2017 was the year of black and white. Sleek clean lines. Minimalism.
2018 will be the complete opposite!
In the past couple of months, you could already see the difference in design choices across the web. Users and companies alike were tired of the monochromatic palettes in 2017 and started going for visuals that were more colorful and daring for the new year. As more and more people join the Internet, as more companies produce more content, as more brands start to sell products and services, how do you set yourself apart? Through your design.
Why? Because people love images. A Tweet with images is 150% more likely to be retweeted than a Tweet without. A Facebook post with a picture also receives 2.3 times more engagement than those without. Visuals are engaging and attract users, so why wouldn’t you want to incorporate them into your digital marketing strategy? The following is a list of breakout trends that are sure to be at the forefront of digital design in 2018, and tips on how you can incorporate them into your brand’s style.
To the drawing board!
The Beautiful and Vibrant
As stated earlier, brands will begin to dip themselves in colors for 2018. They’ll be dressing up images and content in all kinds of reds and yellows to really attract users, drive traffic, and hopefully increase conversions as well. In fact, you can already see this design trend emerging on the websites of large brands like Spotify and WeWork.
Their pages are colorfully spirited, showcasing bright colors and funky designs. These visuals are great because they starkly contrast to their neutral backgrounds. Pique user interest by not only incorporating bright colors onto your website, but also contrasting them with neutral backgrounds so they really pop. You can fully expect to see this trend get adopted by other companies in the coming months and all throughout 2018.
Typography is Not One Size fits All
The internet has become obsessed with typography, and for good reason.
Fonts play a powerful part in design and if you’re not a digital design services junkie, you may overlook their importance. Don’t be fooled — typography is very important and will play a large role in the top design trends of 2018. Just as a quick example: IF SOMETHING IS TYPED LIKED THIS versus if something is typed like this, the way you read and perceive that information is completely different.
Like color schemes, different fonts have different effects on people. If you want to achieve a demure, posh feeling, you may opt for a thin and long sans serif font. If you want to produce something on printed material for business professional purposes, you may opt for a classic serif font.
Just like the colors you choose, the fonts you select play an important role in your overall messaging. A great example of 2018 typography trends that Starbucks has recently rolled out (and is currently plastering across all its mobile app and in stores) is its blonde espresso campaign. The colors yellow and black starkly contrast one another with big bold sans serif font across the middle showcasing their newest product. The messaging is clear in the colors and in the font. Achieve this consistency in your branding by carefully selecting fonts that coincide with the message you’re sending to users.
In this case, typography of the big and bold isn’t a one size fits all. Anthony Burrill, graphic artist, print-maker and designer, says:
“I don’t think there are typographic trends anymore; if there are, I find it hard to identify them. Depending on who you follow on social media – type foundries, designers, lettering artists, graffiti artists – there are numerous trends that simultaneously coexist. Scroll through your Instagram feed and you’ll see historic type examples rubbing shoulders with the latest type animation techniques.”
If you want to follow the typographic trend of large bold font patterns, that’s great! If you think that another kind of font suits your branding more, absolutely — follow what you think is best for your company.
On the Reel
Some of the best kinds of visuals on the Internet are the moving kind! Videos are becoming increasingly more popular, with 81% of businesses using them as marketing tools. Even a top responsive web design firm can’t deny their escalating popularity when more than half of marketers deem videos as the content with the best ROI.
So if you’re looking to show up and show off to your users, this is the best way to do so. Videos are also relatively inexpensive to create, and smartphone camera qualities are practically delivering the same results as a DSLR. However, if you want to pull out the big guns, you can always look to see what digital services local agencies are offering. Sometimes collaborations even produce better outcomes!
I Took Photography at Hogwarts
If videos are too far out of your reach, another great way to keep your images moving is by using GIFs. These images are some of the most popular across the Internet, and on Twitter Tweets with GIFs are 2x more likely to be retweeted than Tweets with photos.
In 2017, GIFs amassed over 2 million hours of watched time per day by Internet users, and this number is sure to increase in 2018. While these moving images are usually of cats and dogs, you can customize your own GIFs using design services like GIPHY. Creating GIFs is a free and fun way to engage users while flexing your creative muscles. You will have all your users enchanted in no time.
Your than You
Apart from defining your brand through design, one of the best ways to really grab and retain user attention is by being original. Producing original content and imagery definitely consumes time and manpower, but the investment is worth it. Stock photography from a web design firm will only get you so far! If smartphone camera quality is good enough for videos, it’s definitely more than adequate for images. Take it upon yourself and your team to create beautiful images that are one of a kind.
Individuality is important in illustrations as well. The demand for graphic designers has increased in the past couple of years as brands work to improve their digital presence. For 2018, be authentic, be yourself, and show that by being original in the content you produce.
Yellow Brick Road
The start of a new year is exciting! 2018 is definitely the year to try new things and really push the limits of what’s possible for your brand. These trends and tips are only a couple suggestions for how your team can expand its visual design strategy. Before you go off and start creating, let’s go over the main points of this post one more time:
- Use bold color schemes and contrasting colors to attract users to your content
- Be aware of typography because different font choices elicit different reactions from users
- Videos currently hold the number one spot for the content with the best ROI so ready, set, start filming!
- Use GIFs to drive engagement and shares on social media
- Produce original imagery and illustrations to set yourself apart from the rest
If these tips have thrown you for a loop, you can always ask a mobile friendly web design firm for a free consultation to help you begin these projects. As always, good luck!
