Being a new graphic designer right out of school is probably one of the most exciting things. Your future is just starting to unfold, and you obviously picked the best career path. You have worked hard to complete your four-year degree and you just landed your first job! You are always looking to see what’s new and exciting in the design world as companies are always looking for the next best thing. So, what are some of the new design trends that you can use for some of your new clients while preserving their brand that they worked hard to establish?
Modern Trends in Graphic Design
We all know that a company’s brand is that specific organization’s identity. Companies work hard to establish a logo in which values are then attached to. Preserving a company’s brand is understanding their needs and meeting them—even exceeding them. Also, it is important that you understand that a company’s needs will change over time, and you may need to prepare for those changes as best as you can. With a current client of ours, Twin Cities Basement Finishings, we are able to provide the client with all his needs and services on his new website, along with room for growth in the services category, by listening to the design trends of today and incorporating them into his new site.
Full Screen Pictures
Full-screen pictures that stretch across a full page and present a strong, clear image that supports the main objective of the subject is a powerful trend today. Something that is going to visually grab the user’s attention, making them want to read more about the service or subject, can reap more benefits than words alone or small images. On one of our recent clients’ site, they have a new and upcoming website that is very picture-based. It shows how successful their services are right on the home page—an image of a beautiful basement finish fireplace. Full-screen pictures are just one of the many design trends you may have seen sweeping the web in 2016.
Placing Text over an Image
Another trend that is popular is placing text over an image as if it were an illustration. Also, placing the call-to-action over an image or a tagline so that it is one of the first things that the user is reading about the company is a bold trend. Making sure that there is not too much information that is placed in front of the user right away when they are first entering the page is a rule of thumb in this scenario, e.g., don’t place a long small-type paragraph over an image. Use the typography as more of a visual element or illustration or as a combination of an illustration and dramatic typography. When developing Twin Cities Basement Finishing, we used some of these new design trends with full-screen images and typography, but we still used their font connected to their brand, helping to preserve their brand. We also provided the user with the same color pallette reminding them that this is Twin Cities Basement Finishings, but with just a newer and better site.
Flat Design
One of the modern trends that we see the most is flat design using negative space. Flat design emphasizes high usability and a clean aesthetic for users. We see this trend with typography, logos and movement across the page. Spacing out different sections of the new website using white space and flat color is key to this trend. Involving the user by asking them questions about their own personal goals like, “What’s Your Next Project?” makes them think of something that they have been wanting to do but have not yet done to their home. We also showed the user that if Twin Cities Basement Finishings does something in your home, you are going to have a “happier home,” therefore adding more value to your home, which is a facet the owner really prides himself on in regard to his company. These are all recurring themes and calls-to-action that are placed throughout the site to always direct the user to contact this company. We also placed some trust factor badges together using geometric shapes that are minimal in style, yet concisely state that the company can be trusted in a sleek icon.
Preserving the Brand
To make sure that we are preserving Twin Cities Basement Finishings’ logo, values and colors, we used some of their existing logos and taglines. The purpose behind this is that most people know this is their tagline and know what this logo looks like from their brand. When users are on Twin Cities Basement Finishings’ site reviewing their work, they will notice that this is the same company but with today’s modern design trends.