If you're reading this, it means you care somewhat for a certain artistic spirit. So here we are, bringing to you the latest bends of the very best minds out there!
So without a further delay, we bring to you the latest trends in the world of graphic design!
Minimalism: Less is More
"Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art." --Richard Holloway
For an example, look at this picture:
It does not have many components and yet it triggers the intended emotion: a longing for sweetness on your palette. This is photography, and now lets look at it's implementation in graphic design. Look at this poster for the American sitcom: The Big Bang Theory. It shows the silhouettes of the lead characters: Penny, Sheldon and Leonard (left-to-right), the rest of the illustration shows the floors of their building, and the elevator which remains non-functional all through their 12 seasons.
Now, minimalism does not mean the lack of details. Only in the previous picture do we see this aspect. You must have noticed how each floor has a different design; this detailing is carried right up to the flash t-shirt that Sheldon loves to wear.
Also, here the text is not "The Big Bang Theory", rather it reads "The Big Bang Story" which implies the poster basically outlines the premises on which the sitcom operates.
Minimalism happens when you choose a theme and express it using only what is absolutely necessary.
It is neat. It is focused. It is what pushes an artist to the creative extremes.
So if you like to challenge yourself every now and then and you're a organization-freak, then congratulations you've found your type!
Bonus: A Wonder Woman Minimalistic Vector
Duotones: Colour the World Twice
"A Duotone is a halftone reproduction of an image using the superimposition of one contrasting color halftone over another color halftone. This is most often used to bring out middle tones and highlights of an image." -- Wikipedia
This effect, as seen in the next picture can be easily achieved by using various functions in the different photo editing software.
In Photoshop it can be achieved by the Gradient Map tool.
This effect imparts a strangely realistic effect to any photo. It seems to express the grime and grains of the real life, as it is through our eyes!
I happened to stumble upon this poster while coming up with examples for this section, and it is a brilliant example of how a duotone can be implemented to yield profits in real life as well! This advertisement for the The New York Women's Surf Film Festival, uses tones of pink and blue, where pink is the standard colour representing women and blue for the water-based sport. By just the colours and a well-shot photograph the poster effectively expresses its point, that is, a film festival is to be organized by the Women's Surfing Club.
Also, notice that the upper part of the poster almost matches the pink wall, while the blue below makes a sharp contrast. This is an effective marketing strategy, to attract the attention of both types of people: the ones who'll be intrigued by the near match of colours and the ones who'd be attracted to the colour contrast.
Bold Fonts: Never Regular
Gone are the days of swirly, squiggly handwritten fonts. Now is the time to make your mark.
Typography has done a complete about turn in the past few months. What with #MeToo taking over and the #section377 finally annulled, it's high time we bid a farewell to slanting, compromising letters of the past, and embrace the bold and the firm.
Honestly speaking, I would not have imagined such a phenomenon even a couple of years back. Just look at this promotional graphic for the Call To Action Conference 2018. There are no pictures, no sparkling colours.
It's just you, and action.
Colour Chronicles
Pantone has just now declared its Color of the Year, and it's called Living Coral. You can see it's web code in the pic below and its coordinates are: (R:255 G:111 B:145) and (C:0 M:67 Y:20 K:0)
Trending on the list close behind is Cobalt Blue with brands such as Nike and Playboy incorporating it into their colour schemes. It's coordinates are (R:0 G:71 B:171) and (C:100 M:68 Y:1 K:0)
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