Update: Graphic Design Trends 2025 are officially out. Check them out.
The last quarter of the year 2018 is only a few days in but it already got us wondering about what graphic design trends 2019 would be. Observing what is going on out there in the world of graphic design, we can say with confidence that the year 2018 has been a strong year marked with many wonderful graphic, web, print, editorial, package, and other kinds of designs.
The year 2019 is just in and we are absolutely thrilled to find out if we’ll be witnessing a total apocalypse in the world of graphic design or if everything will just stay the same old, same old. We are definitely seeing designers taking several directions. We’ve found out that…
Wanna check out Character Design Trends 2019, or Infographic Design Trends 2019, as well?
Graphic design trends 2019 are:
1. Open compositions
2. 3D: Depth of a new generation
3. Anti-gravity: Flying & floating elements
4. Vivid colors & Dreamy color combos
5. Metallic-effect: Golden, silver, iridescent
6. Fluid & liquid effect
7. Maxi typography
8. Outline typography
9. Text with background
10. Alternative art
11. Realism + Flat mix
12. The color of the year 2019
Keep scrolling to discover more details about graphic design trends 2019.
Open compositions: Ditch the frames
The first of our graphic design trends 2019 predictions is open compositions. Not so long ago, designers used to put frames on everything to achieve the feeling of a finished design. Lately, there has been a tendency for open, airy designs which seem to show only a part of the whole “picture”. In 2019, we expect designers to ditch the frames completely and surprise us with open, airy designs.
Design by Vasjen Katro
Design by Vasjen Katro
While each piece seems to show only a part of the whole design, designers can easily play with the composition and make it literally infinite with each part continuing the composition. This trend is easily achieved in web design but it is possible even on print designs.
Design by Dutchscot London
Open composition often tap into the viewer’s imagination, making you wonder what else is there. Web design, as a part of the graphic design, in 2019 will also characterize with full-width open compositions and interactive websites to prolong the experience.
Check out website
Check out website
3D: Depth of a new generation
3D cannot possibly not make ti into graphic design trends 2019. 3D has proved itself as a quite stable and persistent trend for the last few years, so we are definitely going to see a lot of it in 2019. Luckily for all of us, technologies are evolving quite quickly allowing graphic designers to create amazing 3D masterpieces which make the viewer the almost immerse into the design.
Design by Maxim Shkret
Design by Sawdust
Design by Santi Zoraidez
The 3D trend is definitely going to be a huge part of web design in 2019, more often presented as open compositions taken up the roles of windows to another world. Designers will recreate pieces that remind of the real world and ones that take us to alternative universes or even into the future. The possibilities that this trend holds are really infinite, so in 2019, we certainly expect that this trend would flourish.
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Project by Mike | Creative Mints
Typography will be definitely not bypassed by any of the graphic trends 2019 including 3D. Often created as the main visual element of the design, 3D typography gives designers freedom to improvise. Even by using 3D typography alone, graphic designers in 2019 will be able to make us immerse into a whole new world.
Design by Beetroot Design
You may be interested in GraphicMama’s 3D Cartoon Characters.
Anti-gravity: Flying & floating elements
We may not have lived to see flying cars, yet but the era of flying elements in graphic design has definitely come. Flying and floating graphic elements are among our graphic design trends 2019 predictions. The idea of designs which move and behave like they are in a non-gravity environment conveys the overall feeling of freedom. Designed with an open composition in mind, these elements boost the major concept of a window to a new world, as they appear floating in and out of the screen.
Project by Nahel Moussi, Louis Ansa, Romain Avalle
The 3D technique is often mixed up with the non-gravity concept which adds up to the realism of the composition. While 3D is certainly a field to unleash your designer’s potential, then the non-gravity concept definitely gives you a green light to spice up the composition even more.
Design by Ben Fearnley
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The anti-gravity trend also appears in package design presentations, giving the product a feeling that it comes from a different world. The viewer can easily grasp the futuristic vibes when looking to these designs which naturally boost the curiosity. In result, an ordinary product easily transforms into an extraordinary one. Anti-gravity is indeed a concept that will be seen a lot in graphic design trends in 2019.
Project by multiple owners
Project by multiple owners
Design by Foxtrot Studio
Design by Anastasia Dunaeva
Vivid colors: A trip to Dreamland
Vivid color combinations, as well as dreamy color transitions and gradients, will continue being trendy in 2019, only even more vivid. As they bring a futuristic feeling to the overall design, these color schemes will make you feel like you are in an alternative universe.
Design by Leo Natsume
Project by Rafael Araújo
Using futuristic colors to create mesmerizing out-of-this-world designs really taps into the designer’s imagination and provides a lot of room for improvisation. Many graphic designers combine 3D visual technique with trendy vivid color transitions to mark graphic design trends 2019 with even more powerful looks.
Design by David Glissmann
Design by Leonardoworx LWX
Design by Santi Zoraidez
Project by multiple owners
Project by multiple owners
The 3D technique plus vivid color transitions certainly makes million-dollar combination even when translated into a typography design. Well, typography is a huge part of graphic design, so multi-color typography designs like the following ones will certainly be common. We are definitely including this combo in graphic design trends 2019 predictions.
Design by Mohamed Samir
Design by Muokkaa Studio
Metallic effect: Shine, baby, shine!
Gold never goes out of style but in graphic design trends 2019, we will be seeing a lot of other metal elements, incorporated into the designs, as well. Especially when it comes to 3D designs, golden and other metallic elements take the whole composition to the next level, making it look expensive and exclusive.
Design by Ben Fearnley
Design by Ben Fearnley
Displaying various metals with an iridescent color effect is a quite trendy look, as well. Such designs look enchanting and mesmerizing as they show a beautiful palette of lustrous colors when the light hits their surface.
Design by Anna Caban- Szypenbeil
Design by Ben Fearnley
Design by MW WONG
Metallic elements, especially golden and iridescent, will often appear on package design in 2019, giving it a sense of luxury and exclusivity. The classic combination remains metallic on black and white but in 2019 we will be seeing a lot of golden on colorful package designs, as well.
Design by Foxtrot Studio
Design by Ivan Venkov
Brand identity byHAUS studio and Vincent Raineri
Fluid & liquid effect: Let it flow!
One of our bold graphic design trends 2019 predictions. The surface of a water translated into a graphic design is certainly a trend that is going to make it in many visual designs in 2019. Be it water, oil, or another liquid substance, this trend inspires many of the contemporary designs and we expect it to keep it up that way during the next calendar year.
Project by multiple owners
The liquid trend gives a lot of freedom when it comes to typography. Given the fact that liquids have different states and thickness levels, designers can easily improvise and give their compositions various unique liquid effects.
Design by David Glissmann
Design by David Glissmann
Liquid elements and effects will be present in web designs, as well. Combined with full-width open compositions, liquid textures in web design make the overall look more imaginary and mystique.
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Patterns inspired by liquid will also be quite trendy in 2019. When liquids move, they draw natural paths thus shaping unique patterns and textures that can easily inspire graphic designers. Combined with floating elements and futuristic colors, the whole composition can appear really magical and dreamy.
Project by multiple owners
Maxi typography = Maxi impact
Typography as an inseparable part of graphic design definitely follows certain trends – some that stay for years, and others that fade away pretty fast. As we’ve seen in the previous examples, typography could take different shapes and forms. It could be flat or come in a 3D shape. It could be liquefied or made with a metallic effect. One thing is for sure – typography in graphic design trends 2019 will definitely be maxi.
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Design by Andrea Bianchi
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Interested to check out 7 Global Design Magazines You Should Definitely Subscribe To?
Moreover, typography will be actively involved in the design. In pursuit of more impactful graphic designs, we expect from designers to surprise us with creative pieces in which typography is an active part of the design interacting with real life objects and people. Combination of different font weights and density values, combinations between vertical, diagonal, and horizontal orientation, and even messy typography looks will be the norm in 2019.
Project by Stefan Hürlemann
Project by DPDK
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Outline typography: Fillings not allowed
While other outline elements seem to have gone out of style, outline typography is becoming more and more popular, so we expect that it will definitely reach its peak in 2019. Often interacting with other elements in the compositions, we believe that outline letters in 2019 will be a major part of graphic design and web design next year, so we are definitely including this look in our prognosis for graphic design trends 2019.
Check out website
Check out website
Maxi outline letters will often be seen on website designs, interior designs, brand identity designs. Graphic design trends 2019 will be marked with big outline lettering mixed with open compositions and 3D structures.
Project by Soler Casafont
Project by Chad Mann
Text with background: Retro inspiration
A bit risky prediction here but let’s say we have a feeling that text on background boxes will be among the graphic design trends 2019. The trend that may look retro to some can most certainly boost the edgy look of a composition combined with other trends that are riding the wave. From our point of view, text on background boxes looks youthful and rebellious, so it’s definitely going to be a hit quite soon.
Check out website
Check out website
Check out website
Alternative art: Strokes, stains, spots & doodles
Not that classic illustrations are ever going out of style but somehow incorporating alternative art into the graphic design makes the piece stand out. And that’s the point of graphic design, isn’t it?
In 2019, we believe we’ll be seeing a lot of improvisation in this field. Freestyle illustrations and doodles are definitely fun to look at. Add chaotic strokes and stains of color and there you have an artsy looking offbeat design that certainly makes an impression.
Check out website
Check out website
The trend is already entering the package design field, often in combination with other trends such as the metallic effect. The careful selection of colors and the unique shapes and positions in which strokes and stains are presented will certainly take package design out of the boring zone.
Project by multiple owners
Project by Estudio Pum
We are used to seeing classic doodles in the form of black-on-white simple concept illustrations. In 2019, we expect a more modern translation of the look like white on a dark background, combined with other design trends such as golden but still keeping the simplicity of the illustration style. Doodle illustrations often give the impression of infinity, so we expect to see them as a part of open composition designs. Take a look at our collection of 50+ Doodle Illustrations For Your Designs.
Design by mamba studio
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Realism + Flat design elements
Have you heard that the opposites attract? Graphic designers have always been combining and mixing complementing trends in order to please the viewer’s eye. But when it comes to creating something really innovative and unexpected, designers prefer to experiment with an unconventional mixture of techniques, styles, or in this case – dimensions. Real-life objects combined with completely flat visual elements, in our opinion, will be one of the graphic design trends 2019.
Project by multiple owners
Check out website
Check out website
Often seen on website designs, package designs, editorial design and other kinds of graphic designs, the combination of realistic objects with fully flat simplified design elements and illustrations requires creativity, mastery, and most importantly, thinking outside of the box. This is why we put it straight into graphic design trends 2019 predictions.
Design by Madina Turchaninova
Design by Madina Turchaninova
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You may want some cool free patterns for your designs?
The color of the year 2019: Living Coral
Each year, there are designs inspired by the color of the year. Around the end of each year, the color dictator Pantone announces what the color of the next year would be. Naturally, this color makes it into all fields of graphic design industry including web design, package design, print design, etc.
For 2019, the color of the year is called Living Coral and it’s an energetic hue of coral with an undertone of golden.
For 2018, the color of the year is called Ultra Violet – a luxury and mystique shade of purple.
Design by Alexander Jegel
Design by Alexander Clark
Update: Color of the year 2022 is now available.
Infographic and video recap of everything we’ve covered
Graphic design trends 2019 promise quite an interesting year ahead of us. The next 12 month will be filled with glamour, vivid colors, and movement that breaks the rules of physics. We truly believe that graphic design trends 2019 are the bomb, so we put them together in a cool infographic.
Click on the image to view the Graphic Design Trends 2019 Infographic
Nothing provokes emotion better than motion. We’ve made a cool video recap of graphic design trends 2019 that will help you spread the word of what awaits. Enjoy!
Graphic design trends 2019: Conclusion
Just to sum up everything we’ve covered here, in 2019 we’ll be seeing a lot of open composition designs that tap into the viewer’s imagination. 3D designs will be quite mass but certainly not boring – their realism will almost make the viewer immerse into the composition. Vivid color schemes, as well as metallic elements, will make the designs look pretty and dreamy. Typography will be huge! And quite often – outline. We’ll be seeing art in its most unconventional forms and shapes, and of course, a combination of all of these trends and maybe some that haven’t thought of yet will please the eyes in 2019.
What do you think about these graphic design trends’ 2019 predictions? Waiting for your thoughts in the comments below.
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