4 Visual Design Trends of 2019

Brands of all different shapes and sizes can benefit significantly from understanding the rising commercial appeal of visual trends and how to incorporate them. Here are 4 aspects to consider when creating visual material.

1. Nature & Minimalism

As the use of technology is constantly expanding and evolving, the pace of urban lifestyles becomes faster and more driven by productivity, which also generates stress and anxiety. Well-being and work-life-balance have become real issues that businesses across all industries have started to address. This has increased the demand for calm, minimalist movements, and a re-connection with nature as a mechanism of balance​.

2. Authenticity

In 2014 Dove was visionary in taking the stand for diversity and embracing beauty in different shapes and sizes, recognizing women as they are, in an original and authentic manner.

Nowadays this is no longer a visionary idea but rather a perspective that consumers already expect from brands. People are aware of how much they are marketed at and no longer feel connected to visuals that only convey perfection, but rather appreciate when brands show what seems to be real, authentic and diverse.

3. Creative innovation

As consumers’ attention becomes harder to retain, brands face the need to reinvent themselves and impact their target in new, unconventional ways. Considering that people are faced with brands and advertisements everywhere, all the time, creative design becomes a key element that brands are heavily investing in to differentiate themselves from others.

4. Brand values

Research shows that while one of the biggest movements of 2019 is sustainability, consumer engagement with related topics such as racism, feminism, homophobia, animal exploitation, veganism, etc. has grown notably. In this scenario, consumption begins to be seen as a political act and consumers start to care about what values a brand stands for.  

Often unconsciously, consumers use brands to convey an image of themselves to other people. If a brand has something relevant and truthful to stand for, it’s likely that target customers will create a stronger connection with that brand. It’s important however, to be aware that audiences are highly savvy when it comes to marketing, and initiatives that showcase false values usually backfire into negative PR.