Graphic design started becoming popular in the late 19th century. Since then, the role of graphic designers has changed and continues to grow over the years alongside the expansion of digital mediums coupled with new and emerging graphic design trends.
The graphic design world is constantly evolving. Especially weighing the rapid technological and social transformation taking place around the world! This means that if you want to be relevant to a new audience, you have to stay informed and on-trend.
Why are graphic design trends important?
As visual design and visual storytelling remains an essential tool in helping businesses communicate value and solve problems through data visualization and beyond, the need for visual communication skills is higher than ever.
As we welcome the new year of 2023, discover the top graphic design trends that we predict will make quite a stir in the near future and next year, as well as what influence graphic design trends should have on you and your business.
Buckle up, and let us guide you on the top graphic design trends to look out for in 2023, and showcase how you could apply these trends discussed to your presentations, reports, infographics, invitations, and social media content.
If you’d like to work on visual content right away, Piktochart offers a free account. No graphic design experience is required to use the online platform. Sign up here.
2023 Graphic Design Trends: A Year of Expressive Artistry
We’ve seen how graphic design trends switched from one to another every year. While 2022 was a year to showcase creativity and pragmatism: 2023, the year of expressive yet purposeful and intentional design, will bring us bold expressions, splashing colors, and inclusivity in diverse personalities and styles.
In short, graphic design trends in 2023 will showcase a year of expressive artistry for digital artists and graphic designers alike, to be employed across all industries and mediums.
These digital design trends will set the tone for visual art styles on both web and print, bringing more brands and personalities to life.
What is expressive artistry?
Expressive artistry is about the freedom to express diverse personalities, characters, and styles in art.
Expressive artistry will blur out the boundaries of good and bad graphic design and unlock the full expression of creativity.
While not all of us are graphic designers, we are all creative minds and artists at heart when it comes to self-expression.
With more and more brands and businesses going into platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Metaverse, creative expression becomes indispensable for creating and maintaining a unique brand identity through graphic design.
The constant pressure to stand out from the crowd has brought myriad beautiful, unique styles loaded with bold fonts, vivid colors, and self-expression into the graphic design world and beyond.
The constant pressure to stand out from the crowd has brought myriad beautiful, unique styles loaded with colors and self-expression.
In the coming year, here’s how expressive artistry will shape the following biggest graphic design trends:
- Graphic Design Trends 2023: Dramatic Rebirth of Y2K
- Graphic Design Trends 2023: Inclusive Character Illustrations
- Graphic Design Trends 2023: Abstract Botanical Background and Patterns
- Graphic Design Trends 2023: Retro Cartoon Stickers
- Graphic Design Trends 2023: Modern Display Type Meets Organic Shapes
- Graphic Design Trends 2023: Out-of-The-box Data Visualization
1. Graphic Design Trends 2023: Dramatic Rebirth of Y2K
It’s not expressive artistry if we don’t talk about the Y2K era, characterized by a distinct aesthetic period encapsulating holographic gradients and vivid bold colors.
The Y2K era had a massive influence on graphic design trends in the 2000s, and is making a comeback! The key element of this style is the fluid-like graphic design, combined with holographic-like gradients that will easily stand out from other designs.
How to use and incorporate Y2K style into your graphic design visuals
You can combine the glass morphism–3d glass-like effect or minimalist typography (meaning no bold fonts) and use this style on your presentation decks, product packaging, posters, and advertisem*nts.
Edit this template
2. Graphic Design Trends 2023: Inclusive Character Illustrations
In 2023, expect more inclusive characteristics, nationalities, genders, religions, cultures, and other preferences in character illustrations.
Use these character illustrations to celebrate diverse and unique human personalities.
Companies and brands can build an inclusive brand identity and working environment with these diverse character illustrations. They are the perfect elements to design almost everything: reports, proposals, social media graphics, and invitations.
How to use and incorporate inclusive illustrations in your graphic design visuals
Piktochart illustrations include diverse characters in various scenarios, which you can include in your infographics, presentations, reports, proposals to social media, and card design.
3. Graphic Design Trends 2023: Abstract Botanical Background and Patterns
The abstract botanical design combines bold outlines of abstract shapes to form whimsical botanical patterns. The floral and botanical-inspired graphic design trends have been around for quite some time.
However, with the influence of expressive artistry, this style is reimagined in gradients and abstract patterns. It’s a fresh twist on vintage botanical and floral patterns.
This graphic design trend in 2023 also includes enchanting line art illustrations and vibrant colors, perfect for celebrating special moments through invitations and greeting cards.
How to use botanical backgrounds and patterns for your graphic design visuals
Pick your favorite from Piktochart’s collection of templates with botanical backgrounds and patterns to create your wedding invitation card, greeting cards, or gift cards.
Use this gift certificate template
Use this greeting card template
Use this invitation template
4. Graphic Design Trends 2023: Retro Cartoon Stickers
The retro cartoon stickers are the continuity of the 90’s retro-futurism trending in 2022.
With the influence of expressive artistry, expect to see more stickers in vibrant colors. You can use them as a graphic design element to add a splash of personality to your school newsletters, infographic posters, resumes, and social media banners.
Use this social media template
How to use retro cartoon stickers for your graphic design visuals
These retro cartoon stickers are available to use in Piktochart for free. You can use them to create eye-catching school newsletters, class schedules, or presentations. Get access with a free account.
5. Graphic Design Trends 2023: Modern Display Type Meets Organic Shapes
Another form of expressive artistry to watch out for in 2023 is the use of typography in modern display type, combined with a twist of organic shapes.
This graphic design features a playful composition often used to express eccentric, youthful, and upbeat brand identity.
Many brands adopt this graphic design style on their packaging, brochures, and web pages to approach younger customers.
How to use modern display text with organic shapes in your graphic design or visual design project
This is a versatile style that you can apply to almost all types of visuals, from certificate graphic design to TOWS diagrams. Not only does it make your content visually appealing, the style also makes it easier to share information.
Combine big, modern font with artistic-looking shapes to achieve this style, or start with these templates for print design and web design alike.
Use this certificate of achievement template
Use this TOWS matrix template
6. Graphic Design Trends 2023: Out-of-The-box Data Visualization Graphic Design Trend
You’ll also see creative freedom of expression in visualizing data and numbers in the coming year.
Predicted as one of the graphic design trends you’ll see in 2023, more people will use modern typography to highlight important information from their charts and diagrams.
Use this graphic design trend to create eye-catching infographics, presentations, reports, or business proposals and engage your stakeholders (and convince them!) with data.
How to create out-of-the-box data visualization through graphic design
Use Piktochart’s to visualize your data accurately and attractively, and edit them to fit your brand’s unique style while keeping up with graphic design trends.
Edit this template
Graphic Design Trends 2023: Which of These Top Graphic Design Trends Will You Employ?
And it’s a wrap for our take on 2023 graphic design trends that will take the new year by storm across presentation, web design, print design, and more.
Other current trends notable graphic design elements that are gaining popularity include motion graphics, AI-generated art, machine learning informed graphic design, branded memes, and 3D elements.
These graphic design trends celebrate the diversity of human creativity with a focus on incorporating these components into brand identity, which we love to see here at Piktochart.
Which graphic design trends are you looking forward to bringing to center stage in your landing page, infographics, presentations, resumes, greeting cards, and posters to create visual interest?
2022 graphic design trend: virtual reality
In 2022, we’ve witnessed how the rise of the Metaverse and mixed reality, like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), has tremendously expanded the scope of the graphic design industry and the need for graphic designers.
What to expect in graphic design trends 2023
While design comes from creative minds, trends are also borne out of the context of their era. 2022 was still a post-pandemic world, where design trends favored comfortable nostalgia and colorful expression.
Much of that optimism remains in the coming 2023, but it has been somewhat weakened through this year’s rising inflation around the world, and the ever-advancing climate crisis, amongst other things.
Graphic designers and creatives alike respond to these circ*mstances in different ways. Some lean toward excitement and curiosity for what’s ahead as technology inspires them to explore the unknown, such as virtual reality graphic design mentioned above and AI-generated art. While others react to restrictions and anti-establishment emotion with defiance, through styles ranging from an escapist yearning to revolutionary innovation, all the way to reusing styles from a simpler era.
Don’t overuse the top graphic design trends expected for 2023
It’s okay not to follow these trends and express your own unique style. It’s all about expressive artistry, after all.If these graphic design trends fall too outside of your tried and tested branding guidelines, that’s also OK.
It should of course be mentioned that graphic design trends last more than a year, and they develop and coexist, so it’s not surprising that we see certain trends named year after year.
With this thought in mind, gradients and minimalism have been significant for what seems like forever. However, it is suggested that in 2023 we’ll be seeing more vibrant (and radiant) takes on these resources. This means bolder, brighter colors allowing the candy pastel trend to coexist alongside more muted color palettes easily.
Anti-branding, or anti-design, is also something that has been relevant for the past year or so, and we can most likely expect to see more still in the next twelve months.
In particular, this anti-design graphic design trend will likely be utilized by new or young companies seeking to show authenticity and eco-credentials through stripped back barely-there branding. This type of graphic design trend typically features neutral embossed logos, handwriting, and indefinite typography.
No matter what’s new and cool in popular trends, graphic design trends shouldn’t take away from your main goal; creating graphics and visuals that truly resonate with you and your audience.
How can the top graphic design trends for 2023 help you further than graphic design?
Beyond creating design elements, you use this guide for other purposes. For example, maybe you’re interviewing graphic designers to work within 2023. You can see if their presentation employs one of these 2023 graphic design trends, and if not, you can ask them about it. You can also pick out certain graphic design elements from their work and ask questions about them, to get a better understanding of their style and brand.
Moreover, a graphic design trend is not only relevant to and reserved for graphic designers to use in the design world. Staying informed on graphic design trends can lend itself further afoot than you might think.
Equipped with this knowledge of 2023 graphic design trends, you can evaluate any presentation, online or offline visuals, or pieces of content you see and note if the design style is outdated or following one of the newest graphic design trends.
You can assess a landing page or overall web design, online marketing campaigns, print design, and much more. For example, you can tell if a company is young or newer by what graphic design elements are used throughout its branding identity. If they employ much of the graphic design elements we’ve discussed above, likely they are a newer or younger company trying to make a splash.
Alternatively, if you find more traditional graphic design elements with classically styled visuals against a white background or negative space (for example), you can probably guess they are an older and more established business.
In any case, graphic design trends may come and go, but here at Piktochart, we are here to help you ride the waves along the way!
