The Future of Design: Trends to Embrace in 2025
Which design trends are you most excited for?
Buckle up! 2025 is an exciting new year with new trends!!
If you want to travel back in time, read my article about 2024’s most noteworthy design trends! My favorite innovative techniques include expressive typography, three-dimensional effects, vintage minimalism, and branded illustrations.
AI will play a major role in the months and years to come, but for now, let’s prioritize human-led creations.
Based on my research, there are 10 trends to embrace this year: statement shapes, futuristic metallics, handmade art, retro aesthetic, gothic badges and crests, grainy textures, modern surrealism, bold minimalism, a mismatched and bright style, and maximalist illustrations. Read along for a brief, yet informative, breakdown of each category—examples included!
STATEMENT SHAPES
Every design is made of shapes. Some are simple, subtly enhancing a neutral background. Others pack a punch, adding structure and dimension to visuals. Fundamental geometry—circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles—commonly serve as visual guides or frames, emphasizing what is most important.
FUTURISTIC METALLICS
In the digital realm, virtual metal objects can take on a variety of shapes. The rules of physics don’t apply, so the only limits are one’s imagination. Futuristic metallics manifest as three-dimensional fonts, hyper-realistic reflective textures, and color palettes resembling a wide range of ores—golds, silvers, coppers, or bronzes—with modern holographic sheens.
HANDMADE ART
With AI on the rise, many designers desire to transport audiences to “simpler” times of the past when people valued quality over quantity. Some shine a new light on traditional media like doodles, collages, or scrapbook-style layouts. Other creatives are reviving “lost” techniques like risograph printing and screen-printing. Besides being eccentric and spontaneous, handmade art—infused with palpable memories and emotions—is a popular choice for replicating an undeniably human touch.
RETRO AESTHETIC
Retro aesthetics range from whimsical and nostalgic to elegant and surreal. To counteract predictability, designers challenge traditions and perspectives by juxtaposing modern and vintage elements for a mind-altering effect. So far, during the first quarter of 2025, there’s been a marked shift toward textured, multi-dimensional visuals. Muted tones, structured layouts, thick borders, pixelation, bubble fonts, hand-drawn typefaces, and subtle gradients are also notable features.
GOTHIC BADGES & CRESTS
Audiences across the globe are intrinsically drawn to designs with an old-world charm, symbolizing elegance and trustworthiness. Gothic badges and crests are classic examples of this alluring style. These designs are not exclusive to high-end restaurants, private schools, and country clubs. Young brands—established less than a decade ago—can utilize elaborate emblems to convey their dedication to personalized experiences, quality craftsmanship, and “white-glove” customer service.
GRAINY TEXTURES
Not just for film photography enthusiasts, leading artists—from all walks of life—have enthusiastically embraced grainy textures. Some of the most prominent examples include fonts, surfaces, and backgrounds. The antithesis of AI-generated imagery, this imperfect effect imbues two-dimensional graphic art with depth and movement. Similar to metallics, grainy textures create the illusion that you can reach out and touch a design.
MODERN SURREALISM
Known for evoking strong emotions, modern surrealism is a term used to describe fine art, fashion, interiors, and graphic designs. Particularly rich in symbolism and metaphors, it is a trend characterized by unconventional layouts and striking contrasts. Branding, advertising, web design, and user interfaces benefit from incorporating this unforgettable style, in which dreams become realities.
BOLD MINIMALISM
Sometimes, less is more. With bold minimalism, you won’t find multiple elements competing for attention. Instead, there’s an intense focus on the central theme. Adequate spacing and clear layouts are also of great importance. For example, unique color palettes and typography could be set against simple backgrounds without excessive embellishments. This approach accentuates negative space, which can be refreshing to the eye.
MISMATCHED & BRIGHT STYLE
Mismatched and bright designs can be chaotic and overwhelming. However, when done right, they help a design stand out in the best possible way. Clashing fonts, quirky typography, color contrasts, asymmetric shapes, and irregular spacing are some recurring patterns—but prepare to be surprised!
MAXIMALIST ILLUSTRATIONS
Stories alone are memorable, but stories with visuals are even more fascinating. In the age of ads, how do you stop someone in their tracks? Captivate prospective customers with branded maximalist illustrations. While entertaining, hand-drawn elements can also be incredibly effective and practical. Companies don’t need paragraphs to describe complex steps or ideas. They can incorporate relatable characters, settings, and themes (stories with visuals).
Which trend are you drawn to?
I’ve always been inspired by ornate designs evoking the past’s magic. Many techniques are easy to replicate, but gothic badges and crests feel especially original, enabling brands to leave lasting impressions. While most manifestations are inked in black, others are gilded and embellished with pops of dark, moody colors from a dark-academia palette. Some designers even incorporate 1-4 “secret” symbols, representing a company’s services. No matter how they are customized and reinvented, I find gothic badges and crests to be storied creations.
I feel optimistic about the rest of 2025. Let this be the year we venture into unknown territory and forge new paths. Which technique will you try? Let me know in the comments below!
