2020 Design Trends

The Most Interesting Design Trends To Watch in 2020

The year 2020 marks the start of a new decade which is bound to bring new and interesting trends to the design world. 2020 design trends will be a mixture of the past, the present, and the future. The 80’s retro era design trends will make a comeback, the flat design trend will maintain its reign, and the motion and animation trend will explode in 2020. In the next year, brands will use design to solidify their brand identity and stand out. Watch out for trends that promote customized brand experiences such as custom fonts, bold colors, and motion graphics.

While the flat design trend will continue to dominate in 2020 especially in web design, many brands will try to refresh it through the re-introduction of patterns and textures as they try to give life and depth to this nearly overused trend. In 2020, design trends will be very human-centered and ethical, this focus will change how design teams work with an increased emphasis on cross-team collaboration and holistic education.

Here are the most interesting design trends to watch out for in 2020 plus examples of how trendsetting brands are already using them for inspiration.

The State of Website Design in 2020

While 2020 might not be the year were AR or VR influence the design world, we’re going to see a comeback of the retro vibe and the growth of motion graphics in logo design and graphic design. Typography will be bigger, bolder, and customized to help brands differentiate themselves. 2020 color scheme trends will be a mixed bag, both muted and loud with lots of gradients and monochromes.

Patterns and textures will be big in 2020 using 3D designs while user experience will be human-centered with an increased focus on usability and inclusivity plus the use of illustrations to tell stories.

Product design will be more personalized, ethical, and involve multiple teams in 2020. While minimalist designs will still be huge in 2020, there will be an increased focus on breaking the monotony through isometric illustrations and type only designs.

Here is a breakdown of all the 2020 design trends to inspire your next design project.

Logo & Graphic Design Trends

In 2020, logo design and graphic design will be a mish-mash of the past and the future. Retro logo designs will be hot again while motion graphics will take center stage.

Retro Designs

The 80’s retro vibe will make a comeback in 2020 because of the nostalgia movement. With the success of TV shows from that era such as Stranger Things and Dark, there will be an increase in neon, fluorescent, and pixelated logo and web designs. Expect to see styles that are reminiscent of early PCs, space themes, and old video games with a modern twist.

Motion Graphics

As more people relate with brands solely via their screens, motion will become a key way for brands to interact with their audience in 2020. Animated logos will help brands stand out and be memorable. More graphic designers will create animated posters to bring life to their creations.

Typography Trends

Typography is one of the most important design elements because when used intentionally, it can be a powerful way of expressing brand identity. Fonts will be customized, bigger, bolder, and retro in 2020.

Custom Fonts

The popularity of custom fonts will continue to grow in 2020 as more brands look for distinctive and unique ways to express their brand identity. Keep an eye out for hand-drawn fonts, branded typography, and lettering that symbolizes what it portrays especially on logos and posters.

Bold Typography

Fonts with heavy weights and bold typefaces will be commonplace because they create a lot of contrast and have a modern feel. While most of the bold typography will continue to use sans-serif, heavy serif fonts will become more popular in 2020.

Maxi Typography

As the name suggests, maxi fonts are big fonts that often use bold typography. They replace images as the main element in logos and posters creating a type only design trend that will grow in 2020.

Retro Typography

Pixelated fonts and old-world typefaces will be big in 2020 as more designers look to create modern designs with a retro feel.

Kinetic Fonts

We’ll continue to see animated fonts or moving fonts in 2020 to make designs lively.

Color Schemes

The color schemes of 2020 will be those that make a strong first impression. From bold and vibrant hues to soft and muted palettes, color gradients, and monochromatic hues.

Monochromes

Monochromes will trend in 2020 because they create a strong brand identity that is both elegant and minimalist. Look out for monochromatic hues in product packaging, logos, landing pages, and websites.

Bold Colors

Bold, vibrant, and luminous colors will still be fashionable in 2020. Reason? Bold colors pop and attract attention. Continuing with the retro theme, glowing neon colors will be in 2020. The futuristic color scheme that includes rich and saturated pinks, blues, and purples will also be popular.

Muted Colors

On the other end of the color spectrum, muted color palettes will be huge in 2020 as some brands look to stand out by avoiding the bold color trend.

Color Gradients

Color gradients have been on the scene for a while and they are definitely not going away in 2020. Gradients will be seen on backgrounds, illustrations, fonts, and filters.

Patterns & Textures

After the strong dominance of flat design, patterns and textures will make a reappearance in the upcoming year. 3D designs and geometric patterns are going to be the new trend in 2020, but with a modern twist.

3D Designs

3D designs that create effects such as bevels and chisels that are similar to real-life objects and look tactile will be the norm in 2020. As Millennials get too accustomed to flat design, brands are gravitating toward textures that look raised, carved, or engraved on buttons, logos, and icons.

Geometric Patterns

Patterns made by repeating geometric shapes will be a trend in 2020. These patterns can be used to create typefaces or backgrounds. We will also see ultra-thin geometric lines on backgrounds and logos. While before patterns were used extensively, in 2020, they will be used on a specific part of a composition and different patterns will be used in one composition.

User Experience

In 2020, user experience trends will be those that improve the usability and accessibility of design. The focus will be on making things easier for users and making design more inclusive and empathetic.

Usability and Accessibility

In the new decade, UX designers will focus on making design more accessible to users who need screen readers or those who have other health challenges such as color blindness. This will be achieved by reducing contrast and motion. The use of simple, everyday language that users can understand easily will be more common in 2020.

Dark Mode

This trend has gained traction in recent years and it will continue to grow in 2020. Dark mode reduces eye strain and makes it easier to use screens in low-light or dark conditions.

Illustrations

The use of both simple and isometric illustrations will be another huge trend in 2020. Illustrations are used to tell stories and communicate messages easily. Expect to see simple almost child-like illustration, complex 3D illustrations, and animated illustrations.

Micro-interactions

Another user experience trend in 2020 is the use of animated graphics and micro-interactions to guide users

Product Design

2020 product design trends will lean towards creating an ethical and personalized experience for users. Additionally, the goals of product design will expand to include meeting business needs such as revenue growth.

Ethical Design

As more users become aware of the dirty tricks and dark patterns used in product design, ethical design will continue to be a trend in 2020. There will be a stronger push to protect the privacy of the user’s data from sale or misuse. More brands will avoid using dark patterns that trick users into making purchases and encourage users to use their products responsibly.

Personalization

Personalization creates a seamless experience for users by remembering their details and patterns of usage. This will be a trend in 2020 because it reduces churn and creates an intimate experience for users which increases conversions.

Cross-team Collaboration

The product design processes will include more teams in 2020. This trend is growing because of the need to integrate product design goals with overall business goals.

Minimalism

The minimalist trend has dominated the design industry for years and its reign is not going to end in 2020. Creative designers love minimalism because it combines functionality with beautiful aesthetics. In 2020 minimalism will be brightened up by isometric illustrations and type only compositions.

Isometric Illustrations

The trend of using isometric projection to cast 3D objects onto flat 2D surfaces will continue to grow in 2020. Product designers are increasingly using isometric illustrations because they create depth and reduce monotony. Since motion and animation are also going to be big in 2020, look out for animated isometric illustrations on websites and apps.

Type-only Design

The type-only design trend where typography is the main design element will be huge in 2020. Combined with the trend of using bold typography and maxi typography plus bold colors or gradients, this type of design can stand out and send a strong message.

Examples of 2020 Design Trends in The Wild

It’s one thing to predict that something will trend but it’s another thing to see the trends being used by trendsetting companies that we love and admire. Here are examples of 2020 design trends and design systems in action from Apple, Grammarly, and Uber.

Apple Using 2020 Design Trends

Apple Card uses color gradients in its typography, backgrounds, and even on its images. This color gradient element is done using another 2020 design trend: muted colors. Instead of using bright and bold colors, Apple uses muted pinks, blues, greens, and yellows. The use of gradients plus muted colors creates a cool, elegant, and polished feel to this webpage.

Source: Apple

Apple is also using the type only design trend with heavy, bold, and big typography which is another 2020 typography trend. A beveled texture is used to bring a real-life 3D feel to the dollar sign in the card below.

Source: Apple

Motion and animation is another 2020 design trend that Apple uses on this page. Kinetic text is used and some of the graphics are also animated which brings life to the page and helps in visualizing data.

Grammarly Using 2020 Design Trends

Grammarly uses a minimalist approach, which is still trending in 2020, in its website with flat design, easy to read fonts and lots of white space. The use of animated text and micro-interactions on its hero page brings life to an otherwise static page.

Source: Grammarly

This website also uses the 2020 design trend of using muted colors, mostly greens, blues, and purples. Just as in Apple’s case, this muted color palette creates a cool, sleek, modern, and professional feel on this website. Color gradients are also used as backgrounds and on the opt-in box to create a subtle feeling of depth.

Source: Grammarly

On its blog page, Grammarly uses simple illustrations that almost look child-like, as thumbnails. A subtle 3D effect is also created on the illustrations using layers, colors, and shadows. Isometric illustrations are used to create a 3D effect on an otherwise flat design.

Uber Using 2020 Design Trends

Uber’s website also uses a minimalist approach to design with flat design, simple fonts, and a lot of white space. Uber’s logo also adheres to the minimalist principles as it is text-only and uses only two colors. The 2020 trend of using muted colors is also used by Uber with a soft yellow on its hero page.

Source: Uber

Uber uses simple 2D illustrations extensively to explain complex concepts such as how Uber helps businesses. The illustrations on the Uber Eats homepage are given life by warm but muted yellows, greens, pinks, and browns. This shows that the muted colors trend does not have to be boring, it can be used to create a cool but lively effect.

Source: Uber

The color gradients trend is used on the backgrounds of Uber’s blog thumbnails to create depth and contrast.

How Does All This Change How Design Teams Work?

For designers and design teams, these 2020 trends mean that there will be an increased focus on human-centered design. This is design that meets the needs of users, speaks their language, and is inclusive to all. These changes will affect design education because it will have to include non-technical aspects such as inclusivity and content creation to create a holistic designer.

Ethics and inclusivity in design will move from being an afterthought for design teams to being an important aspect of the design process. Another big change for design teams in 2020 will be the need for them to collaborate not only with developers but with the business strategy and revenue teams. Luckily for design teams, UX Pin is a powerful tool that will help them create trendy designs while also collaborating with each other and with developers.