You don’t want to miss these 6 brand trends for 2023 and beyond!

Posted by Anya Sleezer << back to blog

Last Updated on January 17, 2023

Your brand reflects and shapes your relationship with your customers. Like any relationship, it’s a balancing act. On the one hand, your brand has to be reliable, relatable, recognizable, and familiar, but it also can’t be predictable, trite, or worst of all, boring. Boring brands are invisible and voiceless in an increasingly crowded marketplace, while brands that shift design directions too dramatically suffer from the same debacle Gap did when they totally changed their logo.

If this sounds like hard work, it absolutely is. But it also can be rewarding and yes, a lot of fun too. What can we say, we’re branding geeks, so we love this stuff!

As digital marketing and branding design professionals, one of the coolest parts of our job is staying on top of—and ahead of—the latest design trends. Not surprisingly, 2023’s design trends are very interesting, and do more than just sell products or services, but give brands a voice in the larger cultural conversation. Trends we’re seeing in other parts of culture and society are shaping what’s happening in brand design (and vice versa) in exciting, inspiring ways.

What are these brand design trends, what do they say about our culture, and what do they mean for your brand? Get inspired and explore these six brand design trends for 2023!

VR & AR

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Historically, AR and immersive worlds has been outside the purview of most web designers. In 2023, this trend is changing. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is pushing AR/VR technology as the next frontier, and while they have hit a few snags along the way (to put it mildly), there’s no reason to think the AR/VR trend isn’t here to stay. Imagine being able to try on a pair of shoes before you buy them online. The Vyking brand is delivering this experience by creating technology that reinvents digital shopping.

Brutalism

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You may think your brand wouldn’t want to be associated with the word “brutal,” but brutalism is a design movement based around stark utilitarianism. It emphasizes raw materials, muted color palettes, and sharp edges. Brutalism is great for trendy, irreverent brands, as it helps them stand out and attract a younger target audience.

Kitsch

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For the past decade-plus, design has been getting more minimal. With TikTok on the rise, the pendulum seems to be swinging back (forward?) towards kitsch. A kitschy design has bold, in-your-face elements. Don’t be surprised if 2023 sees websites leveraging pop-ups, brash typefaces, neon colors, and design that’s intentionally low-fi like its 1999…or 1989. Think default fonts, patterned backgrounds, old-school browser windows, simple layouts, and decorative sticker icons that convey an amateur look—even if the designer is anything but.

Dopamine Colors

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Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that makes you feel good. Okay, there’s way more to it than that, but we’re marketers, not neuro-endocrinologists. Turns out, the colors we see impact our mood, and there’s a connection between bright colours and happiness. When you use bright, vibrant colors, it can significantly boost your target’s feelings of happiness and confidence. Does this make you feel a little manipulative? Don’t let it. There’s nothing manipulative about using colors to help make your customers happy. After all, isn’t that what your brand wants to do?

Scrollytelling

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“Scrollytelling” websites maximize their one-page designs by elevating the “infinite scroll” to an art form. As the name implies, scrollytelling use the scrolling website to tell a story, with animations and full-screen displays appearing as the users scroll horizontally or vertically. This design was pioneered by The New York Times, and is being used for longer narratives and news pieces. It’s great for telling an immersive digital story like web editorials, interviews, and advertorials, but it also adds personality to corporate landing pages, blog articles, and About Us pages.

Return of the retro web

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Feeling nostalgic for pixelated designs, Skeuomorphism, and even flashy cursors? Good news for you; these retro design trends are all back in vogue! Retro designs give your content an ironic and iconic flavor that’s ideal for irreverent and niche brands, especially if you’re targeting Millennials and Gen Z. Don’t get too excited though; the retro trend is taking off because a lot of 12-25 years have never seen it before (#feelingold).

Is your imagination bursting with excitement and inspiration right now? Same. Let us help you take advantage of these design trends for 2023 and beyond! Contact us and level up your design with Levo!

FAQs

Why is it necessary for brands to keep up with the latest design trends?

Trends frome other parts of culture and society are shaping brand design (and vice versa) in exciting, inspiring ways. Knowing design trends does more than just sell products or services; it gives brands a voice in the larger cultural conversation.

What is the kitsch design trend?

The new kitsch design trend is a stark contrast to the recent minimalistic, clean and sophisticated trends. It entails pop-ups, brash typefaces, neon colors, and other “in-your-face” elements.

What are dopamine colors?

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that makes you feel good. So the colors we see can impact our mood by releasing dopamine. When you use bright, vibrant colors, it can significantly boost your target’s feelings of happiness and confidence.

Anya Sleezer

Anya Sleezer is the owner of Levo, a full–service marketing agency, focused on helping companies from all industries who are concerned with their marketing results, traffic, branding, advertising, or websites.

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