What is a trend? A trend is a general direction in which something is developing or changing. They help us to predict the future by looking at what had happened in the past. So what exactly affects the kind of designs that will be in trend? The answer to this question constitutes many factors – current world events, lifestyle habits, popular vacation spots and even our expenditure. Ultimately, design trends are always inspired from the past and are then modified to become a new trend.
Designs that look almost three-dimensional (yet isn’t) is made possible by creating that illusion of a 3D image to the flat designs. This can be achieved by using light and shadows to create depth, dimension and realism in your designs. First things first, you will of course have to understand where the “imaginary” light source is coming from and then cast the desired shadows accordingly. This is likely to draw audiences into the design and trick them into thinking that the object looks as real as it can get. There are various ways as to how you can create this 3D illusion. Generally, light and shadows are excellent features to be added to your designs if used strategically and cautiously.
Credits: Nike Promotion Ads Author: Jardson Almeida
In recent years, the design industry is expanding and the advanced softwares are getting more accessible for people which explains why we have been seeing a lot more 3D elements in graphic designs. At this day and age, toned-down and pastel color palettes are more in style and therefore it’s being used in projects to further enhance those 3D elements.
See more of such 3D images here.
What’s duotone? You may ask. Duotone is curated by blending 2 contrasting tones over an image. It is rather eye-catching for the audience and this is perhaps why it’s one of the trending designs used in projects.
The popularity of duotone effects had certainly increased significantly when Spotify started using them in their playlist images, app and promotional microsites. Therefore, we believe this is a trend that will continue to stay and even evolve into various looks in the future.
Example of Double Exposure Duotone
On top of that, another ongoing trend would be the Double Exposure Duotone; an effect that can be achieved by using two different images in monochrome colors and overlap the layers of the images.
Last but definitely not the least, gradient is another popular design trend that is bound to shine this year and probably for the next year too! It’s a simple yet aesthetically-pleasing design that can direct audiences’ focus to the key message that the brand/business wishes to convey.
See more of such gradient images here.
Gradients is also a design that Spotify has been leveraging on this year as well. This is how their current site looks like as of August 2018.
If you wish to try out the gradient trend or explore other design trends, you can easily do so by trying out OFFEO‘s platform to easily curate the most impactful animated video! Fret not, we have prepared a tutorial video to guide users in creating gradient effect on OFFEO’s canvas.
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