Predicting the hottest graphic design trends in 2025... is like choosing your favourite kid. We shouldn't do it, it's too hard.
A graphic designer's role is to help businesses communicate effectively with their audience. By using their design knowledge (or design theories if you like to get nerdy). The goal is to convince someone to take action, inform the audience or introduce them to a whole new idea.
Designers take influence from everywhere. A good design brief will lead their thinking. And, there's nothing wrong with this list of graphic design trends. If you're a designer looking for inspiration, the above might give you some cool ideas.
But if you're a small business owner looking for trendy marketing tactics, this list isn't for you. But, you will appreciate the insights into generative AI, and my views on Canva towards the bottom.
Emerging Trends in Graphic Design for Creatives
I've been watching graphic design trends for the last 5 years, and most don't come true. Often, we see a flow-on into the next year. And, let's face it, predicting trends is a mix of astute guesses with a whole side dish of opinion slapped on top.
With the pace of generative AI / AI branding, the trends are evolving so quickly, it's hard to keep up. In particular, there is a push to involve the whole team in the design process. Brand guidelines need to be flexible and simple enough for the team to apply. They are no longer rigid and prescriptive. They are adaptable.
It makes sense, we'll dig into Al's increasing impact on graphic designers. And, in true Martin fashion, I'll finish by questioning whether trends should be investigated. So buckle up, here are the design trends that will dominate the graphic design industry in 2025.
What are the top graphic design trends for 2025?
There's no beating around the bush here. We expect to see Al significantly impact businesses and how they keep their brands, erm, on-brand.
Let's see how the graphic design world is shaking it up this year:
- Al Graphic Design and Brand Management
- Al Graphics/Branding Courses
- Subscription-based Design Agencies
- Maximalist Design - bold colours, big patterns, creative layouts and dynamic typography.
- Purpose Driven Design
- Less Packaging
- Canva templates for your business
AI in graphic and brand management
Being at the cutting edge of creativity, designers love disrupting the norms. Whether bending the rules of a set of brand guidelines or exploring a new tool. Let me dip my toes into piranha-infested waters. Al in branding and graphic design is exploding!
In 2024, an article told us that Adobe is introducing more powerful generative AI tools. Their AI tool provides a professional competitor to Canva's Magic Studio.
If you don't want to read the article about Adobe Al coming for your branding. Here's a quick summary.
- Adobe Firefly enables the generation of editable vector graphics. It lets you hand over tedious tasks and create content and branded assets.
- You can generate graphics with a prompt.
- Generative Match is a tool for matching existing brand styles. The Retype tool determines the fonts used and makes this information editable.
The next step for designers is to deliver brand guidelines that have three things.
- Infinite Bandwidth - think about what would be hard to achieve. Whether it's a technique like 3D animation or a lack of time. You can instruct teams on how to prompt Gen AI to ship ideas that were not possible. This lets the customer focus on telling a unique brand story. Your job is to narrow down a prompt, or process that lets the customer repeat your actions.
- Collaboration-ready - creative agencies that make your creative for you is a broken model. Demand for content is growing, and most agencies won't keep up. Internal teams drive the brand, and that's the way it should be. That's their superpower.
- Hyper-flexible storytelling - with Gen AI, you're not limited to 2-3 communication channels. You can tell the brand story using images and even videos.
As a result, branding costs will rise to compensate for faster and more efficient outputs in the future.
AI branding and design courses
As the use of AI in design fields increases, the demand for AI branding or design courses will increase. Designers will want to expand their knowledge so they don't fall behind.
Having seen very few high-quality branding tools across ChatGPT, the best thing to do was to make one. Now, it's not foolproof, and it requires a human touch, but what it spits out after a short 10 min conversation is amazing. It analyses the current brand, looks at the emotional impact, and then suggests improvements. It looks at the message, colours, fonts and makes small adjustments to the brand. Try out our emotional branding AI tool. At the end, it generates a document for you to refer to.
Where most branding GPTs go wrong is that they start by naming the brand. This is the last step for a brand strategist. You must identify the values, define an audience, and understand the brand's benefits.
Those tools define the brand personality and customer personas well. But skip to marketing, website copy, content creation, and, oddly, on-page SEO. While important, all four of those tasks come after brand strategy.
Expect to see an increase in AI design courses. But here's the thing: building a brand is a longer process than diving into AI. We must embrace and tweak the strategy almost daily to create a thriving brand. Without it, you'll just have a business.
Don't expect this graphic design trend to disappear.
Subscription graphic design agencies
Graphic design agencies need to speed up output for modern-day businesses. So more and more designers are monetising subscription services. It's a modern way for agencies to offer design packages or retainers. You'll see things like: 1 design request, unlimited brands, revisions, and users. And a 48 hr turnaround.
It makes sense; most people only have one brand, and a 48-hour turnaround is good. But claiming you can turn around logos, branding, or websites in 48 hours is unrealistic. It is likely that the only brands benefiting from this service are the design agencies. You as the loser.
We tested a Brand Photography service, but canned it when we couldn't service the user's needs. We found that some subscribers didn't need our services every month.
Maximalist design replaces the minimalism graphic design trend
Time to pack your bags, minimalism - this graphic design trends taking over. We have all had enough of the simple and calm design aesthetics. Maximalist design is bold patterns and bright colours that add energy to designs.
For us, the maximalist design approach isn't for bombarding the senses. Overloading the senses causes stress for many people. We'd rather unveil extra details. A bit like when you re-watch a movie and spot new details that excite and delight you.
It's a technique you can use to create a better customer experience, helping customers to fall in love.
In summary, here's what to expect:
- Bold background patterns and bright colours draw your eye to new details. Evoking emotions and exciting customers.
- Multi-colour palettes to add vibrancy and energy. Changing the pace of websites and marketing materials.
- An increase in complex illustrations, typography, and icons. This creates a modern and contemporary feel.
Purpose-driven branding and design
Purpose-driven brands are growing and with good reason. The Zeno Strength of Purpose Study in 2020 unveiled some interesting results. To begin, your purpose is your North Star. It's something consumers expect. Zeno outlined eight key attributes that consumers love:
- Fair treatment of all employees
- Products and services that meet consumer needs
- Ethical and sustainable business practices
- Support for social causes
- Creation of new job opportunities
- Diverse and inclusive culture
- Issue Advocacy
- A strong set of values
With that list, you can see why a Brand Purpose is essential. Yet only 37% of businesses have one. Purpose-led businesses lead to 82% of consumers taking action to support the brands. Here's how:
- People share their positive opinions with others (spreading the brand message)
- They then encourage other people to support/buy from the brand (brand evangelist)
- They start buying products/services (ker-ching!)
Gen Z and Millennials are the biggest backers, with between 90 and 92% of them saying they'd support them in some way. So, if your target audience includes Gen Z and Millennials, make sure to bake purpose in.
Need to bake this graphic design trend in? By choosing colour palettes, fonts and visuals that elevate the stance.
Less Packaging! Finally!!
Get rid of extra packaging. Consumers are sick of extra packaging, myself included.
Fruit and Veg are the catalysts for change. They have skins to protect them. Alcohol and skincare brands add second layers of packaging to increase customer excitement.
Bruichladdich is a modern Scotch Whisky brand, taking a firm stance on different. They're B-Corp Certified and committed to the quality of their products.
When you hit the shop, they are one of the only distilleries that don't add another layer of packaging. And they no longer offer gift tins; they stick to their brand's beliefs.
Sustainable packaging appeals to a younger audience that embraces a brand's purpose. (See Purpose Driven Branding above.) Which is different to most whiskey distillers.
Canva templates for your business
As hard as I tried not to mention Canva, they are still on Marty Claus's naughty list again. Canva made everyone a graphic designer. It did away with expensive design tools and the steep learning curve. But it also did away with all the training that sets a professional designer apart.
In the hands of the right people, Canva can be a fantastic design tool. A Pro account lets you add your colour palette, fonts, logos and store assets like photos and graphics. I use Canva to design bespoke branded templates for clients.
Be wary of graphic designers using Canva templates. These are copyrighted by Canva. It's best to get a designer to create something bespoke.
John Marsh from Creator Club sums it up nicely. "If you build your brand with a Canva mindset, you're building it with the same DNA as 100,000 other people in your niche".
Why you need to avoid graphic design trends
Graphic design is subjective. You love them or hate them. Designers bring personal opinions into a design. Including graphic design trends they'd like to see/use (for portfolio purposes). This is wrong and is not an effective way to problem-solve. You're not designing for yourself. That's what self-initiated projects are for.
A friend in marketing revealed a fascinating insight to me. In their last role, the company they worked for rebranded. In strategy workshops, the agency guided them to characteristics they liked to see. Rather than listening to customer insights, reflecting, and implementing a strategic visual brand.
They had a beautiful facelift. But the same problems remained. A rebrand shouldn't paper over cracks. With trends in mind, your brand's positioned like everyone else.
Let's clarify this with a fishing analogy: your customer is a fish, and you've baited your $50 rod and cast it out to sea. You hope to catch a big snapper (see what I did). You wait. Nothing bites.
A switched-on competitor repositions, gets out extra stinky bait and lands your fish.
If you're not elevating your brand, you're waiting for customers to take the ordinary bait. So, position yourself well and understand what the customer wants. They want that extra smelly bait.
How to use graphic design trends to impact brand strategy and guidelines
Graphic designers love to work with clients and businesses who have Brand Guidelines. Guidelines are not set to tie designers' hands behind their backs. Limiting creativity. They keep things consistent. And, alongside a Brand Strategy, they are vital to building a business.
Sometimes, trends break the guidelines. And a trend should never overrule a company's foundations or marketing efforts. Much research goes into a brand's strategy, visual identity, colours, fonts and images. Applying trendy colours, graphic styles, and fonts goes against all the previous work. Confusing customers, breaking trust and damaging the brand's reputation.
You can gently twist the guidelines, but not chop them into a million pieces.
What Graphic Design Trends Say About Branding in 2025
Branding is going through a renaissance. It had been demoted by marketing, with its promise of quick wins. But here's the thing. There's no quick wins in business. And if you want quick, it comes at a cost.
With branding, you can shape trends yourself. If you get it right, you become the trendsetter. But I'm hopeful purpose-driven branding, and less packaging will have a positive impact on the world. Businesses that embrace are more likely to survive the next big step after generative AI.
Lessons from the past
Graphic design trends pass and return. Some are here for 5-10 years, like the super detailed logos and websites we called Skeuomorphism. But we moved on to simplified flat designs. And then onto more futuristic 3D designs. But classic design principles always apply.
Think about brands like Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Mastercard and Target. You can already see the logos and their colours. Their brand guidelines feature timeless design elements. But that doesn't stop them from being fun and innovative when needed.
Designers should explore their creativity while considering which trends they can incorporate. When you have an idea, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do they align with your strategy?
- Do they break brand guidelines?
- Is it beneficial to your audience or confusing them?
- Will it be outdated quickly?
In summary, it's better to avoid trends and concentrate on creating timeless designs. Giving you a platform for creativity. When you work with the right graphic designer, who understands your customers' needs. They'll help you future-proof your brand. There's no need for graphic design trends.
