Shiny, Happy Surfaces

According to STEP Inside Design magazine these are some of the the Design Trends for 2007. Some of these are standards that never go out of style (disciplined typography, for example) and some of these I have been noticing lately such as the “happy colors & hippy pictures.”

Whether these are truly predictions for the future or reflections on the recent past-- all are good food for design thought. Is the grunge, punk style dead? Is 'matte finish' finished? We shall see, eh?

> Variations Within a Theme: several ads, or designs based on the same theme. Example- different color business cards with all the same design for a single company.

> Shiny, Shiny Textures: high gloss varnished and shimmery surfaces.

> Disciplined Typography: I am always a big fan of experienced typography and well kerned text!

> Black is the New Black: forget about brown as the new black, black is back.

> Happy Colors & Hippy Pictures: trippy graphics are fun to look at.

> Straight Photography: goodbye collages, single large photos rule the layout.

> Visual Narrative: every picture tells a story, don't it?

> Posters: posters offer immediate visual impact and are indeed 'art'. I love doing rock posters (see last year's Strummer Benefit poster above).