Hey there! Jen McKinnon here and it’s time for another trend roundup from Envato. Today we’re talking graphic design trends and all the links to the featured items can be found in the description below. This video is brought to you by Envato Elements, a subscription based library full of all the digital assets you need to get your creative projects done. From graphic templates and fonts to actions and presets, and even stock images and backgrounds to use in your projects, everything you need to streamline your creative process is at your fingertips. Check the link in the description for a special offer from the Envato Elements team to get you started. First up, organic design. All around the world, people have been saying ‘no’ to single-use plastic and ‘yes’ to looking after the environment. And this year, a commitment to sustainability has definitely found its way into graphic design. This trend celebrates our precious planet and is all about organic textures, natural shapes, botanicals and neutral colors. Evoking a sense of being immersed in nature, we predict that visuals inspired by Mother Earth will be one of the biggest design trends of 2021. Neutral colors are an effective way to add an organic feel to your designs, like in this branding project that replicates the environment’s natural palette. Burnt orange, sky blue and olive green immediately place us amid the great outdoors, as does the subtle leaf design. You can get the same look and feel with these Instagram templates from WildOnes, which combine imagery, typography, freeform shapes and curvy outlines to create eye-catching social media content. These warm and inviting designs draw on an earth tone color palette of browns, pinks and mossy green to create 18 sophisticated posts that are ideal for both personal and professional use. Learn more about how you can bring the natural world into your next project with our Organic Design Blog linked below. With tips on adding tactile, hand-crafted elements to using neutral color palettes, it’s an ideal resource for designers who are keen to get back to basics. Also taking a back to basics approach - but in a different direction - is the DIY design aesthetic. Featuring a raw, unpolished and hand-crafted style, this trend is perfect for evoking a personalised and homemade feel. As designers bring arts and crafts to their digital creations, we’re seeing different materials and mediums collide to create stunning collages. UK-based graphic designer Peter Willis does exactly this in his mixed media illustrations. In this poster he’s painted over sections of typed text to add character and depth to a historic Naples landmark. Natural textures such as paper, wood and twine can add a tactile element to your work, and it’s easy to achieve this effect digitally with the help of various Photoshop Actions and Procreate Brushes available from Envato Elements. These stamp brushes from seamlessteam breathe life into the DIY design trend and give creators the chance to add an abstract feel through watercolor blobs, ink scribbles, paint splashes and torn paper shapes. Proving that human error is something to be embraced, this add-on revels in all the imperfections and inconsistencies that come with art that’s made by hand. Use this mix and match style to layer any number of the 93 stamp brushes and you’ll soon be creating logos, invitations and prints that are bursting with personal touches. From photo and magazine collages to animated collages, a cut and paste approach has proven popular across marketing materials, editorial pages and social media feeds this year. We explore the Collage Trend in detail in our blog, which we’ve linked in the description below. 2020 was an unpredictable year, and many creators have responded by introducing a dose of nostalgia into their designs. Finding inspiration in previous decades is nothing new, and retro design has been popular for some time; however, 2020 was the year that nostalgic design captured our imaginations as the need for comfort, familiarity and reassurance took centre stage. Taking a candy-colored walk down memory lane, these 3D paper models take everyday items from the 90s and elevate them to artforms. From floppy discs and Casio watches to a Nintendo Gameboy and a Rubik’s Cube, these beautifully crafted objects are a love letter to this infamous decade and – for many – will immediately inspire thoughts of childhood and simpler times. Video producers, motion graphics makers and YouTube creators can do the same by adding an analogue touch with this old film overlay from Envato Elements. This item immediately reminds us of old-school cinemas and noisy projectors, thanks to its 35mm reel effect that gives footage a dusty, scratchy, aged feel. Explore more decades with our Retro Design Trends video that promises to transport you back in time to the 60s, 70s, and 80s. And for even more inspiration, our Marketing Trends 2021 video shows nostalgic design in action with two big-hitting Super Bowl adverts that pay tribute to classic songs and films of yesteryear. It might not be a new trend, but with many brands, businesses and creators increasingly using hand-drawn elements in their website and branding projects, the trend for illustration shows no sign of slowing down. In a digital world, hand-drawn illustrations can add a unique and memorable aspect to any design. In particular, illustration styles such as flat design, hand-drawn typography and raw sketches will continue to leave their mark as this trend continues into 2021. This nature-inspired piece of work not only taps into the organic design trend, it also adds a welcome ray of warmth to this editorial spread through lines, shapes and textures that look hand-drawn. This simple sketch lends the publication a fun personality – and immediately communicates an interest in lifestyle, hobbies and fashion. Line art is a key style within the illustration trend, as seen in this elegant collection of feminine and floral sketches. Featuring 50 hand-drawn illustrations that are composed of one continuous line, they’re a simple but highly effective way to bring illustration into your social media posts, business cards and logos. The high-resolution PNG and JPEG files can also be used to create posters and decorative wall art. For more detail on recent Illustration Trends, check out the video linked in the description below. Step into a world of fabulous riches with Gold & Jewel Tones. This glittering graphic design trend evokes a sense of wealth and a luxurious aesthetic. Let’s start with gold – an incredibly versatile design element that can be used in variations of metallic, matte, shiny, sparkly or embossed. From white gold to rose gold and yellow gold, this marvellous metal looks great whether it’s used as an accent or in designs that are absolutely dripping in gold. Like in this high-end shoot for Harvey Nichols, where everyday objects are given star status. The liquid gold adds texture, with contrasting colors in the form of neutrals and pastels, lending the work a more muted and modern edge. Then there are jewel tones, which refer to a color palette that’s inspired by precious and semi-precious gemstones, like amber, sapphire, ruby and emerald. Explore the look with these watercolour backgrounds by FreezeronMedia, which feature a kaleidoscope of crystallized colors and hues that range from purple through to blues and greens. From posters and flyers to websites and presentations, these 40 high-resolution backgrounds add shine to any project. Often associated with royalty, jewel tones have increased in popularity among Envato customers over the past 12 months and it’s an opulent trend that we believe will continue to sparkle. Learn more in our blog post that’s dedicated to the Jewel Tones Color Trend, while next year’s hottest (and coolest) colors are covered in Color Trends 2021. Both are linked in the description below. Next up, a bold and beautiful fusion of abstract and futuristic design elements that's expected to have a massive impact in 2021. Ultra-modern and experimental, the abstract futurism trend draws on geometric and 3D shapes, floating objects, bright colours, metallic textures, surrealist flourishes and optical illusions. Put simply, it’s clashing, chaotic and utterly mesmerizing. First popularized by the suspended, rotating movement that’s often used in tech commercials, we see floating objects taken to the next level here by Finland-based digital artist Grigori Shevtsov with the addition of checkerboard patterns and jewel tones. We often see grids, lines, borders and structural elements used to ensure abstract futurism is grounded in reality, and that’s certainly the case in these flyer templates by styleWish. Channeling a sci-fi, space age feel through the use of planet rings, intergalactic dust and an electric color palette, this vibrant design is aimed at party people. You can download this template from Envato Elements via the collection linked below. Next, two competing disciplines come together and complement one another. We’re talking about organised chaos. This trend brings chaotic styles – like asymmetrical layouts, layering and experimental typography – into the organized structure of minimalism. It can help to think of this trend as a combination of method and madness, as seen in this Cyber Punk Collage by graphic designer Henry Flores. Blending photography, typography and illustration, and never shying away from clashing colours, Henry relies on a bright and bold backdrop to allow his chaotic collages to grab our attention, while never allowing the competing elements to overwhelm us. As a result, we let our eye follow a trippy trail of palm trees, organic shapes and retro sunglasses. This monoprint poster on Envato Elements also allows us to appreciate every individual element while never detracting from the work as a whole. Here a minimal monochrome colour scheme balances the chaotic scribbles, outlines, gradients and photocopier-inspired distortions, which overall lends the work a gritty, sketchbook feel. All the while, this Photoshop Action makes sure the original image can always be seen and heard over the customisable background and foreground ‘noise’. For thousands of years, symbols have been used to communicate ideas and experiences. Because even if we don’t speak the same language, we can still use icons and imagery to share our stories. Just think of emojis. These modern-day symbols depict thoughts and feelings that everyone can relate to, and it’s this connection and universality that makes symbols so powerful. Recently, a growing interest in mystical, other-worldly design trends like spirituality, witchcraft, magic and cosmic art has led to the increased use of symbolism in design. Featuring burning candles and two-headed snakes, this project by Ben Didier recalls a spooky, centuries-old book of spells and is a great example of this trend in action. Bring some magic into your work with spiritual motifs and lunar symbols. Created by Envato Elements Author helga_helga, these 16 white line illustrations have a hand-drawn appeal and combine mystic symbols and geometric shapes with flora and fauna. Tapping into the trend for minimalist, hand-poked tattoos, these delicate designs can be read as symbols of love, wisdom, hope and serenity. Framed by dots and dashes or surrounded by stars, each standalone icon can be customised in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to suit your creative project. Inclusive design has never been more important. From representing people of all races, backgrounds, body types, eligious beliefs and sexual orientations to destigmatising mental health and standing up for social, political and environmental issues, diversity and representation is going to continue to be important in design as we enter 2021. Here we see illustrator Haley Weaver demonstrate that even though every person is utterly unique, we are all united by our humanity. Through her signature hand-drawn style, this Instagram post manages to be playful while still underlining a serious point. This set of illustrations from Envato Elements swaps literal representations for a more abstract approach while still exploring themes of universality and commonality. Featuring a community of characters drawn in block colors and bold shapes, a lack of facial expressions opens up a variety of creative contexts and situations in which these diverse people can be used and allows a broader audience to identify with the characters. It’s a simple but striking collection of graphics that can be customised and edited with Adobe Illustrator. When it comes to creating living, breathing people, this interview with Elements Author Amrit Pal Singh offers a fascinating insight into the world of 3D illustration. To read all about it, you can find the link below. In contrast to the minimalist sans-serif trends that have been super-popular over the past few years, 2021 font trends seem to be going in a new direction, with many designers embracing the return of the serif. Serif fonts communicate a sense of credibility and trustworthiness and, in uncertain times, people seem to be craving that confidence and stability more than ever. One company that knows all about getting the message right is Mailchimp, who adopted serif fonts some time ago. But far from resembling the traditional-style type that first came about in the mid-18th century, they’ve opted for a soft serif with rounded edges that’s both elegant and engaging. Also shaking up what we think about serifs is Loverica Bold, a typeface that manages to look classic and contemporary at the same time, with its swirling ascenders and descenders, tight letter spacing and above the baseline ‘o’. Each uppercase character comes in seven styles, while the addition of number s, symbols and accents means it can be used in a variety of languages. Gone are the days where elegant fonts were reserved for wedding invitations and inspirational quotes, now’s the time to play as brands, businesses and publications reach for these top-shelf fonts to add highlights and interest to their day-to-day copy. From minimalist to experimental fonts, check out our Typography Trends video, which encompasses all the latest styles we’ve seen appearing in editorial publications, marketing campaigns and creative projects. That does it for the graphic design trends you’ll be seeing in 2021. Are there any we’ve missed? Have your say in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, don’t forget to like it below so we know to keep producing more content like this. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Envato YouTube channel to stay up to date with our latest content and hit the Envato blog for more trends and tips! That’s all for now but if you’re keen to stick around, click the thumbnail at the top right of your screen for more trends, or the one at the bottom right to watch the next Envato video, selected just for you. See you next time.
