Graphic design inspiration: Making the trends work for your brand

Did you know that articles with images get 94% more views than those without? How about that 40% of people will respond better to visual information than plain text?

There is no denying brands that invest in graphic design reap the benefits, but how do you do it? Hiring out is the easiest option, but if you are not ready for that yet, here is a guide of the latest graphic trends and how you can make them work for your brand.

The trends and your brand

Earlier this year, 99 designs published an article on the five graphic design trends to watch in 2014. These design trends are cutting edge and will definitely draw attention to your brand. Here are a few ways to incorporate them into your content marketing strategy:

Super-Geometric

Super-geometric design is exactly what it sounds like – straight lines everywhere.

Super-geometric ideas for your brand:

There are a few easy ways your brand can employ geometric design. You can create flyers using color blocking. The blocks can be filled with text, photos, patterns or solid colors.

You can add geometric elements to your designs.

Finally, you can use a geometric pattern as an accent or background.

 

Retro-Graphics

Simplistic design is popular right now and due to technology limitations, the ’70s and ’80s are a great place to look for inspiration.

Retro design ideas for your brand:

The nice thing about retro design is that it is simple – meaning your job is easier. One way to incorporate the retro look into your design is by using a retro font. Demilked compiled a list of 26 free retro fonts.

When most people picture the 70’s they think of warm, muted colors. Use these colors in your design.

Retro is all about the stripes.

Handiwork

What’s old is new again. Handiwork is the use of detailed, 19^th century style illustrations. It is popular right now because the market is over-saturated with photography.

Handiwork design ideas for your brand:

Handiwork requires advanced graphic design skills if you are looking to go all out, but if you just want to mimic the style, you can just use some of the elements that make up the trend. One aspect of handiwork is the use of neutral colors; use different browns and maybe one other color.

Handiwork designs rely heavily on typography. Mix up the fonts and sizes in a way the leads the audience to see what you want them to see – but be careful not to overdo it.

Finally, take advantage of all the pre-designed badges and labels that are available out there to give your design an illustrated look.

That should be plenty of trend advice to keep your designs up-to-date and keep you busy designing!