It is no secret that the advent of the digital revolution sent the graphic design industry into a frenzy, having allowed for better expression of ideas on digital platforms.
Those who were there at the beginning will tell stories of how selecting colors was just as exciting as a trip to Mars for the first astronauts.
It is impossible to share this enthusiasm without knowing what graphic design today has allowed us to do. So what does the future of graphic design look like, and what will we possibly be able to do in the future?
The Future Of Graphic Design Jobs Will Transform
Up until now, the majority of graphic design jobs have followed the traditional career path, where designers work primarily in big organizations, mainly in the advertising and marketing industry. However, in the last few years, this trend is starting to shift with the emergence of freelancing.
It is projected that freelancers will do most design work within the next few years.
It seems that we are in the early stages of a radical transformation. The outlook for the future of graphic design is that organizations will outsource design needs to freelancers with great benefits for both parties.
To begin with, organizations will not need to employ graphic designers and will be paying for projects completed instead. The graphic designers will also benefit from the freedom of mobility and choice of employer.
Becoming a graphic designer will be much easier since designers will have less need to seek active employment. Instead, they’ll join already established online platforms that connect employers to designers.
The successful designers will be the ones who can build a reputation and will be widely sought after for this very purpose.
Freelancing will also impact the rate of trend changes since a more magnificent pool of designers in the market will be able to communicate and share their work.
The Image Blocking Takeover
The popularity of image-style websites like Pinterest has soared. It is not difficult to imagine that image-based sites will be more common soon than those with a lot of text.
This brick-like style is already being used widely by artists who wish to display their works online.
For a long time, businesses operating online have always known that content is king. This, in turn, has led to the production of lengthy articles, which most readers abandon midway through.
A better way to improve the reader’s experience is to produce more images and infographics.
The future of graphic design is where visual content is a significant part of most websites and articles.
Graphic Design Meets 3D
Soon, graphic design will play a more significant role in 3D technologies like augmented and virtual reality. Graphic design will also become a central player in 3D printing as time goes by.
The future of graphic design education will also be transformed since these technologies will require experts in both fields.
The nature of augmented and virtual reality is for creating realistic simulations that allow users to get inside the experience for professional or recreational purposes.
Graphic designers will be in charge of developing the graphical elements of these technologies to ensure a seamless experience for users.
When these technologies are finally fused together, the future outlook of graphic design will be like nothing we have seen before.
3D printing will also alter the future of graphic design once it is finally available to all. That’s why designers will need to update their education. So it will be interesting to see how online graphic design courses will cope with this need – since the quality will increase.
Online Graphic Design Courses Become The Norm
Learning through an online course is not a new phenomenon. Online learning has been on an upward trend since the advent of the Internet. Still, it would seem that some courses have yielded better results than others when it comes to utility.
It would seem that graphic design is one of the best-suited courses to learn online since professionals offer them and most of the tools are available online.
The future of graphic design education will lead to most designers having honed their craft online.
It is easy to state that the future outlook of graphic design will involve students learning online for a few months instead of the current four years. Bright students will learn fast and do the equivalent of an internship on online websites such as Upwork, Peopleperhour, or Fiverr.
Responsive Design
Responsive design is something that has developed as a matter of necessity. It is mainly used in web design and allows you to have a seamless experience across devices by accommodating the user’s screen size.
While it is popular and widely used, not all websites are optimized, which is set to change in the future.
Almost if not all websites will be optimized within the next few years. On top of that, the graphics and other elements will be so sophisticated that the users will influence them with a single click and customize it to their needs.
Calvin Carter, the owner of graphic design company Logomazing, states that the depth of this kind of design will allow users to select an outfit for the day with mock-ups showing how the user will look with a proposed dress.
The Rise Of Minimalism
Graphic design is not known for subtlety. The more color and razzmatazz, the better, but a new wave of designers is set to shape the future of graphic design in the next few years.
The emerging trend can only be called minimalism. It swears to use the minimum amount of text, graphics, and available colors. The less, the better.
It would appear that creativity will be measured by how little the designer uses to communicate an idea or message.
Logos and business cards have been the most visible in employing this technique. Still, websites and movie posters have started picking up on it too.
It’s too early to say whether this will be the new era of design with the same reverence as the vintage era or just another fad. In any case, this radical shift is one to watch.
Stock Photography Will Take Over
Stock photography is set to take over the entire spectrum of photography.
Nowadays, it is effortless to find the photograph of anything you want within stock photography. It has reached a point where you can get specific on what you want and see it in a stock photo.
Therefore, the future of graphic design will not require photo shoots looking for that specific photo for a campaign. Most of the content will have been covered within the vast selection of stock images available.
