2019 Graphic Design Predictions

Knowing what types of graphic design concepts trend from year to year allows you to stay up on the most recent innovations. One way to stay updated on trends is to look forward into trend predictions for the coming year. This allows you to get a jump start on your designs and implement things as they become popular.

There looks to be quite a bit of growth in the graphic design industry by 2019, with employment levels increased by almost 10 percent between 2014 and 2019. To remain competitive in the industry, you’ll need to make sure your designs are as current as possible, and you develop a reputation for innovation. The best way to innovate is to know what others are doing and where they’re going. Here are 11 graphic design predictions for 2019 to pay careful attention to.

1. Minimalism Rules

Over the last few years, simple designs have been the name of the game. Flat design isn’t at the forefront like it once was, but designers will continue to focus on simplistic designs that load fast and look good on different screen sizes. The number of people using smartphones isn’t expected to lessen anytime soon, and with the introduction of new mobile technology may increase usage quite a bit. Expect the trend toward minimalism to continue.

2. React Continues to Trend

For the last five years, React has grown in popularity. The open-source JavaScript framework developed by Facebook satisfies the desire for user interface testing and integrates with both web and mobile devices. The ability to create dynamic UI components on the fly will make this framework even more popular in 2019 and beyond.

3. Visual Advertising Grows

Visuals are the name of the game, and visual advertising will continue to develop new concepts and become more commonplace in 2019. What will be out is stock photos that aren’t particularly relevant to the design or specific brand. Instead, custom visuals that better illustrate a point, data visualizations, and visual advertising that creates an experience will all become more popular.

4. Asymmetric Layouts Become Popular

In the last few years, grid layouts have ruled the design world, but in 2018, we began to see more and more asymmetrical and unique layouts that take the grid and turn it on its ear. These layouts might still be on a grid platform, but feature unusual shapes or different sizes on the grid. As millennials gain experience in the market, designers are trying new techniques to capture their attention. They’ve seen the same old layout everyone uses, so they’re ready to develop something unique.

5. Designers Will Use Warmer Tones

One way to predict what the trends will be for web design is to look at fashion and interior design trends. In 2019, designers predict that people will use warmer, more natural tones in interior design. Aspen Gold is the trending color for the spring 2019 runway. Think about ways to incorporate warmer, more natural colors into your own designs to get on point with this trend.

6. Interesting Bursts of Color Arrive

Screens now show high contrast color and better resolution than ever before. Expect designers to take advantage of the advance in technology and add gradients and interesting color transitions in the coming months. Expect to see shades not previously used and shades of the same color in a single design.

7. Artificial Intelligence Becomes Commonplace

Artificial intelligence (AI) has grown in capability each year. Already, several design platforms use AI to help business owners build websites. Expect more AI used in the design. This doesn’t mean designers will be out of a job — however, it simply means the work they do will shift. Instead of spending hours going back and forth with a client, the machine will handle much of that labor so the designer can focus on usability, user experience, and customization.

8. Authenticity Makes an Impact

You’ve likely heard that authenticity has a big impact on consumers, but this will continue to hold true into 2019. As a designer, you must know the brand you’re designing for and its core values. Everything you design must align with their core message. Don’t try to photoshop an image if the product isn’t actually capable of doing what the image suggests. Transparency equals authenticity and authenticity equals a brand that customers can trust.

9. Websites Speed Up

You have approximately three seconds to make an impression on a site visitor. As Internet speeds become faster, mobile devices more efficient and consumers less patient, any lag time from a design that isn’t optimized for mobile risks losing potential leads. As mentioned above, sites are leaning toward simpler designs, but you also have to consider the size of the images used, how long the font takes to load and how much any additional features on your site might slow it down. Even your server’s speed impacts how fast your site loads.

10. Video Grows Even More Possible

After all the talk of simplistic design, the idea of a video background may seem contradictory to that concept. However, people respond to videos in ways they don’t respond to other visuals. In fact, 81 percent of marketers who used video saw an increase in sales, and 53 percent reduced support calls by adding informational videos. The video will continue to be popular in 2019, both as background for websites and on social media.

11. Micro-Animations Take Off

Have you visited a website recently where something happened when you moved your cursor? For example, if you moved your mouse and hovered over the top navigation, did a series of choices slide in from the top? Micro-animations load fast and add interest to an otherwise static website. A micro-animation may be as simple as the color of a call to action (CTA) button changing when the user hovers over it or as complex as an expanding hamburger menu.

Design Trends for 2019

These are just a few of the design trends that will occur in 2019. Looking at what was popular in 2018 is a good indicator of what might happen in 2019. The things that didn’t work particularly well are likely to fade away. The things that users responded to and saw an increase in conversions are likely to grow in use. With AI advances, faster mobile Internet coming with 5G and better screen resolution, the sky really is the limit when it comes to new design ideas.