As we are about to enter into our third month of 2016, its probably a good time to talk about packaging graphic design trends to watch out for. Trends usually are something that has been slowing growing and gaining momentum. You’ve most likely started to see some of these trends creeping up and even seen some of the larger companies starting to rock them. We are going to point out what we think are the top 3 trends of 2016 to keep an eye out for; and even incorporate it into your own packaging and marketing strategy.
Geometric shapes have grown more and more popular over the past year within both structural and graphic packaging design. Geometric shapes in packaging design are an interesting way of breaking free of the common rectangle and adding shapes such as triangles and hexagons. This type of design can work really well with minimalist graphics. Using geometric graphic design can be done in a number of different ways such as simple line drawings to highly complex overlays. The designs create an interesting eye catching effect that has been known to draw people in.
It has become common for designers to use the same colour throughout the entire package. The trick is to use one Pantone colour with multiple variations in fill. Not only does this create a clean minimalistic effect, it also cuts down on printing costs significantly. It also works extremely well for branding as you can use Pantone’s which are consistently the same.
Graphic designers are pulling more and more bright and vibrant colour choices and contrasting them with dark shades of grey. By using this style, it creates stronger hierarchy between symbols and copy on the packaging.
Pantone somewhat sets the precedent for which colours are going to trend each year, or at least provides a pretty great idea of some ‘on-trend’ palettes. This year they have presented ‘Rose Quartz & Serenity.’
The beauty of stock illustrations is convenience and affordability. The problem with stock illustration is convenience and affordability — there is good chance that someone else is going to pull in the same illustration into their design. Graphic designers are moving further away from using stock illustrations for their designs — resulting highly unique designs. Not all graphic designers are illustrators, but a great designer will source a great illustrator for the project.
Have you noticed trends emerging in 2016? Let us know below… we would love to hear about them!
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