2022 was a year of pushing the envelope for design. It was the year when AI-generated art & design broke through to the mainstream. The post-pandemic optimism shone through in the design world, with a bright and multi-coloured visual aesthetic reflecting the optimism in humanity.
2023 however, promises much more for design professionals and users in terms of embracing new directions, evolving design philosophies and enhancing already existing visual languages. Let’s take a look at what’s in store for 2023.
1. Dark/ Anti Mode: Dark mode has evolved to the next level. Users nowadays expect screens to be adaptive with the background colours and provide an optimal viewing experience no matter what. This also ditches the light mode to create a unique aesthetic that favours the darker schemes to create a more subdued user experience. A plain white/light-coloured background almost feels outdated in today’s world.
2. Advanced Motion Design: Thanks to the state of constant over-stimulation that we live in (Cue Instagram & TikTok), user attention spans are getting shorter by the day. Users need constant responses at every action they take on the screen to capture their attention. Enter: Motion Design! Though it has been around for a while, designers have always had to trade between functional experience and interactive animation. However, with the advent of 5G internet speeds and ready-to-use libraries like LottieFiles, motion design and micro-interactions are set to explode in 2023.
3. Illustrations: The past couple of years has been big on illustrations. However, 2023 will see that trend taken to the next level. The focus will be on unique, inclusive illustrations and different from traditional usage. There is a level of humanity in illustrations that provide platforms and screens with a unique perspective and emotion that cannot be replaced with straight lines and clip art. 2023 will see evolving to the next level.
Bold Minimalism/ Huge Typography: Minimalism has been the decade’s trend. Bold minimalism is only taking it to the next level. Contrasting colours paired with bold and huge typography set an aesthetic for the year to come.
3D design elements: With the advent of faster internet, 3D design is coming of age; more and more platforms are using 3D objects and elements as a part of their design to create impact and hold users’ attention. This will only get more mainstream in 2023 with the advent of AR/ VR and the metaverse.
AI-Generated design: Creating customized and better design experiences for Ui based on AI is the future. Though there are excellent platforms that create fantastic artwork and design pieces, I believe that 2023 will be the year when AI will augment designers to create experiences that are faster and more efficient with AI help. The key will be the ability for AI to ingest and analyze vast amounts of data and inputs to suggest incremental changes in design that would make for better user experiences or even customize user experiences based on individual usage patterns.
Some other design trends to watch out for will be Digital Maximalism, Multi-layer gradients with glassmorphic design patterns, Nostalgia design plays (80s-90s aesthetic, typography etc.) and Neo-Brutalism. These patterns have already started to inform designers in the past couple of years, but I believe will be trending in 2023.
I’m excited to see how user experiences and design aesthetics will go in 2023. I hope this article has provided a glimpse into what design trends may look like in 2023. Keep an eye out for innovations and ideas that will shape the future of design.