6 Design Trends You Need to Know for 2022

Maximalism, diversity, ethics, and anti-design are trends predicted to take center stage in the new year

People often read about trends as the new year approaches as a way to start understanding how things are likely to develop in their fields of work. A graphic designer specializing in typographic design and art direction for editorial design, Javier Alcaraz (@javieralcaraz) believes trend-spotting is useful to guide your decision-making, so long as it stems from a thorough and global analysis of the current situation.

“Generally speaking, design trend announcements come in two categories: a revival of something that was successful at least twenty years ago, or announcing a conterposition, directly opposed to what happened (or was predicted) last year,“ he notes. But why does one thing come back? What gives rise to the revolution(s)? And where are emerging trends coming from?

Javier is also the founder of the elcerezo studio—through which he develops editorial publications, identity projects, and produces fonts for clients including Google, the Mexico Secretariat of Culture, TetraPack, Forbes, and Reader’s Digest. Here he reflects on what might be coming round the corner in the very near future.

A decolonial perspective

The idea of adopting a decolonial perspective is based on the recognition of a power matrix that covers everything from the economic and political, to knowledge, sexuality, and gender. Javier explains that as we discover and recognize the predominance of heterosexual, white Westerners in most areas, we can see that design has also been trapped inside that system of control.

This dominance is seen in:

- Forms of representation.
- The dominance of the eye and the visual over every other sense.
- The idea of what’s beautiful.

How do we decolonize thinking? Some of the trends he sees shaping design in the short-to-medium term reflect this question.

Here, Javier shares six trends that he predicts will continue to grow or take over the design world in 2022.

1. Representation and diversity

Exploration of ancestral cultures and a growing interest in non-Western culture—i.e. aesthetics that are not entirely based on European canons—is something Javier believes we are already seeing and will continue to observe.

When it comes to understanding how these new influences are being absorbed, Javier recommends looking at the work of Dina Benbrahim, an Arab multidisciplinary creative who looks to include new cultural perspectives in her designs through a feminist lens. In the image below, for example, see how the designer featured the word "truth" in Arabic (حقيقة) to give #MeToo a new connotation:

He also recommends paying attention to the work of Ecuadorian designer Vanessa Zuñiga Tinizaray. A specialist in typography and font patterns, she's the creator of Amuki Studio and researches visual signs of Latin America’s ancestral cultures to integrate this knowledge into contemporary design.

Saki Mafundikwa completes this list. The founding director of the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVA), he examines African culture and visual arts. An important resource for designers, in his book, Afrikan Alphabets: The Story of Writing in Africa, Saki explores the history of alphabets across the continent and Diaspora.

While some of these forms are familiar to the West because of their long-standing incorporation into our cultural framework, due to colonized exclusion their rich stories are relatively unknown. Saki recovers promotional materials created and used in Africa before and during the colonial period to emphasize elements that have been excluded.

2. Maximalism

Maximalism and its love of excess are more than likely to bring about greater variety, more sources of inspiration, and added chaos. Javier highlights the work of Leta Sobierajski, Sarah Boris, and Hansje Van Halem as exponents of this style.

Our expert explains that maximalism lies behind the appearance of more diverse, more loaded, more fused, and less clear proposals that are no less friendly, commercial, or attractive. Some professionals, particularly female designers, seem to be taking this path as a way of combining elements and creating highly charged images.

3. Trust is the target

“The design world wants to generate respect and awaken trust,” explains Javier. “Right now, it’s really important that people trust you. You have to be credible. You can’t hide anything. And you achieve this through transparency and openness, which are two beautiful values.”

Javier recommends taking a close look at the work of Itemzero, an interdisciplinary design studio that specializes in the crossovers between technology, information design, and editorial design. They develop systems of visual data representation that cover everything from content production to communications strategy.

He also suggests paying attention to the work of Atelier Carvalho Bernau, a design studio based in Oporto, Portugal. They mainly work on culture and editorial projects, both locally and internationally. Their team of researchers, editors, curators, photographers, illustrators, and programmers focus on facilitating project marketing.

4. Human focus

In an era in which artificial intelligence is coming to the fore and our own bodies are launching into the metaverse, designers who show signs of the human being behind their creations will be increasingly valuable.

Human presence will be expressed through trends like:

- Calligraphy, the handmade.
- Analog printing using few, basic inks. Like at the beginning of printing.
- The physical. Paper, binding, ties, and elements that show care has been taken over the details.

Some names to explore are Sacha Lobe, Dora Lazarevic, and Chris Ashworth.

5. Anti-design

“This trend is a logical continuation from the previous point,” Javier explains. If you’ve noticed that the most fashionable neighborhood in your city is covered in posters that look handmade, it’s probably by design. The feeling that what you’re looking at was made by someone seems to bring us closer to the message.

“Design doesn’t want to be in a museum, it wants to be near you,” explains Javier before describing this trend as a “hyperbole of graphic brutalism.”

6. Ethical design

“Something is beautiful when it respects, doesn’t harm, is tolerant...” says Javier. This is why increasing numbers of brands and characters are emphasizing their values and the way in which they make their products—designers are not exempt from this trend.

Ethical design emphasizes technology that respects human rights, i.e. that is decentralized, between equals, fully traceable, free, open-source, interoperable, accessible, and sustainable. It respects and protects civil liberties, reduces inequality, and benefits democracy. Some of the maxims of ethical design are available on Ind.ie, which Javier recommends checking out.

He also mentions the perception of humanity behind the figure of the designer and the user’s right to flow through design and to use it to build a better, easier, more practical life.

“Talking about trends involves much more than predicting which colors and materials will come to prominence,” explains Javier. “It’s about understanding the logic behind what’s going on and daring to predict what might emerge as a result,” he concludes.

If you want to gain a deeper understanding of Javier Alcaraz’ design vision and expertise, sign up for one of his courses: Automated Editorial Design with Adobe InDesign, Introduction to Adobe InDesign, and Compositional Techniques for Graphic Design.

English version by @studiogaunt.

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