Top Design Trends to Watch in 2024 (2024)

Discover five design trends that will define print, online, and branding projects in 2024. Featuring nostalgic color palettes, AI design, quiet luxury aesthetics, and more.

As platforms like TikTok continue to inform how Gen Z and Millennial audiences interact with and influence the world, design trends are becoming ever more subject to the wants and whims of demanding, dialed-in social media users.

What does this actually mean for graphic designers? It means design trends are only increasing in diversity, scope, and creativity.

With that in mind, here are our predictions for the graphic design trends that will shape 2024, based on research into current branding projects and the latest social media, cultural, and fashion trends.

Inspired by the low-key exclusivity of quiet luxury, the sugary pastels filling New York runways, and the unmistakable impact of AI, these five design trends for 2024 will help you kick off the new year with creative confidence and style.

License these images via lev radin and MIRRORstudio.

What Are the Biggest Design Trends for 2024?

We expect these five design trends to make a seriously stylish impact across graphic design, photography, illustration, and website design in 2024:

AI Design
Quiet Luxury
Hyperreal Photography
Nostalgic Color Palettes
Condensed Serif Fonts

From the elegance of quiet luxury to the mood-boosting power of nostalgic color, these 2024 design trends offer creatives an instant refresh to how they approach print and online projects.

Of course, the shadow of AI looms large over 2024’s design trends, but it isn’t all existential doom and gloom. Because, while AI’s role in the creative industry remains a thorny subject, there’s no denying that it offers a fresh perspective on aesthetic styles and the capabilities of design software (which are increasingly turning to AI to offer improved usability for designers).

Now, without further ado, let’s take a more detailed look at each 2024 design trend and discover inspirational tips and design examples to help you step into the new year in style.

License this image via Shutterstock AI Generator.

1. AI Design

Love or loathe the intrusion of Artificial Intelligence into our lives, but deny its significant impact on design at your peril. Yes, it seems that AI—albeit in an (ever-evolving) imperfect state—is here to stay, and it’s already worked its way into most mainstream design apps and software programs.

While the media continues to debate whether AI is a technological game-changer, the end to work as we know it, or just downright destructive, the influence of AI in graphic design and photography is already shaping design approaches and trends as we move into 2024.

The History of AI: An AI Timeline
How to Make AI Art: AI for Beginners

Aside from quickly becoming a commonly used design tool for pulling together color palettes, generating imagery, and crafting quick layouts, AI is also wielding its influence in a more aesthetic sense. Brands looking to jump on the AI bandwagon are starting to actively look for assets that are either AI-generated images or tap into an AI look.

From hyper-real portraits (see below) to abstract 3D renders and Metaverse-inspired product mockups, integrating an AI aesthetic into your designs is a quick way to harness the hyper-real mood of 2024.

2. Quiet Luxury

“Stealth wealth” has been a growing trend in fashion over 2023, with the emphasis on curating a quietly luxurious aesthetic of high-quality, timeless clothing and accessories.

Think no logos, no bling, and plenty of camel and cashmere. The design equivalent to Jennifer Lawrence donning The Row in New York, the quiet-luxury trend is also gathering pace in graphic design, branding, and website design, and it looks set to continue into 2024.

This understated and elegant design trend allows designers to create highly aspirational branding that lends an exclusive, in-the-know mood to projects. If you have a client looking to reach an aspirational audience or marketing high-end products, quiet luxury is the style to channel.

How to Refresh Your Brand Style with Trending Stock Content in 2024
Gently Does It: How to Design with Neutral Colors

Quiet luxury can be a surprisingly difficult aesthetic to perfect. It requires focus on subtle details and thoughtful touches, rather than attention-grabbing shots of color or eye-catching images.

For print designs, look to beautiful textured paper stock, metallic foiling, or neutral colors to capture a stealth-wealth aesthetic on packaging design or stationery templates.

For websites and social media posts, seek out a condensed serif font to add a touch of whisper-soft elegance.

The last word in quiet luxury? Less is always more.

Clockwise, from top-left: Packaging design for Lumiere Moisturizer by Edu Dorfman. License these Shutterstock images via photo-lime, Ekaterina_Klishevnik, and Hitdelight.

License this image via Shutterstock.AI.

3. Hyperreal Photography

Almost juicy or liquid in texture, and inspired by the exaggerated reality conjured up by AI software, these ultra high-definition photographs appear almost hyperreal, prompting a closer look. 2024 will see more brands looking to mimic the style of AI imagery in actual photography through the use of high-definition effects and filters.

The Ultimate Guide to Photo Sharpness in Stock Photography
9 Lighting Setups to Elevate Your Portraits

These high-definition portraits, hyper-real dreamscapes, and 3D characters bring a real eye-popping look to full-width landing pages, poster designs, and YouTube banners. The fact that they look almost artificial is part of the appeal for viewers—these aren’t images that simply blend into the background.

To create ultra high-definition photography, you’ll need to use a camera with built-in HD technology. Alternatively, you can improve the HD look of existing photos by using image enlargement software and by reducing noise, increasing contrast, and sharpening the image.

You can also seek out stock photos that already have a very sharp, wet look with high resolution, glossy details.

4. Nostalgic Color Palettes

The Spring/Summer 2024 fashion shows were a celebration of the positive power of vibrant color. Models took to the New York runways in a pastel-hued rainbow of lilac, chambray blue, burnt orange, and sunshine yellow, marking a colorful alternative to the beige and cream hues championed by the quiet-luxury trend.

Looking Back Without Going Backwards: A Guide to Nostalgia Marketing
Data-Backed Ways to Include Pastel Colors in Your Ads

While Pantone has yet to announce its anticipated Color of the Year 2024, the color forecasting company released a report identifying ten standout colors inspired by the Spring 2024 fashion shows, which they describe as a range of lively colors inspired by “personal self-expression and feelings of freedom.”

The colors favored on the fashion catwalks and in brand design certainly seem to be moving toward bright pastel hues that make a nod to the optimistic colors of the 1950s.

Create a Mid-Century aesthetic in your designs by experimenting with a spectrum of sugar-coated colors. Don’t be afraid to combine multiple bright pastels together—the overall effect will be a balanced take on nostalgic ’50s design.

Clockwise, from top-left: Packaging design for amble sheep by lowkey design. License these Shutterstock images via lev radin, Atlas Studio, and Light Stock.

5. Condensed Serif Fonts

For graphic designers and social media marketers, the type trend to turn to in 2024 is undoubtedly the elegantly understated serif font. Connecting with the quiet-luxury trend gaining popularity across branding and packaging, serif typefaces tap into 2024’s elegant mood.

20 Free Serif Fonts Perfect for Small Business Owners
How to Choose a Font That Conveys The Right Emotions

Condensed serif fonts bring a slightly 1970s feel to designs, without feeling overtly retro, and they look fantastic paired with lifestyle or fashion imagery. Channel a vintage Parisian aesthetic with these condensed font styles, and set your typography in an unexpected pop of neon or bright pastel color to bring in a bit of edge and interest.

Clockwise, from top-left: Brand identity for Margaliti by Kate Sakhokia. License these vector fonts from Shutterstock via Yes Design – Asen Bayu and Yes Design – Asen Bayu.

Looking Ahead to 2024

An air of elegance is afoot in 2024’s design trends. As we watch the quiet-luxury trend continue to bring an aspirational mood to packaging design and brand identities, we’ll also see more optimistic, mood-boosting color being introduced to this otherwise low-key aesthetic.

Across website designs and social media, AI will also no doubt have a significant influence over the next 12 months, and we can expect many brands to begin presenting imagery that has an AI-inspired, hyperreal look meant to draw in younger consumers.

For designers, the year ahead looks set to be a diverse and creative year, blending timeless, vintage-inspired styles with a much more futuristic aesthetic. Take your pick from the design trends here, including quiet luxury, nostalgic color, and hyperreal photography, and embrace the opportunity to do your best work ever in 2024!

Discover More 2024 Design Trends

Explore Now

Take Your Project to the Next Level with Shutterstock Flex

Need beautiful photography to make your next project pop? We’ve got you covered. With Shutterstock Flex, you’ll have all-in-one access to our massive library, plus the FLEXibility you need to select the perfect mix of assets every time.

Try Shutterstock Flex for Free

License this cover image via lev radin and MIRRORstudio.

Design TrendsDesignerMarketerSMB