Trends in Branding and Marketing for 2021 — Designing for 2021 and beyond

7/8 Design Trends for 2021: Purpose-driven, Human, and Simple

This is the seventh of a series of articles in which we discuss trends impacting the world of business, viewed from the lens of branding and marketing, interpreting desk research specifically for 2021. In this article, we discuss the design trends and elements that can help you create Purpose-driven Brands in 2021.

This series of articles was created by SparQle CBS, as a research-based explanation of our vision for marketing and branding success in the years to come.

The results so far indicate one thing: Businesses, Marketing and Brands will need to be much more human-centered and Purpose-driven to connect with stakeholders and have a significant positive impact in 2021 and beyond.

Read the introduction to this series of articles here:

“A Purpose-driven brand is the culmination of every individual employee’s personal Why, aligned with the Brand Purpose or organization mission.”

Great. But… how do we do it? In this article we dive into the way to create a visual brand that communicates humanity and communicates a Purpose-driven brand — and that makes sense in the online landscape of 2021.

Designing for 2021 and beyond

What are existing trends in (UX) Design, and how have the events of 2020 changed the look and feel of successful design for brands over the upcoming months or years?

Starting from the idea of brands needing to be and communicate more purpose-driven, more humanely and more authentically; first and foremost design for 2021 would need to be aligned with that.

Your design — as always — will have to follow suit with any changes to your brand strategy and the purpose that’s at the core of your brand.

Next to that, the stakeholders you design for will undoubtedly be expecting a very simple, smooth and frictionless experience at every touchpoint.

So, for design in 2021, think transparency, simplicity in UX/UI, Human, and adding to or strengthening the core story.

Now, what are specific visual design trends we need to consider? And what are other things to consider and incorporate into your visual design for 2021? Let’s look at what trends we were seeing before 2020 and before Covid-19 and lockdowns, and then look at the actual trends for 2021.

Design trends for 2020 — before Covid and lockdowns

The following design trends were important to incorporate in your brand’s look and feel in 2020:

• Bold color use; pink, purple, and blue; futuristic, urban/punk styles and, handwritten fonts with big personalities;
• Muted colors & beautiful gradients, bold, big lettering, and branded animations;
• Brand identity extending beyond the logo; bold colors & color contrasts, outstanding fonts, and the incorporation of art such as illustration and animation into your design.

What changed over the course of 2020 when it comes to design, and what should we incorporate in our visual branding and design for 2021?

Design trends for 2021 — return to basics after Covid-19 and lockdowns

If we look at the design trends for 2020 and compare them to what experts are seeing and expecting for 2021, we see one notable difference. Namely, that design in 2021 is a bit less bold, expressive and even optimistic — and rather that we come back to a calmer, and more basic focus on what really matters.

That would only make sense if we look at all that happened in the world over the course of this year.

• 99designs.com asked their design experts. Trends they expect to see are a focus on the basics — on what matters. So: a focus on people; Nature and nature-inspired elements; Consciousness/Awakening — and last but certainly not least an authentic representation of diversity. The expert panel at 99designs also expects a renewed interest for classic symbols.

• Venngage.com expects to see a few adaptations to the trends of 2020 as well: Muted colors, Data-visualisations to convey information in a fast and effective way, and more use of Geometric shapes and classic (serif) fonts as a way to feel grounded. Venngage also expects to see even more video using a lot of text, as it is a smart way to produce video content when the recording of video is difficult — such as under lockdown conditions.
• GraphicMama finally also denotes a focus on muted colors (or less color at all — related to less eye-strain and the black color schemes that many apps and applications now offer); more geometric shapes and nature-inspired design.

“2020 saw a move toward muted palettes and 2021 looks like taking that one step further.”

Design for 2021: Purpose-driven, Human-centered, and Simple

So, what does it mean to have your brand visuals and design in order for 2021? Make sure you focus on the human aspect, and in a broader context on what matters — to your brand and all of its stakeholders.

That way you are making sure your design is as purpose-driven as the rest of your brand.

Finally, design in our view also includes storytelling & tone-of-voice. In 2021, be agile and humble, next to human and purpose-driven. Tell your ever-evolving story and co-create it with your people and your audience.

Read this article to find out more about how to actually create a Purpose-driven brand with brand messaging coming from Employee Advocates and Brand Ambassadors:

In the final article of this series, we sum up the findings in our research. Stay tuned!

SparQle: Shine, Connect, and Grow

SparQle is an online Brand Identity Agency. We help people and organizations find their unique, authentic self — and make it SparQle. To tell their story from that unique identity and to connect online. To help you Shine, Connect, and Grow.

Would you like to know more about our services or what we can do for you?

Check out our website or go ahead and connect with us right away.

Read more from us on Medium: