Keeping up with the design trends is hard enough, and above that, coming up with new creative ideas for your design campaign is truly challenging. In the design world, gradients are bolder than your morning coffee, borders are cooler than your favorite influencer, dots and pixels are now hip, and pink has become the new black (Barbie would be so proud). Yep, that’s what 2024 is going to be in terms of creative design. So, get comfortable and come along with us until the end to explore the top 10 creative design trends that you could benefit from in 2024.

Top 10 Creative Design Trends for 2024

01.   AI-Generated Images 

AI becomes a game-changer in the design industry in 2023. It accelerates work, sparks inspiration, and opens up new creative possibilities. Embracing AI is essential for designers across various fields, such as web design, illustration, packaging, and posters. AI-generated images now replace traditional stock and custom graphics, offering significant time and cost savings for companies. This shift streamlines tasks like brainstorming, concept creation, color selection, revisions, and generating diverse design options. By incorporating AI into your workflow, you can boost productivity, take on more projects, and overcome creative blocks. The design landscape is evolving, and leveraging AI is the key to staying ahead in this revolution.

Methods to use AI in your projects:

• Color Selection
• Idea Brainstorming
• Finding Inspiration
• Retouches and Resizes

02. Crowded Composition

This major design trend is all about filling up the canvas with vibrant, detailed graphics. Packed compositions using every inch of space are gaining popularity as they captivate attention and tell richer stories. Despite the crowded aesthetic of composition, there’s still a need for a main focus that instantly grabs attention. Actually, achieving a perfect balance among different elements in a complex composition is key. This heavy composition style is excellent for marketing, keeping the audience engaged longer and increasing the chances of remembering the brand or campaign.

Some key tips to follow:

• Leaving as little whitespace as possible
• Keeping it colourful and vibrant
• Having a main item despite the crowded aesthetics

03.   Ribbed Glass Effect design trends

The ribbed glass effect is making a strong comeback in interior design. This design trend helps to add depth and create captivating light effects that grab attention. The ribbed glass effect originated in the Art Deco style, and it’s now seeing a resurgence. Graphic designers are also picking up on this trend and finding exciting and diverse ways to incorporate the ribbed glass effect into their designs. It’s a versatile element, perfect for experimenting. Whether used live, as a text effect, to blur images, or in animated designs, the tasteful refractions of light derived from ribbed glass enhance engagement and memory retention.

Some key tips to follow:

• Not overusing it
• Adding depth

04. Pink for Marketing

Pink is a bright and playful colour, often associated with youthfulness and energy. Something about pink emits a hopeful and pleasant vibe to the demographic. Brands targeting a younger demographic may use pink to create a vibrant and fun image, making their products or services more appealing to a youthful audience. 2023 had a huge moment with the “Barbenheimer” memes and the stylish Barbie movie, putting pink in the spotlight for graphic design. In 2024, this trend is set to continue and evolve even further. 

Some key tips to follow:

• Controlling the usage
• Adding Contrast
• Choosing the right shade of pink

05. Drawing Inspiration from Nature

The growing interest in organics and bioproducts will extend to graphic design trend in 2024. Natural colours, materials, and an overall organic vibe make designs more appealing. While not suitable for every niche, industries like food, drinks, cosmetics, and medicine can benefit from this trend. In a world flooded with artificial products, the appeal of natural designs is on the rise. Going for a nature-inspired approach doesn’t mean sticking to just green and brown; you can achieve it with textures, natural shapes, and handmade styles. This approach increases your chances of capturing interest, especially in sectors aligned with natural products.

Some key tips to follow:

• Using warm and earthy tones according to the brand
• Using multiple textures instead of colours to increase contrast

06. Dotted Graphics

A popular graphic design trend seamlessly fuses retro aesthetics with modern elements, creating a chic and tech-savvy vibe. Dots, once reserved for decorative purposes, are now making their way into typography and backgrounds, imparting a sleek and stylish appearance. Dot fonts, exemplified by the viral Nothing Brand, are experiencing a surge in popularity due to their innovative concepts and the dynamic interplay of retro and contemporary design elements. This trend showcases the evolving landscape of graphic design, where the fusion of past and present aesthetics captivates audiences with its visually compelling and AI-proof appeal.

Some key tips to follow:

• Fixing your mindset on whether you are providing retro or futuristic feels
• Using of toned down colours or providing high contrast to convey the message.

07. Pixels

Another great design trends for 2024 is a mix of pixels from the past and modern flair. Artists are drawing inspiration from the early days of the web, when displays weren’t crisp and systems couldn’t handle high resolution graphics. This inspiration results in a fusion of retro pixel elements with today’s high-quality graphics, opening up endless roads for creative experiments. Retro design trends have been around, from Art Deco to 70s Retro Flat, and now we’re revisiting the early web era and embracing the simplicity of 8-bit games like PAC-Man and low-res graphics. Bringing back these roots styles that were popular decades ago and blending them with current capabilities would surely give a hit of nostalgia to the consumer, thus increasing memory retention and brand sentiment.

Some key tips to follow:

• Making use of the modern design elements that are available now
• Not making it a strain to look at

8.   Using Bright Colours

Bright colours have been trendy for a while, and thanks to Barbie’s influence, they’re likely to be even more popular in 2024. These graphic design trends, bursting with vivid colours and strong contrasts, easily grab the audience’s attention. They’re perfect for social media, posters, and ads. In 2024, intense and saturated colours will continue to be a battleground for designers trying to stand out. Colourful designs are a hit in marketing, conveying a sense of diversity and variety. Google’s colourful branding is a great example, along with Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and John Deere. Using vibrant colours in design is a smart way to catch the eye, enhance contrast, and make your designs stand out anywhere, which increases memory retention.

Some key tips to follow:

• Using different colour gradients
• Usually, plan it around one primary, vibrant colour

09. Gradient Colouring

Gradients have been popular graphic design trends, and in 2024, they’re getting even more artistic. Using vibrant colours or trying out unusual tones can make a design really stand out. We’re excited to see the creative designs with gradients that emerge in 2024. Breaking the rules by combining non-traditional colours is like a form of protest, challenging what’s supposed to look good together. However, the design trends still need to be aesthetically pleasing, so creating trendy designs with abstract gradients takes a lot of skill and practice.

Some key tips to follow:

• Finding the right colour to mix and match
• Making it pleasing for the eye to look at
  
  

10. Visible Borders

Borders play a crucial role in design by organizing elements and improving readability. They contribute to establishing a clear hierarchy and structure, emphasizing the significance of larger elements. Interestingly, grids provide flexibility for creative expression, enabling designers to utilize free space and deviate from the border as needed, fostering a balance between order and artistic freedom. Even though they may seem old school style, bringing back the dead is not new for the creative design industry.

Some key tips to follow:

• Avoiding too much sectioning
• Using the borders from large to small to portray the elements according to the hierarchy.

Final Thoughts

I’m glad to see you make it to the end. The design trends realm is like a vast sea, with various currents flowing everywhere. Let these design trends guide your creative endeavors in 2024. Embrace AI, experiment with timeless elements, and infuse your designs with a touch of nostalgia and innovation. Use these top 10 creative design trends to improve your narrative, your vision, and your message. Here’s to a year of limitless creativity and unforgettable visual experiences! 

What’s your favourite creative design trends from the list? Let me know in the comments!