words Al Woods
If you’re a company working on your marketing strategy, you won’t necessarily have just one single statement to make when it comes to branding. You and your team should experiment, poke around and brainstorm for the best possible ideas to present to your target audience. It is only from searching broadly that the best ideas come about.
If you’re a new business, or an existing business looking to rebrand yourself, it pays to look at emerging design trends and think about what might work for your company. Let’s take a look at what is happening these days.
Go retro
Of course the idea of going retro might have different meanings to different people, depending on your age and sphere of business. The design trend this year goes back to the 60s and 70s, back to the era of funk. It involves the use of pop art, neon, and Andy Warhol-style depictions.
Also, retro cars, records, and other classic objects are making a renewed appearance. So if you’re working on revamping your company website, looking to make a hoodie mockup or mock up of other types of clothing, or even just experimenting with designs in general, check out some of the retro stuff that’s making a comeback these days. You might just find a great fit for your marketing.
Geometric shapes and bold patterns
Big, bold geometric shapes are back. Designers are looking to catch the eyes of viewers in the most direct way possible. Simple, clear-cut designs in block colors are a big thing this year. And designers are sometimes putting a twist on the 60s-style block patterns that your parents and grandparents loved. Thanks to the help of modern design tools, you can take these block patterns and spiff them up in different directions, with varying color gradients, etc.
And if you want to add even more funk to what you’re making, you can go 3D or create a holographic image around your creations. Think about the patterns that would best suit your company theme.
Minimalism is here to stay
For years now, companies have been conducting experiments on consumers to assess which types of designs are most memorable for them. People consistently say that those designs that have the least amount of visual “noise” are most memorable. Companies generally have one message that they want to get across to consumers, and they are doing so more and more directly.
So get rid of all the extra patterns, fluffy embroidery, and other peripheral elements and give your target audience what they want to see: Your product upfront. If it is consistent with what you have to offer, you will succeed.
Abstract brutalism
We’ve all heard of Brutalism in architecture, right? Well, this type of design follows the same principles. Also “retro” in its own way, this trend harkens back to the 90s and the era of what we used to call “alternative” music. It offers designs on a grayscale with different levels of black, white, and gray.
Brutalism in design involves the use of minimalism and crisp, sharp images. It also includes different types of “grunge” or funky overlays to give images a rugged look. Grunge can be grainy, faded, or chipped – whatever suits the purpose of the designer. What is critical is the use of black or shades of gray. There’s no pink in this world.
Free drawing
Another fun element that is making its way into the design world is free “hand” drawing. Like the Etch-a-sketches of your grandparents’ age, this type of design can also be created digitally, but rather than using physical pencils or markers, you can use a digital tool to create your own personal e-touch.
Overlay a signature or a freely-drawn image over a big, block color and you’ll have the perfect picture for something that you want to portray authenticity to your target audience.
The world is your oyster
What you end up doing with your company designs is, of course, up to you. But following the current trends in design is a sure-fire way to catch the eyes of today’s consumers. People are becoming attuned to look for certain features in marketing. You should get on board while you can.
