10 Trends Taking Over the Design World in 2015

Image via Complex Original

Algorithmic or generative design is an emerging and rapidly evolving process, one with no single definition. However, the design trend can be identified by its use of computers in the creative process, used to automate or manipulate designs, creating unique objects and a much faster rate. The process is ideal for larger projects, but it has been adopted by product designers for its precision and aesthetic.

There has been a systematic movement away from overly perfected or curated design. This coincides with a major movement within the creative community in the past five years, to a more craftsman-like approach to design. While produce design and architecture are relying more on raw woods, unaltered metals, and natural inspiration, visual design has responded to this by focusing on elements that are hand-rendered, raw, sketchy, and include natural color palettes.

A new style is emerging in product design: soft minimalism. We’ve been familiar with minimalism—smart, economical design that includes only what’s necessary, and is usually in a smooth, unadorned case—since the ’90s. Soft minimalism takes cues from this trend but adds a human, ergonomic touch. Rounded corners and other organic shapes are signifiers of this soft minimalist trend.

How do you update a trend that has been in style for a while? Give it a cosmetic makeover. Flat design is nothing new, but the shift towards an even more pristine, minimalistic style comes with the addition of a monochromatic color palette.

Google coined the term, but it’s not the only company utilizing simple, flat stylistic choices for UX design. Across the board developers and UX Designers are opting to follow this design path in order to create exceptionally attractive and easy-to-use products. The idea behind material design is to orient the user using familiar visual cues, layers, transparency, etc. to make it easier to navigate and detect structure.

With a culture so embedded in the digital realm and being connected, the new “unplugged” trend promises to change the way we interact with our products. Using natural materials, craftsman techniques, and inspiration from vintage objects, unplugged objects hark to an era that’s long gone—but obviously not forgotten—where screens and Wi-Fi didn’t dictate how we live.

A new trend that is emerging in product design is material mash-ups. The style takes familiar forms and reinvents them with unexpected, un-associated materials, like a skateboard made of leather. These applications act as living contemporary art pieces, forcing viewers to rethink and question function, production, and purpose.

Grids are the structure of good design. They are the bones that design elements like typography or imagery hang from. So what’s so new about grids? The increased use of square modules. These news trustees are popping up on everything from automotive sites to financial sites.

Retro styling is not just inspiring fashion and gaming; it’s also inspiring design and visuals. Once seen as a sign of sub-par quality, enlarged and enhanced pixels are now stylized and are emerging as a trend for logos, textiles, and packaging.

This specific web trend has been popping up across the Internet as the go-to design element for creating a polished, high-end look that’s reminiscent of glossy magazines. Full-bleed photography has always given the viewer a more immersive experience and when using high-end, curated photography, it gives websites a more legitimate and approachable look.