They say 90% of the information that the brain takes in is visual. Still images, videos, graphs, and even memes are able to tap into the intuitive subconscious of your audience. Compared to text, visual content can present even the most complex of concepts in a simple, easy to understand format. Visual content is also easier to share because it is more appealing than written content.
The visual highlights of last year focused on minimalism and negative space. For 2019, the graphic design trends are all about maximum exposure – size, shape, colour, and details.
Here are a few tips on how to make your graphic design stand out this year.
1. Bold fonts
Typography is one of the most important aspects of graphic design. The best way to deliver your message is through a clear, readable font. Insert white space to break up hard-to-read blocks of text. Instead of writing long sentences, make a list of ideas in bullets to help your audience remember key points. Introduce new paragraphs with titles or headers to keep the reader from getting bored.
Fonts come in two general categories: serif and sans serif.
Serif refers to the stroke at the end of a letter. Popular serif fonts include Times New Roman, Palatino, Georgia, and Garamond. Although serif fonts are considered decorative, they do increase readability because they help the eye travel across the line of text.
On the other hand, sans serif literally means ‘without serif’, so sans serif fonts do not have the stroke – perfect for body texts that require simple and legible typefaces. Popular sans serif typefaces include Arial, Helvetica, Gill Sans, and Tahoma.
This year, graphic artists are embracing bold fonts that capture the attention of the intended audience.
2. Text hierarchy
Text hierarchy is important in grouping paragraphs according to their importance. This creates a strong impression of professionalism and enhances the look and feel of your material. Headings also help break up a long document so that your design is easy on the eyes.
To make a clear distinction between the heading and body text, try to add extra style and contrast with a complementary font. If your heading is in Helvetica or Futura, maybe use Garamond or Georgia for the body text. The contrast between the serif and sans serif could make your text content more attractive.
Make sure that the hierarchy of your text is consistent throughout the entire document.
3. Brand colour
According to marketing research, over 80% of visual information is related to colour. The most famous brands today can be identified simply by their distinctive colours: Coca-Cola red, Facebook blue, Fuji green, UPS brown, Cadbury purple, Tiffany turquoise, and Vegemite yellow. When choosing a colour palette for your graphic design, make sure that your colour scheme reflects your brand and is used consistently throughout the page.
Since black text is very common, why not consider navy blue or dark grey for a change? They are less harsh on the eye than solid matte black. The body text should be placed against a background that makes it easy to read.
Interestingly, while contrast is often a good technique, using the same background colour as the product can create a 3D effect that makes the product stand out.
4. Multi-colour pops
While crisp negative white dominated last year, 2019 is all about colours. Brands are looking into multiple vibrant colour schemes to make their products stand out among a sea of monochrome competition.
As with textual content, hierarchy plays a crucial role when using colours in graphic design. Choose a main colour that represents your brand and add two or three complimentary colours. Apply them consistently throughout your design.
Adobe Color is a great tool for mixing colours in order to create a palette. If you are designing brochures for a financial company, you might want to stick to darker, natural colours. If you are creating an ad for an ink supplier, then by all means splash some colour on it.
5. Custom illustration design
Adding graphics can break up the monotony of black text on a printed material. Photographs, charts, and illustrations attract readers to your page. Back in the day, designers had to rely on stock imagery to enhance their body of work. With creative tools now readily available, graphic artists are able to create custom illustrations to add personality to a product.
When choosing graphics, be sure to always check the image resolution. Blurry graphics are not only hard on the eyes but they also wreak havoc on the professional vibe that you are trying to create. If a photo is too small, do not stretch or distort it. Crop, modify, or resize images with graphic software like Adobe Creative Suite or Pixelmator.
Most images are saved in a JPEG or PNG file format. If you are working on highly detailed, digital quality photographs, these images are most suitable for JPEG. Logos, icons, transparent images, and images with flat colour areas are compatible with PNG.
6. Isometric projection
Boring flat designs are a thing of the past. 2019 is all about isometric graphics – the best way to visually represent three-dimensional objects in two dimensions. In layman’s terms, isometric projection is a method for making 3D images look good in 2D design.
Visual elements such as shadows, tonal contrast, and layering can create more interest for your design. If you are adding effects, apply them consistently across the whole material.
7. Retro modern
Retro design started as a trend in 2017 and it is not going anywhere. As graphic design continues to move further away from ultra-flat designs, retro has morphed into vintage with highly detailed geometric patterns of the 80s and 90s making a comeback. With modern sleek lines meeting throwback colours, retro is in fashion again.
8. Text and visual balance
Graphics bring content to life, but you need to find the perfect balance between text and images. This is so one element does not steal the spotlight from the other. Meanwhile, images that are too big may overwhelm the viewer, while too much text can make the content look dry and cluttered.
9. Negative space
When creating a design, check if the graphic elements are serving their purpose, adding value, or simply taking up space to no purpose. If an image is not working, delete it.
In graphic design, white space is just as important as content. The contrast between black and white helps create balance so that the material does not feel too heavy or too empty.
Let Jennings Print help with your graphic design needs
Follow the above tips when you work on your next design project or ask us to help you bring your marketing ideas to life. Jennings Print offers graphic design and branding services in addition to printing high-quality banners, posters, booklets, brochures, catalogues, flyers, business cards, corporate stationery, window decals, vehicle signage, and other promotional products.