the style to give ordinary flat vector scenes the same extraordinary effect associated with Ukiyo-e prints.

5. Complex maximalism

In this case, we cannot define this trend as the opposite of minimalism. She will surprise you much more than you expect.

The idea of ​​complex maximalism is not only the absence of white space, but its filling with complex shapes, bright colors and numerous elements. The designer focuses on each individual element, and when the viewer looks at the overall composition, he finds himself in a chaotic whirlwind of images, often even clashing stylistically. Thus, this trend completely unleashes the author’s creative beast. In addition, these visions are quite interesting. Thanks to its many elements, the viewer rediscovers them again and again.

5 trends in UX design

We delved into UXplanet</a >, UX Collective and 99designs and a few of their predictions definitely looked interesting to us.

1. Scrollytelling

It’s not new that users react to stories. Since the beginning of human history, we have lived by telling stories. They trigger our emotions and spark our curiosity. Stories create a strong connection between businesses and consumers. The more the consumer knows about the complete history of a brand, the more likely it is to trust and connect with the relevant business.  

Now imagine a website that introduces you to this story and with each scroll reveals it to you little by little. You will surely want to get to the end and interact with the content, which is presented in an interesting and engaging way.

Users are already too used to the presentation of information in a linear fashion and the presence of long non-interactive texts, which are increasingly rarely read. Scrollytelling, on the other hand, combining an interestingly told story with dynamics in the text can make the user read, gain their attention and keep them to the end.

2. Users love data

No one believes that anyone is “the best” at anything anymore. We want facts and figures to prove this claim. At the same time, it is good to present this data in a sufficiently simplified and attractive way.

Data visualization helps deliver the right message in a compelling way. It can also be linked directly to scrollytelling.

3. Seamless experience

This UX trend is all about creating a user experience that makes seamless transitions from one step to the next.

To ensure this seamless experience, UX designers must focus on creating continuity between each stage. Looking at the situation more generally, the consumer expects this smooth experience to be from the ad, through the landing page, browsing the online store, making a purchase and even receiving the item.

It is important that the user experience is consistent and that each element of it is a natural progression of the previous one. A smooth user flow means a positive experience for the user.

4. Brutalism and a return to “flat” design

And here we are talking about a return to flat design and the rise of Brutalism with its strong outlines, contrasting colors, bold typography and photographs as close to real life as possible.

The interesting thing about this trend is that, despite the boldness it implies, it maintains a more standard layout, not abandoning the standard grid layout.

5. NFTs and the democratization of art

This phenomenon of the cryptocurrency world is gaining more and more popularity. A non-fungible token (NFT) transforms digital works of art and other collectibles into one-of-a-kind, verifiable assets that can be traded on the blockchain system.

“Democratizing art” means that absolutely anyone can sell their work online and that almost anything can be identified as art.

We hope these trends have inspired you enough to start creating now. Read how to systematize your ideas and understand why the moodboard helps.