Design trends 2020: the beginning of an electrifying decade

1. cyberpunk colors: Particularly bright and oversaturated hues are associated with cyberpunk, a science fiction genre that typically depicts dark, futuristic cities infused with neon colors, as in the movie Blade Runner. In practice, cyberpunk color palettes create surreal experiences for viewers that they cannot experience like this in real life. Their unnatural glow makes the designs appear friendly and inviting while shamelessly vying for attention. In cyberpunk, neon colors create pleasant splashes of color as a contrast to a dark cityscape. In the same way, designs that take advantage of these color schemes can cheer up our own sometimes gloomy world.

2. street art: Graffiti and street art are retro. They recall the punk scene of the 70s, the neon 80s and the grunge of the 90s. In 2020, these decades make more than a simple comeback, as the style of the time is revived adapted to our time - past and present enter into a fascinating liaison. Since graffiti, given its association with vandalism, is inherently provocative, it is also a movement of jubilation and freedom, of breaking ties and rebelling against convention. The aesthetic of street art makes us feel as if the future is in our hands alone

3. ultra-fine geometry: As a fundamental element of graphic design, lines express the shape and essence of an object. While geometric lines represent man-made and technological objects, curved lines represent more natural, organic forms. In 2020, we see designers merging these line styles to realize impossible shapes. These designs are based on steadfast geometry, yet feel ephemeral and fleeting. They look metallic, yet billow like smoke. Ultrafine geometry is modern, abstract, and difficult to implement without the help of a computer, which is probably why it plays a big role in tech company branding in particular. The style seems to capture the future of technology.

4. paper collages: Many collages try to deceive the eyes and present a coherent image. However, 2020's collages have nothing to hide: designers combine images that clearly do not belong to the same universe, such as illustrations and photographs. Eschewing flawless image editing, they leave angular edges and white outlines that look as if they were created by cutting and pasting. The effect is meant to erase the boundary between contrast and harmony, bringing these two fundamentally different elements together in a kind of asynchronous beauty

5. charismatic handlettering: Typography has always been an important element in graphic design. In the digital age, where everything has to make instant sense to new users, typography became very functional out of necessity. In recent years, however, typefaces have once again become larger, thicker, and more experimental - in ways we haven't seen since the long-gone days of print ads. In 2020, the trend of larger-than-life fonts will continue, but in a more human direction: individual, charismatic hand lettering is already extremely popular, and brand typography will follow suit by becoming more colorful, imprecise, and eccentric. Lettering can embody an underlying theme or be fancy to convey a sense of the people behind the brand.

6. dystopian aesthetics: Thanks to the popularity of series like "Black Mirror" and "The Handmaid's Tale," dystopia is finding a voice in every medium imaginable. Dystopia is the opposite of utopia. Generally, it refers to fictional, futuristic worlds that have taken a wrong turn somewhere in history. From a design perspective, dystopia finds expression through cold color schemes, mechanical typography, glitch art, and images that merge technology with natural matter or exclude people from the scene entirely. Although the genre largely depicts a failed future, things are not always as hopeless as they seem. Dystopia often takes the form of a cautionary tale, reminding us to be alert and vigilant. So far, this trend is mainly evident in illustrative media such as album covers and t-shirts. Although these styles can be disturbing, they are effective tools for making viewers pause and take a closer look at the world around them.

7. hyper pastiche: This trend makes the year 2020 unique. Designers will no longer revive just one era, but pretty much all of them: be it the Victorian era or the Middle Ages, Art Deco or Art Nouveau; past art styles merge with modern designs to form a huge, chronological collage. On the one hand, graphic designers are paying tribute to their ancestors. They're looking for ways to redefine digital aesthetics, and who better to turn to than the old masters? On the other hand, designers are taking advantage of the contrast between digital imagery and past aesthetics to visualize an ancient grandeur so often lost in vectorized simplicity. The challenge of pastiche is to make the disparate aesthetics feel as if each contributes equally to a cohesive work. Done well, the effect is to eliminate the boundary between analog and digital.

8. endless animations: Although they can be an expensive investment, animations are among the most impressive ways to bring a brand to life. This usually takes the form of microinteractions and explanatory motion graphics. In 2020, endless animation sequences enhance immersion with seamless transitions that build each scene in real time from the elements of the current frame. This is useful for brands that want to take their viewers on a journey and make them feel like they're flying with them through a constantly changing world.

9. slants and chisels: By creating 3D shapes based on hard edges, the bevel and chisel trend harkens back to the classic battle between skeuomorphism and flat design. On the skeuomorphic side, these designs mimic real-world objects in subtle ways (like raised buttons, engraved coins, or beveled stones), but are made of matte colors. The result is a flat image that looks tantalizingly real, as if you could touch it. 3D stonecutting techniques are especially useful in designs for digital scenarios, such as app icons and buttons. They create a haptic experience for users and defuse the endless flatness that dominates the visual aesthetic of screens.

10. visualization of live data: In 2020, complex live data - like dashboard statistics - will be available even faster. For designers, that means presenting information in a way that adapts to change and is dynamically animated. The concept is similar to the visualizations in music apps like Windows Media Player, which use abstract graphics to represent sound waves. From a stylistic perspective, designers are going for a decidedly digital look with dark user interfaces, heavy blue tones, abstract polygons, and typography reminiscent of VHS technology. This is purely computer animated data. This style is also a combination of the graphic design trends listed above - neon color schemes, organic geometry and dynamic animations. The effect is meant to give the viewer the impression of being transported into a mainframe computer, where they can observe what's behind the computer magic in real time. 

The 2020s are off to an electrifying start. The past and the future, the geometric and the organic, the real and the artificial - next year will see different visual elements combined in unique ways. Whether this momentum will be maintained over the coming decade remains to be seen.