2024 graphic design is all about relatability and expression! This year, we’re seeing a mix of nostalgic, innovative, and highly personal design and typography trends. Below, we explore some of the year’s trending styles and ways to incorporate them into your school publications and design projects.
Organic & DIY Styles
The first trend of 2024 celebrates the beauty found in imperfection. The Organic and DIY trend is marked by a distinct non-professional aesthetic. It features elements like phone photography, grainy textures, and simple layouts, all infused with a personal touch. This trend is shifting away from overly polished designs, favouring a more relatable and trustworthy appearance.
Try this 2024 trend for:
- School social media posts
- Student-led magazines
Curvy Fonts
Flared and embellished fonts are becoming increasingly popular, offering a way to inject personality and a unique voice into designs. Moving away from the stiffness of traditional typefaces, these expressive fonts are an excellent choice for adding a personal touch to your publications.
Try this 2024 trend for:
- Yearbook covers
- Page headings
Scrapbook Layouts
Our third trend for 2024 is all about mixing bright, textured visuals with a collage and layered look. It’s a modern take on the classic scrapbook style but designed for today’s digital world. This trend is perfect for creating engaging, story-rich layouts that feel both fresh and nostalgic. Think of combining photos, text, hand-drawn sketches, and stamps to bring a lively and personal touch to your designs.
Try this 2024 trend for:
- Yearbook photo collage pages
- Yearbook classroom pages
Retro Nostalgia
Retro Nostalgia is a throwback trend, bringing back designs inspired by old editorial advertising and classic colour palettes. This 2024 trend revives the look and feel of past decades, evoking a sense of nostalgia and timelessness. Key features include large imagery, line art illustrations, and photo cutouts, all contributing to its distinctively retro vibe.
Try this 2024 trend for:
- Student-led magazines
- Fundraiser books
- Event posters
- Student diaries
Stretched Out Typography
Take typography to new heights with the stretched-out type trend. This style involves adding a sense of motion by extending them vertically or horizontally. It’s a bold move best used as a design feature rather than for large text blocks, as stretched text can be hard to read!
Try this 2024 trend for:
- Yearbook covers
- Yearbook section dividers
Bright & Youthful Designs
Finally, Bright & Youthful Designs are capturing attention with their playful and lighthearted style. This trend is all about vivid colours and whimsical elements that create a friendly and inviting vibe. Its hallmark features include simple shapes, bold primary colours, and geometric patterns, combining to form a playful and energetic aesthetic that resonates with a wide range of ages.
Try this 2024 trend for:
- Primary school yearbooks
- Leavers books
- Student diaries