5 Outdated Graphic Design Trends You Need To Avoid At All Cost
By Urban Company
4 min read
Sep 15, 2017
Do you feel like your graphic designs are becoming highly repetitive and sticking to a particular format? Well, this might be because you are unconsciously or consciously following the ...
Do you feel like your graphic designs are becoming highly repetitive and sticking to a particular format? Well, this might be because you are unconsciously or consciously following the same set trends that have done their rounds for a considerable period of time in the design industry. Given that these design trends were a rage once upon a time, their influence in your work is as prominent as it gets. In this post, we discuss with you 5 graphic design trends that are outdated and you need to avoid them at any cost. Though it is highly commendable to take inspiration from trends every year, it can also be agreed that sticking to it a lot will only result in boring and repeated graphic designs. Creators and graphic designers are expected to be new and original and to produce ideas of their own. This can be done with a lot of brainstorming and also by consciously stopping yourself from referring to the design trends. To make your work simpler, we have compiled a list of
5 trends in the field of graphic designing that you should be completely avoidingthis year.
5 Outdated Graphic Design Trends To Avoid
1. Complexity or minute-detailing
There are some graphic design trends that cater to a particular field, and avoiding it as much as possible would be the easiest way out. Some graphic designers love to give a lot of attention to detailing in their designs. However, concentrating too much on these designs and using complex graphic designing techniques will only make the work look cluttered and unorganized. Hence, to make your work look neat and well put together, you need to stick to simple and less-detailed designing techniques.
2. Using bright colours
Using neon and brightly hued shades in different areas of work including graphic designing and fashion had become a trend in the recent years and had stuck to us for a period that was more than expected. However, nowadays, using this bright schemed color palette in your graphic designs can in no way please a user. Hence, trying to stay away from too many bright will be advisable.
Nevertheless, using muted and dull colors will make your designs look old and worn off.
3. Typography plays its role
If your graphic design does not fully consist of only design and also includes body text, then you must also concentrate on the typography that you use. That is always exciting isn’t it? However, you might tend to get a little too excited and use a lot of different typography in your designs, much like the social media trend that caught on. Nevertheless, you must try and reduce the number of styles that you use in your design. The lesser the body, the lesser number of typography would be advisable.
Using different typography can make your designs look quirky and unique; however, our idea being, after a point, the complexity will lead to complete chaos.
4. Avoid using stock photography
To take away that dull and boring look from your designs, try to not use any stock photography in it. You must give it to your level best to bring out free flowing designs that you create on your own and not base it on any pre-shot photographs, pictures and paintings.
This will help your designs look quirky, original and bring your individual touch to it.
5. Taking over every white space
Earlier, it used to be considered one of the golden rules to try not to avoid white spaces that were available within the graphic designs. It was sort of a brownie point for a design to be present without any white spaces within. Overtime, designers started over using the same rule and it eventually became a trend to actually make your design look space-constrained. It was considered quirky and stylish to be able to design something without white spaces.
However, today, a poster or any other piece of graphic design without any white space will only look clustered, disorganised and make the designer look inexperienced. Nevertheless, if you know exactly how to make to make it look quirky and not clustered, then it is worth the risk.
As a graphic designer, you can look through various sites, take inspiration from various bloggers and designers who will help you complete your own work and arrive at a finished product. However, you must also understand that whoever you draw inspiration from, you need to be able to identify if the particular design will work or not, just by looking at it. If, you as a graphic designer, feel that the techniques that you have used has come together to form something worth looking at, then you should stick to your instincts.