13 Graphic Design Styles That Are Commonly Used
Today, you are probably looking for information for your graphic design development project and you don't know which aesthetic to choose, so in this post we will carefully distinguish various graphic design styles that will help you in your choice. We know that it can be difficult to choose the right one from the many styles, but if you dig deeper, we guarantee that you will find a way out without any problems.
A little below, we have put together quite a bunch of the most commonly used graphic design styles, which you can use in your projects to observe the positive mood of your customers. It is possible to use several styles at once, because such a hybrid formation can be really suitable. It's important to blend in with the styles we offer and examples of which you'll simply see next to each one.
Table of Contents:
Use this guide to find the best design style for you, and if you're a designer, use it for design style inspiration.
Organic
Every designer who is dedicated to climate change, organic solutions, green energy and the whole ecology faces this organic graphic design style. It's a style that continues to dominate the design world. It uses natural and rustic elements that connect well within the natural solutions. Common elements include natural textures, organic shapes and neutral color palettes.
Credit to: Tea Packaging, Organic Recipes Landing Page Design
Minimalism
Minimalism has always been on the wave, inspired by Scandinavian rationality began in the 1920s with architecture design. This style values simplicity with clean geometric shapes and monochromatic color palettes. The minimalist design has a lot of empty space, focusing on the product and not the whole environment. One or two motifs are composed and the environment is presented as seamless and perfectly clean.
Credit to: Minimalist Architecture - Concept, Minimalist Pencils
Maximalism
Maximalism in design does not always mean big or a lot. It's a concept where the design pushes its limits and needs extra space, but it's integral, fun to look at, vibrant, with a lot more color than minimalist. It commonly uses erratic layouts that lack traditional balance. Layering text, images and texture are the main aspects of maximalism practices.
Credit to: Fear No Evil, Afternoon Tea Jigsaw Puzzle
Retro
Nowadays, retro graphic design is experiencing good times, the term "retro modernism" is more often used. It refers to a wide range of design styles from the 50s to the 70s. This includes Psychedelic, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Gothic, Baroque, the New York style, each with clearly distinct styles. The retro design incorporates nostalgic elements and fonts that are recognizable to audiences of all ages.
Credit to: Retro Funk Sticker Collection, Massivemoon
Abstract
Abstract graphic design where reality and imagination prevail, when the impossible is made possible. Surreal depiction of reality with unique color palette intended to be interpreted by its target audience and uses contrasting elements of form, shape and tone. This kind of design or art is a real lifesaver when you can't find any style you want to apply, abstract can always help.
Credit to: Abstract Magazine, Visual Abstract Shapes
Geometric
Geometric style consists of many lines and shapes, where sharp shapes, angles and points prevail. The overall design is aesthetically minimal, focusing on the balance of straight lines, shapes and edges. These simple designs can be elevated with varying color palettes and paired with images. It doesn't take much imagination to understand what geometric style is.
Credit to: The Black Sheep Community, Geometric Space
Flat
The flat style has been on the rise in recent years and has been on the red line for some time. It is often compared to minimalist design, as they both use the power of negative space and simplistic design. However, flat design typically uses a monochromatic color palette, as well as icons and pictograms. This graphic design style is popular among web designers, mobile applications, icons and illustrations.
Credit to: Food Illustration, Flat people
Three-Dimensional
A three dimensional (3D) graphic design is a realistic and vibrant visual creation. Many designers use this style to liven up the design and use it in web designs, illustrations, icons, magazines, animation and many more. It helps you express your creativity in a completely different way than everyone else and it is helped by various techniques that make it easier for designers to work with this style.
Credit to: 3D Modeling for UX/UI Design, 3D Cartoon Girl
Grunge
Grunge graphic design releases a moody style. It is often dark and gloomy, so not all designs can use it. Irregular lines, shapes, brushes and distressed elements are used within this design. Gritty textures and stained backgrounds are also very popular styles. This design option is often seen accompanied by gothic and punk aesthetics.
Credit to: Days of HC Design, 1-2-3
Vintage
Vintage style is different from retro. This is a particularly dated type of graphics and elements. You can emphasize them by creating movie covers, posters, illustrations, arts and many more others. The old may not necessarily look bad, it is not a standard visual, it needs to be specially adapted in such a design that needs to convey the ancient mood and spirit. However, many designers love this style without a doubt.
Credit to: Poster Collection II, Hellspire Vintage Blackletter Font
Futuristic
Futuristic graphic design consists of a mix of future and modern. Many designers are very involved in this option. It is very nice to create something that is currently on the wave, something that is futuristic and innovative. New graphic standards come more and more every year and bring a bunch of innovations that make the work of designers extremely attractive and inspired.
Credit to: Futuristic, Website Design for the Emerging Technology Community
Psychedelic
This is another instantly recognizable style, with bright colors and lots of wavy lines. The design principles reflect the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, fueled in part by LSD, a newly popular, powerful drug that drastically altered people's perception of reality. Until now, this graphic style is used in the diverse design industry, occupying a fairly decent place in the trending list.
Credit to: Snovacy - Psychedelic Display Free Font, Psychedelic Art Painting
Feminine
A really girly and pure feminist style that adds elegance and charm to the graphic. Don't be afraid to use this option, because it's a really interesting elemental aesthetic. Common elements include cursive fonts, charming decorative details and soft pastel colors. This graphic design style can be paired nicely with organic and natural elements.
Credit to: Liberte o Fluxo, Website Design - Curler
Final Thoughts
These are the basic graphic design styles that are often used and it's good to know them for better results. We explained each style as much as we could out of duty to you and illustrated visualizations to help you understand each style. You can find many more variations of styles online, but this is a trip to the hoops as we aim to bring you the basics and they are all different in their own way. We wish you the best of luck in your design endeavors.
