Trends in Design

Trends exist for a reason, and people are always going to hop on board with what is popular. That means that it’s important to understand trends and why they exist, but to also be able to be playful and skirt around them. Google is a great example of a brand that adapts to new trends but also stays forward-thinking and constantly challenges the status quo.

Good design should, at the end of the day, be honest and have a long-lasting appeal. This mean transcending the immediacy of current trends while still employing the important elements that they bring to the design world.

For instance, consider a simple trend such as the two horizontal bars for the Pause function on video players. That icon started as a trend and remained steady over time. If you were to replace it with a circle or an octagon, users would be confused, and it wouldn’t be a very functional or effective design choice. This demonstrates the power of trends and their necessity in some forms of design.

Keep Your Client’s Needs in Focus

The bottom line is that designers should always keep in mind that they are designing for their clients and not for themselves. The best design meets a client’s needs and leaves the designer’s ego out of it. Design will continue to evolve, and trends will come and go, but constantly honing your ability to produce great work based on exactly what a specific client is looking for is the most valuable skill to have as a designer.