The Troopers in Design Trends for 2016

CUBEZOO / DESIGN TRENDS / PRESENTATION 01

CUBEZOO / DESIGN TRENDS / ©CUBEZOO 2016

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2016 /ColourStylesUpcoming designers


COLOUR /Pantone 2016Less is bestRGBBlue huesColour heal ingIndustr ia l pastels


PANTONE 2016 /


CUBEZOO / TRENDS FOR 2016 / COLOUR

SPECIAL

/ PANTONE 2016

For the first time ever, the global colour authority has picked a combination of two for the year ahead: Pantone 15-3919 Serenity and Pantone 13-1520 Rose Quartz.

According to Pantone, 2016’s combination is “a harmonious pairing of inviting shades that embody a mind-set of tranquillity and inner peace.”

This multilateral approach to colour is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity.


LESS IS BEST /



SPECIAL

/ LESS IS BEST

The trend for simplicity has evolved since 2013, with brands stripping back to stand out. Even packaging for fine wine is being stripped of anything extraneous.

The timelessness of 2016’s modern neutrals will flourish and be able to stand the test of the time.

Limited colour palettes of black, white and greys offer clarity in a sea of choice and visual (over)stimulation.



SPECIAL



SPECIAL

/ COLOUR FORECAST

I have always tried to create designs that use no more than one or two primary colours. I think we’ll start to see more of this in 2016. Allowing the product, photography, video, etc. to carry the weight.

Choosing one colour that you’ll use for links allows for a consistent experience for the user. We shouldn’t overwhelm them with multiple colours and patterns. Since we are minimizing the colours, we can get bold with the one or two colours that we do use.

—A creative at Paramore Digitalhttp://paramoredigital.com/work/


RGB /



SPECIAL

/ RGB

We’re seeing more and more use of RGB colour. RGB provides a much more saturated, rich way of presenting colour that brands are really having fun with. — Connie Birdsall

“Colours this season transport us to a happier, sunnier place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves,”

– Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute.



SPECIAL


BLUE HUES /



SPECIAL

/ BLUE HUES

The battle to save the world’s oceans has a bigger presence than ever across lifestyle sectors, and oceanic shades come to the fore in design.

The growing interest in these great expanses of blue and their desperate state is inspiring a new appreciation of the nuance, richness and meaning of the colour blue itself, from flat, deep blues and watery creeping marble bleeds to oxidised aquamarine and recycled denim.

– Creative Bloqhttp://www.creativebloq.com/



SPECIAL


COLOUR HEALING /



SPECIAL

/ COLOUR HEALING

Soft ombres and warm tones reign as an audience focused on wellness increasingly craves mindfulness, escape and relaxation. Our natural circadian rhythm is disrupted by our digital lifestyles and excessive connectivity as screen interfaces warp our body clocks, preventing relaxation and disrupting sleep.

Designers such as Éléonore Delisse address this imbalance by creating products that use the soothing, warm orange believed to counteract the cool, energising blue light inherent in digital interfaces.

– Creative Bloqhttp://www.creativebloq.com/



SPECIAL


INDUSTRIAL PASTELS /



SPECIAL

/ INDUSTRIAL PASTELS

Shifting from feminine to masculine, reflecting gender neutrality and equality, pink becomes the new neutral and soft pastel tones get an industrial reworking in 2016.

Mint green and powdered shades of pink become key and appear in large quantities and in expansive forms. Sickly sweet shades are neutralised by accents of bright yellow, warm grey and inky blue-black to create a palette that is soft, sophisticated and gender-neutral.

– Kate Franklin, FranklinTill Studio



SPECIAL


DESIGN STYLES /


CUBEZOO / TRENDS FOR 2016 / STYLES

SPECIAL

/ FLAT

Flat designs will continue to dominate and not because they look clean and forthright, but because they register well in any browsing device, especially due to SVG. They load a lot faster too.

Patterns, textures, shadows, gradients will give way to simpler lines and colours. These register better in print or online, in black, grey or colour, and on any browsing device.

With a lot of big brands adopting flat design in the last few years, mass audiences are more and more aware of the fact that less is better when it comes to visual style.



SPECIAL

/ HANDMADE

This trend has been slowly gaining ground for several years now. It is not something new. A small sketch of an arrow, or one or two scribbled letters prominently combined with some other design elements have been evident in a growing number of company logos. They’re the ones that don’t look “truly” handmade but they don’t feel digital either.

“I believe even more firmly than I did a year ago ...that hand-drawn typography will continue to flourish in 2016.”- Gail Anderson, director of design and digital media at Visual Arts Press.



SPECIAL

/ TYPOGRAPHY

With typography becoming a key element in any serious branding efforts, broad audiences are getting used to seeing artistic typefaces pop up everywhere.

Typography is a language in itself. A few years ago, only graphic designers were able to talk and understand that language. Today, more people are gaining access to it, thanks to the wider range of available web fonts.

Again, another success for Google, Google Fonts is a big reason more people have ditched Arial for cooler and newer fonts (though Lobster is already overused; please stop it now, thanks).



SPECIAL

/ USABILITY

In 2016, design will be all about the user. User experience (UX) will indeed be the new black.No one will care about how cool your design looks, if it’s not usable.

Engaging your users really comes at the front in 2016. It will be really difficult for you to grow your online business if you don’t take user experience into account.

Google’s algorithmic changes, customer behavior data… They all point in the same direction, and that is “your website needs to load fast and be easy to use”.



SPECIAL

/ RESPONSIVENESS

We all know a responsive site is not optional anymore. Today, mobile is already the “first screen”. When it comes to rankings, Google is literally crushing sites that don’t offer a mobile-friendly experience.

Usability is very important in all platforms. And since mobile is now the first screen, user experience on mobile phones is key. A good responsive design will have perfect usability on mobile screens. Hiding a desktop function for mobile users is not an acceptable solution anymore.

https://vimeo.com/140261056

http://gretelny.com/project/56/netflix-branding



SPECIAL

/ APP-BASED WEB DESIGN

Not surprisingly, people are getting more and more used to faster browsing experiences in native apps. Designers have long proposed that websites should learn from app design’s quick wins (speed, zero distractions, tailored user experience).

Now, marketers are catching up on this trend. After a time in which login areas were frowned upon, more businesses will bring them back, either to add app-like functionalities or to add a level of ‘exclusivity’, as the web becomes a more and more saturated place.



SPECIAL

/ HIDDEN MENUS

Some people hated the now omnipresent Hamburger Menu or navicon. It was just a first step, if a bit awkward, in the direction of more intuitive navigation. Now, say hello to clever menus.

Hidden navigations that appear out of nowhere depending on the user’s actions will soon be the norm. Again, the key concept here is that users shouldn’t be distracted from what’s really important at any given time.

Even if we can’t see it at the moment, experience tells us that there is a menu on every website. So no need to worry, it will just appear when we need it.



SPECIAL

http://michaelvi l leneuve.fr/



http://exit f i lm. jp/

SPECIAL



http://brandjunkie.guru/

http://designmodo.com/hidden-menus/

SPECIAL



SPECIAL

/ MODULES AND MODULAR TEXT

No one likes to read a dreadfully long blurb of text.The first trick to breakdown long texts in the web was to try to write in short paragraphs. But later, design came to the rescue and offered a modular approach to web page layout.

Modular design is a technique where everything is built using a block grid pattern. But this doesn’t mean a boring pattern, like a chessboard. In fact, it can mean exactly the opposite: hard to anticipate patterns, that make it easy for us to read and be interested in the different parts of a website / brochure / book, etc.



SPECIAL

/ MODULAR AND INFINITE SCROLL

What is the latest move in the whole modular trend? Modular scrolling. Meaning every module on a website may scroll on its own, independently from the other modules.

Sounds too complicated to handle? It really isn’t. In fact, you may have already seen it (though sometimes it’s hard to notice) in sites with a sidebar that doesn’t scroll at the same speed than the main content.But it’s about to get better. Picture a website divided in two columns with independent scroll...

https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/hotel-de-rome/



SPECIAL

/ MODULAR AND INFINITE SCROLL

It all began with infinite scroll. A trend that you may have noticed in 2015. Some of the most popular sites on the world today, like Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook already use it, so why shouldn’t everybody else?

Infinite and modular scroll work on the same premise: scrolling down is easier and faster than clicking and it doesn’t interrupt user experience by stopping and loading another page. This is done by automatically fading in new content as the user scrolls down.

It’s no wonder that social sites boast amazing average times on page per user. When the content is right for the audience, infinite scroll may feel extremely addictive.

Time.com’s bounce rate dropped 15 percentage points after they adopted infinite scrolling.


GRAPHIC DESIGNERS TO WATCH IN 2016 /


CUBEZOO / ARTISTS / KIRSTEN BENNET

SPECIAL

/ KIRSTEN BENNET

Kirsten Bennett completed her studies at The Red & Yellow School with a focus on art direction and graphic design, and is now a Junior Art Director at M&C Saatchi Abel. With a sharp and often humourous approach and a love for hand crafted work, she nabbed two bronze awards at the Loeries last year.

“I am passionate about the honesty in hand crafted work. If any number of people were handed a pencil and asked to draw the same thing, each drawing would be different – obviously.”


CUBEZOO / ARTISTS / KIRSTEN BENNET

SPECIAL


CUBEZOO / ARTISTS / SARAH MITCHELL

SPECIAL

/ SARAH MITCHELL

Making use of vibrant colour palettes and story-like communication in her design and illustration, Sarah Mitchell has an eye for detail, a passion for environmentalism, and a seemingly inexhaustible work ethic.

“Usually a certain kind of medium just traps me. I fall in love with something and try to work it into all my projects. My zine craze is an example.”


CUBEZOO / ARTISTS / SARAH MITCHELL

SPECIAL


CUBEZOO / ARTISTS / KELVIN SOUTHWOOD

SPECIAL

/ KELVIN SOUTHWOOD

Kelvin Southwood’s work is instinctive yet thoughtful, and engaging to interact with. His style has become more refined since he first began experimenting with design but has retained a playful edge – whether it’s through an offbeat placement of letters, or an unusual selection of colours.

“When I first started designing I designed just by eye, but now I design using rules and thought. Research plays a big part.”


CUBEZOO / ARTISTS / KELVIN SOUTHWOOD

SPECIAL


THANKYOU /


YOU CAN’T USE UP CREATIVITY.

THE MORE YOU USE, THE MORE

YOU HAVE.

/ MAYA ANGELOU

The Troopers in Design Trends for 2016

Design

Transcript of The Troopers in Design Trends for 2016