- Rachel Bistricer
- Apr 15
- 12 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
For many of us in the graphic design world, 2025 represents a watershed moment. Advanced tools for graphic designers are, instead of fostering a dependence on them, freeing up space to manifest more creativity—streamlining processes that give designers time and brain power to hone in on deeper forms of expression.
As we shift deeper into this hi tech age, there’s a deep craving for the physical world. That’s why we’re looking to the past and to inspiration from nature, too: We’ve already seen the emergence of design nostalgia and Y2K trending in recent years and in 2025 graphic design trends we’ll take another look at old school graphic design styles and an emphasis on print.
From conversations with three in-the-know graphic designers below, you’ll see that one of the best ways to sum up the trajectory of 2025 trends is that we’re trying to reckon with our growing pains and embrace technology. We can’t deny how big AI is becoming, but not necessarily in the ways we imagined—there’s an even greater desire to connect to human needs and emphasize a personal touch. As we attempt to use our advancements for more good, here at Wixel, this fine balance is one of the greatest characteristics we’ll see in graphic design trends moving forward.
Graphic design trends to look out for in 2025
01. Animated variable fonts
Animation has been big in web design for a while now. Now, animations are entering the graphic design world, particularly typography.
Learn more about what is typography.
“Animation will be used more and more because people will start to understand how to apply it and use it,” says Felix Pfäffli, graphic designer and founder of Studio Feixen.
“Animation in general is becoming more complex and detailed, giving us the foundations to develop animated font variables that can still satisfy users in terms of readability,” Pfäffli highlights for studios and designers.
The fonts we’re talking about can move in all sorts of intricate ways. “You can animate one axis, then combine different animations where the letter goes up and down and then wiggles back and forth,” says Pfäffli. “You’ll see three dimensional types where its base moves, too, for example,” he adds.
“The idea is that you can adjust a font in every kind of way—variable fonts are all about having more detail, expression and more control as a designer.” Compared to the process of applying animations to a static font file, which results in limited and simple variations, variable fonts give graphic designers the chance to include these advanced animations within the font files themselves, from the get-go.
Pfäffl adds that he plans to keep a close eye on this field over the next year. “This is just the start of seeing this trend and the capabilities of variable fonts,” he says.
02. Using AI to foster experimentation and intricate design code
It’s not a trend report without AI, right? But in the graphic design world, it's not just about using Gen AI to create content; it’s about leveraging these tools in smart and more intricate ways. “I don’t use Gen AI tools to help me directly with my own designs,” Pfäffli says. “It’s about leveraging the tool to take designs to the next level.”
Like opening the doors to more intricate design code.
“I code a lot and as a designer, AI allows us to have much more direct access to new coding languages and it makes it very accessible,” he says.
“Thanks to AI, graphic designers with basic coding knowledge have access to way more intricate coding than in the past,” he says. “These elements can become especially useful when adding more engaging elements and personality to designs.”
Pfäffli adds an example of how AI has helped evolve his own professional practice using code, “Just half a year ago I started diving into a Javascript library that I was not familiar with and by working with Chat GPT, for example, I can start designing with—that’s a game changer because it gives me much more capabilities as a designer to code my own design tools.”
An example of such a tool is Studio Felix’s poster pen, which was created using a code that the designer was able to master with AI. This is a great illustration of how graphic designers can bridge this gap between classic graphic design and merge it with new technology. He explains that the studio of graphic designers comes from a classic graphic design background, but that “experimentation is a vital part of our creative practice, many of our ideas emerge from diverse explorations of design itself. We constantly challenge our own patterns and seek new approaches to the design process.”
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03. Restrained color palettes
The design world was a bit shocked by Pantone’s announcement for its 2025 color of the year, a low-key Mocha Mousse. But it truly speaks volumes about the direction we’ll see color palette trends going in the upcoming year—which includes a need for sensitivity, human or emotional intelligence, without forgetting about the increasing need for individual designers and brands to use design to reflect their unique personality.
The humble hue has the ability to “envelope us with sensorial and comforting warmth,” but its announcement also definitely has a sense of shock value—this kind of represents the overall story of this year’s trends—doing things unexpectedly, but in comparison to brutalist designs of the past year, there’s a touch of sensitivity to human needs and behavior.
“There is a growing movement to align ourselves more closely with the natural world.” Pantone announced this decision to the public in their press release. “Characterized by its organic nature, Mocha Mousse honors and embraces the sustenance of our physical environment. Imbued with authenticity Mocha Mousse finds harmony and balance between the demands of modernity and the timeless beauty of artful creation.”
While restrained color palettes themselves may include a more calming and elegant message, these can be combined with other bold colors easily, too. In fact, for Pfäffli, “it’s a bold choice,” he explains that “especially because it can be used as a base for combining other colors.” In stark contrast to the viral, in-your-face neon Brat Girl Green that defined summer 2024, the decision marks an approachable design decision that we anticipate graphic designers to embrace even further with restrained color palettes in 2025.
Explore how color theory can elevate your designs to the next level.
For Elisheva Zimmerman, a freelance graphic designer based in New York City, the toned-down hue represents a reaction to the overstimulation we get caught up in in these times and is a symbol of a bigger trend to come. “Restrained color palettes will take over in 2025,” says the graphic designer. “This is a counter to the overstimulation we experience in digital spaces.” “It aligns mostly with brands who are seeking clarity to reflect their message,” she says. “The toned-down palette is good for accessibility as well and muted tones provide a sense of elegance and compliance with contrasts.”
04. The comeback and intensification of anti-design
While neon green might be out, the campaign and branding for Charlie XCX’s 2024 album and the subsequent obsession of “Brat Girl Summer”represents a lasting impression made on the design world. That is, the resurfacing of anti-design. In fact, the brand design of Brat is a case study in design that should be thought about for years to come—what the creative tech company, Special Offer, did behind the scenes was pure genius. They developed an entire personality through design that was addicting.real “I don’t care” kind of attitude, while actually caring quite a lot.
One thing to keep in mind is that it's the complete opposite of “not caring” about what a design looks like. It’s intentional, it’s bold and it truly requires thoughtful planning and execution. There might be a misconception that anti-design represents a more free-flowing, laissez faire kind of style, but graphic designers know, anti-design is a style that requires thought, planning and is designed with a specific purpose in mind. There’s an element of surprise and boldness when designers choose to go in this direction—and a lot of potential for personality.
Zimmerman tells me that anti-design “is so bad, it’s good.” She describes it as an approach that involves ”embracing the chaos, using qualities like clashing colors, blurred imagery and irregular layouts purposefully.” For this designer, “the intent is to surprise audiences and develop a one-of-a-kind personality, the designer points out.
“It's a rebellion against perfection in design, it’s there to disturb user expectations, in a good way” says Zimmerman. “That doesn’t mean it's bad design, but it's intentional—younger audiences like Gen Z lean into this a lot.”
So, if you’re into embracing rebelliousness and taking risks, this anti-style is for you to embrace this year while it’s hot. And it’s an interesting contrast to the subtle colors that will be embraced this year, so let’s see how these two will manifest in branding and design and if they’ll work together. “You can really find the whole gamut of directions when it comes to design,” says Zimmerman. “There's no one-size-fits-all at any one time.”
05. Y2K design will go mainstream in its last hurrah
“Y2K designing is fairly abundant at the moment,”says designer Matthew Roop. “We’ll likely continue to see a continuation of this aesthetic in design and art direction—and this has already been a big trend throughout the past year, but I think it will only become even more mainstream until it fizzles out.”
It’s not like Y2K design is a hot new trend and it will likely reach its peak this year. But what’s interesting is that some of the most popular Y2K elements will be the perfect pairings to achieve an anti-design approach. For example, the dial-up and low-fi aesthetic of the 2000s can help achieve a grungy approach, while the overall attitude of more-is-more can help amplify the attention-grabbing results for designers.
A great example is Surreal Cereal, who's been making waves in the marketing world—not only with their high protein breakfast cereals, but also with its over-the-top branding that’s concentrated with Y2K colors and the overall disruptive start-of-the-millenium demeanor. There’s also Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme wellness brand, whose graphics and packaging have a Y2K boldness that’s attractive and more importantly, successfully gets generations of audiences excited about healthy supplements. Or Heineken’s boring phone campaign, in which they partnered with fashion brand Bodega to promote a jump back in time to a simpler life without social media, displaying a more low-key version of Y2K graphics and branding.
Roop’s own graphic design portfolio includes strong Y2K inspired graphic designs, too—from his clever SMASHD rebrand, to the simple (yet vintage and humorous) rebrand and merch design for Dadpack. It’s seeping into the digital art world too, with graphic artists like Victor Arce producing a nostalgic style. The Y2k trend is emphasized in the digital collages he produces—combining abstract art, surrealism and glitchy relics of the past.
06. Using 3D for more immersive experiences
As we can see, this year’s graphic design trends are fueled by the emergence of new software and technological advancements. For Zimmerman, tools like Blender or Cinema 4D means having the ability to use styles like 3D graphic design and bring the visual world to life, fostering even more interactions with users. She says that “3D, as it becomes accessible, is being played with more and more—and we all know good 3D storytelling can transform a digital design asset into a meaningful journey, if you will.”
Audiences are becoming used to interactive experiences with brands across all sorts of industries and this ties a lot into the gamification trend we’ve seen intensify across web and graphic design over the past year. For example, this website by Igloo combines 3D graphic design with VR concepts to give visitors a more immersive experience.
We also see how different types of designers are using 3D visuals to make branding and packaging more interactive. Sometimes, it's animated experiences (AKA “smart packaging”) that come to life when a QR code is scanned. Other times, we see studios embracing 3D logos and typography to give their branding more life, like 7UP did in their rebranding campaign last year, Pentagram’s refreshing rebrand of the Reddit mascot or Lamborghini refreshing its classic logo, which is an attempt to tap into this modern trend.
Learn more: How to design a logo.
The 3D graphic design trend speaks to tech-savvy audiences, enhancing branding and storytelling. But it’s also embraced because it allows packaging to be more than just functional—it's an experience that encourages memorable interaction with the essence of the product.
But of course, Zimmerman points out that it’s got to be balanced today in a way that doesn’t overwhelm. “Some people dive too deep into the design aspect of it in a way that's not as usable as it can be, so it has to be a balance,” says Zimmerman. “It’s more important to have digital graphic assets that maintain good performance and speed, in order to make sure this graphic design trend works for you.”
07. Accessibility impacting graphic design
Pfäffli mentions that this year another reason we’ll see a growing focus on typography is the emphasis on the written word. “All over what I see we will see more moving typography because we really need it—it's part of how we consume media nowadays without sound,” adds the designer.
Whether it's in print design or used for subtitles, there’s a growing awareness surrounding accessibility and developing the ways that we can interact digitally with people who can’t hear. This is one way that we can make this more interesting for them, for example, using variable fonts to express a specific tone.
For Zimmerman as a graphic designer, this ties into the development of voice recognition within the world of graphic design. “Many designers, especially when they’re creating digital spaces, need to pay attention to voice interactions.”
While voice is the primary form of interaction, voice-activated interfaces are incorporating more intricate and customized visual elements to express brand identity and improve accessibility. We can see this in the visual evolution of Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa Skills. Sephora, Starbucks and Nike are other examples of brands who have begun to experiment with the potential of this voice-activated technology.
Graphic designers in 2025 have an opportunity to take part in this blossoming field by styling visuals that align with the brand’s look and feel. For example, creating animations that indicate the system is listening, designing icons or buttons to trigger voice commands or developing typography and color schemes for on-screen transcripts and visual instructions that prioritize readability and accessibility.
08. Return and reinvention of Skeuomorphism
“I think we will be seeing the return of Skeuomorphism in graphic design over the next year or so,” Roop says. “Audiences are getting tired of the stale same old graphics, especially what we see user interfaces—its making all of our apps look exactly the same and technology has come a long way since the last time Skeuomorphism dominated graphic design trends—so when it comes back it will be even more beautiful than ever.”
Perhaps it's another attempt to hold onto real and more tangible elements in this AI dominated world. Skeuomorphism is the opposite of flat design and attempts to connect again to the physical world within the digital space. But we’re also seeing it being combined with anti-design to produce funky graphics and over-the-top gamified elements.
“I think Skeumorphism will satisfy a longing in both designers and users,” adds Roop. “As I said, users are growing tired of boring, “Google material” flat designs—these belong to the generations of the past. The kids these days are a little more chaotic and energetic in their aesthetic choices, they expect more expressiveness from their digital experiences.”
The designer also points out that under the context of this style and within this intense craving for texture, there are a handful of designers who are pushing the edges of what programs like Figma can do. For example, turning simple buttons into works of art. “This work is very compelling as it stands out from what is currently mainstream,” Roop says. “A great example is this viral tweet from Rachel Been, Design Director at Airbnb, who highlights Skeuomorphic icons. Also the recent 3D icon pack that Pedro Veneziano did for Twitch while working at Porto Rocha is “chef’s kiss!”
09. Old school graphics inspiration
“Something that is already surfacing and will almost definitely continue to be prominent is a design style harkening back to old school advertising particularly in marketing graphics,” says Roop. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen viral design tweets in the style of old Macintosh computer ads.”
As an example, Perplexity is a major AI brand that heavily references this old style of type-driven aspirational marketing. Vacation is another brand that embraces a more classic time in graphic design with its branding and marketing tactics. “It’s quite nostalgic and I’m sure other brands will try and cash in on that as well in an effort to stand out.”
“I think we are reaching back to old school aspirational advertising graphics because that is greatly representative of the current point in time that we are in,” says the designer. It’s an interesting comparison, but 2024 is not so different from 1984 when the first Macintosh was released. “With AI on the horizon (and already here) a literal unknown world is lying ahead of us. We have no idea what to make of it—so we simply hope,we dream of what could be. That is very much the same position that we were in when the personal computer was hitting the mainstream market.”
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Graphic design trends FAQ
How can I stay updated on the latest graphic design trends?
One of the best ways to stay updated on graphic design trends is by following industry leaders, attending conferences and workshops and keeping up with design blogs and publications. Incorporating design thinking into your process can also help you approach projects more creatively and innovatively. It’s important to experiment with new tools and techniques to stay ahead of the curve.
