We’re already well into 2018 and juicy creative is pulsing through the minds and tablets of graphic designers near and far. We believe that great design has the ability to be timeless, withstanding fads as they cycle in and out of popularity. But, we also recognize that sometimes, hopping on a design trend can help us tap into the zeitgeist of the time and connect with people in a contemporary manner.

At this time of year that we like to look back on the anticipated design trend forecasts to see if they’ve come to fruition. It’s a little pulse check on the design community and where its collective head is at. Here are five trends we have definitely spotted so far this year.

1. Integration

Integration is a more intentional and creative usage of a headline or text overlay. The idea is that the image blends in more seamlessly with the image so that the visuals can take centre stage, while the communication of the text still comes across.  It’s almost as if the image and the text are living in the same dimension.

2. Photo Masking

This technique is similar to integration, but it includes shapes, bars of colour and text to mask photography. In this example you can see that the image has been used to mask the text. This is a technique you’ll see across many industries.

3. Sliced Text

The effect makes it look as though a knife has sliced right through a block of text. It gives a feeling of collage and creates visual interest when you’re only using type. Colour can be used to add additional style.

4. Glitch

This graphic treatment makes an image appear as though it has had some sort of digital interference. Glitch is currently very popular in contemporary designs and now that it’s on your radar, you’ll see this everywhere.

5. Type As Illustration

This is, by far, one of our favourites as it takes simple type or number form and turns it into an illustration. If you have to use type to communicate a message, you may as well use this creative form of typography to spruce things up a little bit.

Thanks to YouTube vlogger and designer Phillip VanDusen for the inspiration. You can watch his full-length video, which highlights a total of 15 trends for 2018.

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