The cycle of trends is like the cycle of life itself. Sometimes it was on top, and sometimes it faded away, replaced by other trends. However, even amidst the perpetual cycle of rising and fall, some trends stayed relevant for quite some time. Art deco, for example, stayed relevant throughout the 20th century and became the icon of that era—it even started to make a comeback to the trend this past few years.

The graphic design trend 2021 is no exception. Some trends have begun to fade away, while some others have started to make an uprising. Some will stay relevant in 2022.

Typographies

When speaking about typography in general, it was never defined as a trend—it was an art form. However, the trends in typography do change over time. From serifs to grotesques, thick and bold to sleek and curvy fonts, the change in typographical style trend is related to major trends in that time period, both directly and indirectly. Some typography styles experienced rising popularity during 2021, and they are planning to stay that way throughout 2022.

Block Letters

All-uppercase typography style started to make a comeback in 2020, gaining more popularity in 2021 and may reach its peak in 2022. The reason for their popularity is because of their readability. Our society moves even faster than before, and we can easily access anything from our handheld gadgets anytime, anywhere. People tend to read the information in just a matter of seconds and easily scroll over something with poor readability.

Designers are putting this behavior in mind when designing something, especially for social media content. They need to make sure viewers get their message just from a glance. That’s where block letters come to the equation. The blocky, rigid nature of block letters, while simple, is still incomparable in terms of readability compared to other typefaces. Plus, there is a massive amount of choice when it comes to individual fonts in this style to play around with.

Futuristic Style Fonts

Space exploration (or space in general, to be frank) always fascinates us, and we have always associated it with technological advancements of humanity. Moreover, ever since the idea of humanity inhabiting Mars arose in the late-2010s, the general public’s awareness of astronomy was also elevated. This heightened public interest paved the way for futuristic fonts to gain popularity within the graphic design community.

As the name suggests, futuristic style fonts are a subcategory of sans-serif typeface that gives out a high-tech, futuristic feel to the design. Most of the fonts in this category are sporting thin lines and open connections. Some fonts do not have pointed edges, making them appear sleeker and more streamlined. Futuristic fonts became one of the design trends 2021, and because the enthusiasm towards the future is still high, it will still be trending in 2022.

Geometric Shapes

The presence of abstract geometry in modern graphic design has been becoming more prevalent since last year. Designers do not shy away from using multiple geometric shapes to accentuate their works, induce certain feelings to viewers, or subtly represent something. For example, circles were historically used to represent either the sun, moon, earth, or even life itself. The versatility of geometric shapes paved its own way to design trends and will certainly survive in 2022 trends.

Art Deco Revival

One of the most iconic aesthetics, art deco, was defined by its heavy use of geometric shapes. It was originally invented during the early 20th century, and now some designers are now trying to take it back on-trend. The rise of minimalism in the design world has created an opportunity for art deco to slowly regain its popularity in the 21st century. 

Graphic Motion Design

As public advertising moved away from still images to digital screens, brands and organizations have begun to create more motion pictures for their advertisements or PSAs. Granted, this caused designers to incorporate animation in their works more. And it’s a good thing—motion designs have a better engagement rate compared to still images anyway, so there is literally no reason for this trend to fade out in 2022.

Conclusion

To put it in a shorter term, yes, some trends will undoubtedly survive to contribute to 2022 trends. It’s just how trends work: a perpetual cycle of rising and fall. While they are here, we better enjoy it to the fullest.