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2025 is almost here, and graphic design is moving beyond just aesthetics. It’s about creating deeper connections with audiences and staying on the cutting edge. Here are the top 10 design trends that brands are following this year to stand out both digitally and in print.

1. AI Generated Elements

AI is no longer just a tool for automating tasks; it’s become a true creative asset in graphic design. AI-powered tools help designers create highly personalised visuals, intricate patterns, and unique compositions faster than ever.

Example: Canva has started integrating AI-powered tools to help users create custom designs with smart suggestions and layouts. AI is assisting even non-designers in making beautiful, tailored graphics, perfect for brands that want a personalized touch.

2. Bold Typography and Custom Fonts

Typography in 2025 goes beyond clarity; it’s all about making a bold statement. Experimental, attention-grabbing fonts are taking center stage, becoming key design elements. Type is no longer just a background feature but a primary visual tool that conveys personality, mood, and values in an instant. This trend allows brands to communicate their message clearly and memorably, using typography as a defining part of their visual identity.

Example: In the food industry, bold typography is helping brands stand out and set the mood. Cafes and casual restaurants use big, playful fonts to create a welcoming feel, while upscale spots choose sleek, custom lettering to add a sense of elegance. This trend turns typography into a key part of each brand’s personality, capturing attention and engaging customers right from the start.

Source: RONI | Restaurant logo design and brand identity on Behance

3. Y2K Aesthetic Revival

The Y2K aesthetic, which draws inspiration from the early 2000s internet culture, is making a powerful comeback. Characterised by holographic textures, metallics, and pastel tones, this style is playful, futuristic, and nostalgic, capturing the essence of a time when digital design was evolving rapidly. From pop culture to fashion, the Y2K aesthetic is influencing how brands approach visual design, especially in tech and fashion.

Example: Social media platforms like TikTok and fashion brands are embracing Y2K vibes, from pastel colors to futuristic fonts. This aesthetic attracts Gen Z, especially in branding for tech and fashion, where trends evolve fast.

Source: XG Y2K KPOP Poster Design on Behance

4. Interactive and Animated Elements

In 2025, engaging audiences through interactive design is key. Micro-animations, hover effects, and dynamic elements make websites and social content feel more immersive and memorable.

Example: Spotify’s Year in Review campaign uses animations and interactive elements that allow users to explore their music stats in a fun, engaging way. It keeps audiences involved and coming back for more.

5. Scrapbook & Collage Style

Modular layouts and digital collages are popular as they allow for dynamic, flexible design. It’s a blend of digital and analog elements that feels fresh and modern.

Example: Adobe often incorporates modular and collage layouts in their Creative Cloud campaigns. The design reflects the creative, adaptable nature of their tools, encouraging users to think outside the box and experiment with different elements. This style is a great fit for brands that want to convey a sense of creativity and personal expression.

6. Mismatched fonts

Mismatched fonts are a standout trend, creating designs that are playful, bold, and instantly eye-catching. By combining contrasting typefaces—such as pairing bold serif with light sans-serif or vintage styles with modern fonts—designers can craft layouts that feel dynamic and unique. This approach lets each font bring a different energy to the design, making it feel layered and expressive.

This technique works well for brands that want to break away from clean, uniform typography and embrace a more informal, creative look. Often used in fashion and lifestyle branding, mismatched fonts help capture attention and convey a fresh, innovative spirit.

Source: SS Default Lingo by Second Son Radiance

Sources: Another Department | @studiospgd | TATIANA SOASH

7. Raw Marks & Handcrafted Imperfections

This trend brings out the beauty in designs that feel human and authentic. This approach celebrates textures, smudges, and visible marks, allowing imperfections to create a sense of warmth and personality that’s often missing in digital design. As AI-generated visuals become the norm, designers are finding value in imperfections that remind viewers of the creator’s touch and emphasize authenticity.

Key elements are:

Tactile textures: Smudges, fingerprints, and uneven lines that add a sense of craft.
Organic imprints: Visible traces of the designer’s hand, making each piece feel unique.
Anti-synthetic aesthetic: Embraces natural flaws, rejecting overly polished digital perfection.

8. Retro Revival: nostalgia of 70s to 90s in Design

Nostalgia for the 70s to 90s is making a strong return in graphic design for 2025. Designers are blending past influences with modern techniques to create designs that feel both nostalgic and new. Retro color palettes—like the earthy tones of the 70s, neon hues of the 80s, and grunge-inspired shades of the 90s—bring a sense of familiarity, while vintage typography adds an authentic, old-school vibe.

Example: Nintendo uses retro design elements in its marketing to bring back memories of classic games when launching new products. This nostalgic approach has helped Nintendo keep a loyal fan base and boost sales of its latest releases.

Source: Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, My Nintendo Store

Source: Nostalgia Poster by Valerie Avaeva

9. AR, VR, and Metaverse

Augmented Reality (AR) is changing graphic design by adding interactive elements to physical objects like product packaging and print materials. Brands like IKEA have embraced augmented reality (AR) to enhance the customer shopping experience. Through their AR-based app, customers can virtually place furniture in their homes before making a purchase.

In the metaverse, platforms like Roblox are driving the need for immersive 3D environments. Designers are creating virtual spaces for socializing, gaming, and entertainment. Roblox is a prime example, where users design and customise their digital worlds, highlighting the growing demand for creative, interactive virtual experiences.

10. Graphic Physicality

Graphic Physicality brings design out of the screen and into the physical world, creating a memorable impact by using unconventional, real-world materials to convey messages. This trend makes a statement by translating visuals into tangible materials that play with texture, shape, and time, offering audiences something unexpected and interactive.

Example: Think of lettering crafted from burnt toast, as seen in Jacquemus campaigns, or Nike has used this technique to bring their campaigns to life, incorporating materials, food, and real people to make their visuals more immersive. This trend helps to create a stronger connection with audiences, offering a fresh, sensory-driven experience in contrast to the polished, digital designs we see everywhere.

Source: Jaquemus, Nike, Loewe, Louis Vuitton

Final Thoughts

The future of graphic design is full of exciting possibilities, shaped by both technological advancements and evolving creative trends. From the nostalgic edge of retro grunge to the immersive world of augmented reality, designers are constantly finding new ways to engage audiences. Embracing ethical and inclusive design practices, they’re reaching diverse communities and making visuals more meaningful and accessible. As we move forward, these trends will drive a new era of design, one that’s both innovative and deeply connected to the audiences it serves.

Top 10 Graphic Design Trends in 2025