Seven visual trends and how they’ll unfold in 2024

It’s Nice That’s 2024 Forward Thinking series is supported by AKQA, the globally renowned design and innovation company. AKQA is at the forefront of creative technologies, telling unforgettable narratives across service, experience and product design that capture the imagination.

You could easily make a 2023 calendar based on the trends that captured our attention month-on-month last year. The face of February, for example, would have to be the respectable heritage logo, while the cover girl for March might be the wilder Comic Sans, thanks to The Face and the surge in so-called “bad design” which started in spring and continued on into the summer. More than any other year, we saw an increase in rapid trend turnaround. But, maybe this is also a result of our interest in these trends. Our desire to discuss and dissect our collective visual tastes has skyrocketed too.

Of course, trend forecasting comes with its own problems – it’s not an exact science; even the trends in this list are just the humble predictions of writers and creatives whose Instagram Saved folders are just as cluttered as the next person’s. Many creatives have rightly pointed out that identifying trends can undermine the individuality of a designer’s work. You could also argue one of the most exciting things about spotting trends is seeing the dialogue that exists between work from two entirely unique voices. It’s thrilling to see a creative fold something new into a ruling visual mood and push it in a completely new direction, or even just to speculate about what Comic Sans says about us as a society today.

This year, we’ve taken a slightly different approach to our trend predictions piece, breaking down three that seem to be particularly resonating and a smattering of others across typography, illustration and graphic design. We also invited some leading creative figures into the fray in an effort to understand just why cursive typography is so popular, how graphic windows took the branding world by storm last year, and what’s next for the one ahead.

At its peak: Graphic windows

There was one particular graphic system that kept cropping up again and again across 2023 – the use of frames, or windows, as a graphic device. Across a variety of identities, motifs housing imagery appeared to be a visual device that could be applied to a business of any kind, from a new condom brand to a meal delivery service.

Using abstract or familiar shapes to store visual content is of course a trend that’s been bubbling away for many years, and one It’s Nice That’s own creative team has had a fondness for in the past. Yet its popularity, and its use in a range of scenarios in 2023, has potentially led to its over exposure.

That being said, one apt use of this system came from Porto Rocha last year in its identity system for Sundance Film Festival. Chosen as “a simple yet memorable motif” inspired by classic film strips, nodding to the subject matter of the festival aimed to answer two main objectives of the project. “On the one hand, to create an iconic and long-lasting identity that was easy to implement and could withstand the test of the time,” says Leo Porto and Felipe Rocha from the studio. “On the other hand, to develop a system that was flexible enough to adapt to Sundance’s various communication needs through the year” and be able to flex seamlessly between signage and editorial content. In turn, working with frames in this context serves both “as a sharp modular grid to organise information, as well as an immersive window that transports audiences into unique worlds and stories,” continues the studio.

For the studio, the popularity of this motif links back to its ability to create, or represent, a flexible design system. “Traditionally, branding has been about order and recognition through repetition (the same symbol, colours and patterns over and over again),” Porto Rocha elaborates. “But now, with an ever-growing number of touchpoints and much more frequent communication with audiences, repetition can quickly turn monotonous.”

With this in mind, Leo Porto and Felipe Rocha allude to how frames in a more formal, identity format, “certainly feels overused”. Reiterating how it’s not necessarily a new system – pointing to Droga5’s identity for Coal Drops Yard back in 2018 as a key example – its likely that “these more ornate, expressive frames will probably stay behind,” she adds. Yet, it’s very possible that the flexibility such a system offers will pop up in another context. “Again, brands need to be more adaptive and nimble. If you’re not meaningfully engaging with culture, which is always in flux, you’re going to fall behind. At the end of the day, we are more interested in what’s inside the container than the frame itself.”

What’s still resonating: Kidcore

Last year, it felt like the creative industry wanted to do away with grown-up design and go back to school. The magazine design was doodle-laden, storefronts were covered in cartoons, and the album artwork for one of the biggest records of 2023 was drawn by a five-year-old.

“It feels like a form of escapism, a moment of fun and pure enjoyment in the face of an ever more depressing news-cycle,” Angela Kirkwood says. The illustrator, whose work might remind you of a sweetened Ren & Stimpy, thinks our fascination with kid’s stuff comes from a reaction to the growing colourlessness around us – “people are once again seeking out more technicolour palettes!” House of Gül’s Ali Godil echoes her sentiments: “It feels like we’re rejecting so many corporate design styles that were indoctrinated in us from a young age as ‘good’”. This more naive approach is “almost a reclamation of independence”; “an act of rebellion against these capitalistic pressures”.

Of course, Drake’s not the first person to collaborate with his kid, as proven by the logo for Jolene, created by Frith Kerr’s six-year-old Igor in 2019, and many others. Childlike typography has captivated us for a while and, though it’s clearly still striking a chord, going into next year we think things will get even angstier. Rather than just colouring outside the lines, graphic designers and illustrators will be scratching over letterforms and spilling ink or juice over their work.

In the meantime, evidence of this trend in the wild can be spotted in the wibbly-wobbly 3D graphics of Day Stay Hay or the schoolbook style of Danny Ische, who is single-handedly bringing back the kind of nightmarish nursery school imagery normally only found on the walls of doctors’ waiting rooms.

What’s next: Eerie softness

If you’ll allow us to speculate, we have a sneaking feeling things are about to get more mysterious. Right now, we are experiencing a complete saturation of information and images, with artists responding brilliantly in kind by referencing popular culture, iconography and beloved figures (think Barbie) to create maximalist collages or nostalgic still lifes. But like lockdown brought a desire for nature and quiet, we think visuals are going to skew simpler, softer and more nonsensical as we roll into the new year.

Rather than looking to any one era or symbol for inspiration, artists might explore a feeling instead. Dreams have consistently been a reference for artists, but we’re going to see less trippy and happy psychedelia. Instead, imagery will be harder to explain – or even see at all, with soft focus, light flares and ethereal apparitions in abundance.

“I think mysterious images appeal to us so much right now because, with everything that’s happening around the world and in our daily lives, there is a growing desire to disengage from the constant influx of news and take a respite from reality,” says Sung Hwa Kim. Sung Hwa is one artist already working with these themes, drawn to the power of luminosity to transport us somewhere new. Though there are many forging their own paths in this realm, including Lucy O’Doherty, Weishan Yang and Iris Wildros, whose ambient portfolio often explores experiences and feelings.

“I believe it may be that we are finding ourselves seeking new meanings,” muses Iris, “and the fact that these images are open to interpretation offers space for personal meanings to be found and meditated on.”

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As well as these in-use creative patterns the It’s Nice That team has noticed across identities and campaigns, and deems likely to continue well into 2024’s visual output, there are certain graphical treatments, illustrative elements and typographic choices we believe are on the rise...

Format: Internet Inspired

Across generations of designers, harking back to the days of ye olde internet – whether you’re a Tumblr curator turned art director, or designer with a nostalgic fondness for 90s game aesthetics – is a well documented design trope. A newer development we’re noticing, however, is an escalation in attention towards using current internet frameworks to communicate imagery and content.

Particularly popular in the world of fashion, take Sunnei’s art direction approach as a key example. In this instance, the brand’s signature pattern work is presented across the tabs of an iPhone browser, referencing not only internet aesthetics but consumer habits of “saving” a potential purchase in an often forgotten tab. Tern – a newer clothing brand “managed by a team of young creatives in France, reminiscing their first Internet memories” – also showcases affection for digital formats in its decision to “photograph” its collection via Google Street View.

There are additionally a whole host of creatives investigating the ways in which we interact with digital platforms through an artistic lens. A few of our very favourites include Maya Man “an artist focused on contemporary identity culture on the internet” (who recently penned a brilliant piece on escaping the Instagram identity crisis for Byline). A further digital artist to keep a close eye on is Chia Amisola, a self-described “internet and ambient artist from the Philippines” who creates website specific art investigating technology’s “love, labour and liberation”.

Typography: Serif Scripts

Alright, alright, we’re not saying serif typefaces are the next big thing but we have to admit that script aesthetics are having a moment – and we’re huge supporters. Potentially building in appeal following its use across marketing materials for Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla (is there any aesthetic from Sofia Coppola that doesn’t trickle down to art direction moodboards after all?), everywhere we turn a decorative character is in sight.

Although there are of course early purveyors of adopting script typefaces in contemporary instances (probably since the dawn of time), it’s arguably a trend we’ve seen bubbling since Claudia Isabel Rubín’s design choices for the 2021 New York Times’ Great Performers issue. In more recent cases, we’ve seen London-based clothing brand Peachy Den take on a new period drama girlhood aesthetic for its holiday pop-up show, to Samuel Day’s graphic explorations of Victorian era animations and alchemic drawings. If the Pride and Prejudice of it all is a little too much for you, we’d recommend looking at the work of French type foundry Plain Form. In particular, its typeface, Ready, adds a glitch aesthetic to your typical script – recently used for Mitski’s record The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.

Illustration: Big Paint

In a potential DIY hands-on resistance to artificial intelligence hallucinating a new visual aesthetic for creatives to come to grips with, illustrators and artists are turning back to the canvas and laying the paint on thick. An extension of the Kidcore trend mentioned earlier, a fondness for playful forms and on-the-edge of eccentric colour palettes is becoming increasingly present.

The use of texture is a key component we’re noticing, where practitioners are building layer upon layer of paint to create works that – even when viewed on screen – evoke a visceral response in viewers. From the work of Misaki Kawai inspiring a whole new generation of illustrators with her sweetly smiling characters, to the humorous recreations of album covers by artist Henry Miller, this almost carefree approach to painting is one we’d love to see more of this year. It’s also present in one of our favourite album covers of 2023,Yard by Slow Pulp, created by the band’s very own Henry Stoehr.

Elements of this spirited trend are also present in flatter executions too, from James Ulmer’s pared-back psychedelic forms, to UU’s iPad creations that still retain depth – despite being made with a stylus instead of paintbrush.

Treatment: Escalating Noise

Across illustration and graphic design we also noticed a growing fondness for an added layer of visual noise sitting atop final designs. Closely tied to a heightened use of pixel imagery across these disciplines, graphically distorting posters, animated loops or singular illustrations is a visual treatment we envisage expanding this year.

This emerging trend is often noticeable in the output of Portland-based creative studio, House of Gül. The artistic practice, led by Ali Godil, is in fact representative of many of the trends we’ve noted – from Kidcore, to adding an illustrative softness to its work – including this newer element of escalating noise. No matter the client the studio is working with, across culture projects for non-profit organisations to household brands, a tactile use of texture elevates House of Gül’s work in appearing not only aesthetically vibrant, but approachable and familiar. Perhaps 2024 is the year we’ll see Xeroxed artwork push its way to the fore, whether it’s in videos, typographic experiments or clever branding treatments.