New year new you! Well, not quite; new year, same core values and ethos of doing the good stuff for the good people. But we are looking to what’s a-movin and a-shakin in our various zones of genius. So what are the Peaches excited about in 2018? We explore in this mini series.
First up – our gorgeous creatives…
“The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.” – Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute
So, apart from the Pantone Colour of the Year (it’s Ultra Violet btw), what else are the exotic creatures of design and creativity getting hot under the collar for?
The continual rise of illustration
What IS it about the pictures we love so much? Is it the playfulness? The ability to make any subject (even insurance) seem colourful and bright? Is it the versatility and responsiveness? Praps it’s all of the above. Whatever it is, illustration is here to stay, for the time being.
Authentic photography
Nope, can’t do it, cannot write about the importance of beautiful images vs stock photography again. But how about checking out the beautiful Raw Health site for an example of professional photography working in harmony with your messages.
Responsive logos
A responsive logo is one that adapts to fit its surroundings, while retaining its core integrity. This lovely site by Joe Harrison allows you to see it in action. Resize your screen and watch as the logos adapt and change to fit. As the calling card of your brand, you should always be able to view a logo in all its glory, regardless of which medium you view it in.
White space and irregular grids
Gaining popularity in 2017, this design approach and increasing front-end technology makes it easy to customise grids and respond elegantly, which in turn helps content become more of the design.
Bigger, bolder typography
Large statement-like headings replacing ‘hero images’ and banners are on the up. Businesses are shifting away from specific imagery if their demographic is broad, but a bold typographical statement, paired with strong colour is powerful, simple and universal.
Shape in design
In addition to larger illustrations, we’ll be seeing more angles, circles and curved shapes used as background images to divide and shape content. Enhancement in browser support of SVGs (scalable vector graphics) means the scalability of this has become much easier, making responsive background elements much simpler to control.
Mobile navigation shifting to the bottom of the screen
The navigation in your apps is at the bottom because it’s easy for your thumb to reach, so, as is always the way in design, why not do it on a website? Simple as that.
Micro, scroll & loading animations and interactions
Take a look round the new GP site (woop woop!) and you’ll see these everywhere. The peach that loads before the intro, the intro itself, scroll animations, image pre-loaders, loading gifs when submitting forms, the transition of the menu, going from one page to the next. There’s a lot going on but for good reason, scroll animations show there’s more to see, micro animations add delight, loading animations let you know something’s going on.
So there you have it folks – the creative look ahead to the rest of the year. It’s responsive, shapely and spacious and we’re very much looking forward to it unfolding.
Be sociable! Share your predictions and resolutions for design in 2018 with us @giantpeach #giantpeachpredictions