Graphic Design Trends: Retro Futurism Vibes in 2024

We are feeling, the 2023 counting the last days and living with anticipation of these amazing celebrations coming ahead, so we start to counting till 2024 begins. The whole world is going crazy for the winter holidays. But the designers have other what to do - to get some experience for a new year of great trends and features, so what they are presenting to us we can develop a full story. Sit down in your comfort zone and start reading what we put together this time. Let's go!

The upcoming year of 2024 is the best time to reveal what is ready under the veil. A retro futurism is still the most trending topic of the year. We need to decide what comes first and what comes next. We'll see a crossover of impressive modern tendencies with the 90s aesthetics, pink Barbie styles and serif typography is assigned. That will be a year of surprises and retro manifestations with a suggestive creativity. The one think will be clear, the year of 2024 will be very exciting for graphic designers without any doubts.

Full-fledged AI Graphics

The AI contents in many spheres are growing rapidly and you must stay updated on its usefulness. This trend are so popular now a days, that we place it to the top of the list as a new discovered. The new technologies evolving, so you can explore new styles for your designs and create unlimited graphics in minutes. The AI graphics are one of the most attractive in our opinion.

Graphic design is a field mostly transformed by Artificial Intelligence and this cool trend will stay for years in the future. Indeed, text-to-image AI art generators regrouped from hi-tech fun to a full-fledged creative design producing. All creative world is in any way touched by AI and using these features oftenly for creation of well crafted designs. Check our gallery below of some examples of AI generated graphics.

Avalanche of Pixels

Did you remember first 8-bit pixel related video / computer gaming such as "Super Mario" or other well known games from the early era? They ruled the world. When the first websites with ultra-simple, low-res graphics were top-notch? This graphic design trend come back to show all its possibilities in creation of designs and you can do a lot of great things by using this style. The nostalgy is working and plays a big role now a days, so why we love the past so much as it brings a unique charm.

Just try pixels to combine with a modern design, such as a vibrant background and pixelated flowers or other kind of graphics, such as a cardboard box with the pixelated postage stamps or pixelated typographic title in your web design. This mix can bring an outstanding style and liveness. Use a vivid colors to enrich the design significantly.

Pink Barbie Design

The world got crazy by the Barbie style and the sensational movie graphic design trend. All want to wear in pink, making a pink parties, cleaning the shops of the Barbie dolls and other sources related to this toy queen. The last popularity of it was in 2000's, when Paris Hilton and Britney Spears on the red carpet was screamed as Barbiecore as their pink color is a brand identity. This trend will going viral in 2024 as the newest Barbie movie still counting the tips.

As we think, this prominent accent will be not for long. But the created images, elements and designs will remain for some time in the future reminding us of this pinky period. So, while it's so beautiful and fabulous, we can create something fancy in pink, especially for little girls.

Blur and Distortion

Not everything in life is bright and clear. Sometimes you have to deal with various different scenarios. And what is interesting about this graphic design trend, that not everything, that darkened, disturbed and dim is bad. This kind of design opens up vast of possibilities for graphic alternation. You can even add scratches and imperfections for a particularly tense of appearance.

A blur and dull design is little appreciated, but we want to deny it and give him perhaps a high place in our list. Use the distorted images for your posters, flyers and banners. The blur can be applied to a backgrounds, textures, invitations, greeting cards, interior and others. You can create a unique layering that adds depth and dimension to your digital design projects. These designs can be also a super futuristic in their appearance and their effects can enrich the design significantly.

Gritty and Artistic Retro Vibes

However, the variety of vintage and retro don't stop us surprising. Many of the designers apply those designs in their practice and they are so special artworks. In the new world of gritty art, clean lines, polished to the end, giving the way to textures that tells a story without going out from our trending list in nearest future. These artworks are used by book writers to provide illustrations and styles for their stories and covers. A web designers also use them, as they have an emotional and memorable feeling very strong. We grow with books and that is a serious nostalgy for us, to create something old inspired, but enough good in a new age.

Practically, these soft-toned two-dimensional visuals going well from posters to branding identity, postcards, invitations and others. Online you can find a lot of gritty / grunge textures and they are so popular now, that is not a problem to find them for free or in premium assets. Every design crafted in gritty style is an authentic for sure. Keep going with this trend and you will be surprised with popularity in your designs.

Variety of Colors

Let's change dark, raining and gloomy days to vivid colors everywhere where you are going. The life is richer with brightness and good feelings. This trend is a high quality one and the longest existed in the world of art and design. If you are searching colorful images just take a look at search engines, photo websites and realise how much of this style graphics they have. It's millions of the greatest visuals around you, so create the colors and everyone would be surprised.

The gradient colors are still on design tops, they are very good using for product packaging and brand identities. A tons of colors are usable in creation of backgrounds, textures and patterns. But some of the companies don't like to be so colorful as they think too colored is a sort of protest, but why? More colors, means more different from others and that's can be a win-win situation. But to make just colorful is not so easy, as you need to pairing them carefully, that they are pleasant for the eyes, abstract, interesting and artistic. To create this requires a lot of experience and practice.

Discovery of Serif Typography

As "sans serif" typography was trending last year, now we have :serif" and not for nothing. This type has a lot of styles, is elegant and you can find it everywhere you are imagine. We can name this font as retro type. An amazing news for creatives as you can take inspiration from retro time of 80s and 90s designs! The bold colors and intricate images are trending also. The bold style of this font can be unbeatable idea to create something an eye-catching.

Don't limit yourself and use serif everywhere you can, you will not be in mistake. It looks great with muted color palettes if you're creating more light-hearted projects, such as retro magazines, ads or brochures. Just don't afraid to experiment and by adding more spices, you can't be wrong, it enrich the taste. Serif fonts brings an aesthetic appeal and makes any artwork look pretty. Enjoy!

Gradient Dreams

Gradient colors has been among the top trends for a long time. Seems these useful design colors will never go out from fashion. In the early 2000s, they were mainly used to add a retro twinkle to the designs, then slowly they got a popularity and more creative people start using it in their design projects. Now you can find gradients everywhere from backgrounds to packaging. This trend is so viral and will never hide in the margins.

Some of the design experts long years was talking, that gradients and flat design is outdated, they was so controversial about that trend, but it never faded like that, and a lot of designers continually are using it. Gradients are invincible leaders in a style and appearance. This trend is a extremely versatile, through the years we saw simple similar shades, gradual blending, vivid contrasting coloring, elaborate mesh gradients and many more. They are well communicable with different designs and nothing goes wrong with them. You are welcome to use gradients in your lovely way.

Characters and Illustrations

Characters, cartoons and illustrations are in a trending list without any doubts. The modern design without illustrations is nothing. The illustrative design can tell a lot of words, so they can explain the meaning of the design without of telling many sentences. They also fill the empty spaces. The great thing is about them, that so many techniques we can found to create. The online marketplaces and design websites has to offer a wide variety of graphics now a days, that is not a problem to find your favorite to put in your artworks.

With a progressive equipment you can also create an animated characters to make your web more lively and attractive. As far as dimensions going both 2D and 3D seen they are still on fire this year. Anything can be turned into a characters and illustrations, even a brand identity will be more engaged when created with some emotional graphics in it. They are fun, useful and can be your hit in creation of the next design projects, such as children books, t-shirt styling, web designs, postcards, posters, packaging and many more.

Pattern Solutions

The patterned style in many crafts can be very useful. The most trending are retro / vintage patterns included into postcards, wedding invitations, greeting cards, packaging and in many other creative items. You can get any pattern easily online, paid or free. They brings engagement and attractiveness to your design projects. You can get abstract, flowery, dots, leafy, geometric and patterns in any other style which are ready to print or to be added just with an online programs.

Patterns you can also use in interior design. So much possibilities to create an outstanding artworks without efforts, just select a favorite one, download and you have it in your hands. The solutions is unlimited, so why not to try to marveling your craft with them.

Nature Inspired Design

The interest of bio and organic products rapidly growing and this reflect in designer's projects. People more choosing healthy and resources offered by nature. Natural colors, natural materials and nature inspiration, all comes in the latest trends of graphic design. Of course this is only one feature, which can't be applicable to all niches. But design and industries such as food and drinks, cosmetics, or medicine can benefit from this trend.

It's the only feature where you need a lot of organic color and elements, as it shows a strong connection to the nature where is green, brown and blue. To create such a design you need have experience and many knowledge. But thanks to the designers, who share such a projects, where we can learn and do something by our self. Just be creative and use all opportunities the nature gave us.

Final Thoughts

We only can predict what kind of trends are booming this year, but we are sending not an obvious message to designers. Every creative feeling what design can be good or not with daily work and a lot of experience taken from it, we can only suggest. Especially if you are a beginner in this kind of job, you can read the latest trends from the sources in the internet and learn about the hottest creative things. The examples of the designs you can use as inspiration.

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