Evolutionary creative design choices in a world of transient aesthetic trends

The other day, after a typical overwhelming family dinner, my sister asked me, “Why do you always correct people when they call you an artist?״

“Well, that’s because I’m not an artist.” I replied. 

“So what’s the difference between you and an artist?” she asked.

I looked at her, thinking of how to explain it without driving away every last member of my one-person audience—who at that point was just staring at me with her eyes open wide and her bowl filled with half-eaten guacamole.

Designers vs. artists: it’s all about the context

The truth is, design is all about context. It’s not craftsmanship, nor is it art. It’s not about what is beautiful, nor about what is effective. It’s entirely dependent on context. And there’s something about calling a designer an artist that takes away from something that was painstakingly developed and perfected by the designer over the years—namely, the skill of applying context. 

Designers find themselves in a sort of creative crossroad – they must balance the need for approachable assets that are in line with existing aesthetic trends while simultaneously offering work that can shed new light on these prevailing perspectives in aesthetics and in concept.

An artist mostly relies on their own disposition at a given moment and expresses it in whatever way their muse dictates. A designer, on the other hand, does not have that privilege. Designers must be aware of the environment in which their designs will dwell, among other things. They must consider what was done before, the values—aesthetic or otherwise— that influenced it, and how, as designers, they must adapt and innovate on existing conventions. 

Designers find themselves in a sort of creative crossroad—they must balance the need for approachable assets that are in line with existing aesthetic trends while simultaneously offering work that can shed new light on these prevailing perspectives in aesthetics and in concept.

“Well,” I said to her, 

“A designer is like a skilled party hostess, moving deftly between her guests, impressing them and making them feel at home at once.״ 

“A designer is like a skilled party hostess, moving deftly between her guests, impressing them and making them feel at home at once.״ 

Nailing this subtle balance between familiarity and innovation within a specific context is the key to good design—and just one of the biggest challenges designers face today. 

Industry trends and their impact on design

Of course, every area of design has a slightly different formula. Commercial design is different from conceptual design, and for this—and other reasons— it is very difficult to define any sort of design “golden ratio”. 

different areas of design move at different paces.  Architectural design trends tend to stick around longer than those of industrial design, which are in turn lasting longer than those of the fashion industry – low rise jean victims rejoice

For instance, different areas of design move at different paces.  Architectural design trends tend to stick around longer than those of industrial design, which are in turn lasting longer than those of the fashion industry – low rise jean victims rejoice – and so on. The industry, artistic as it may be, ultimately dictates the pace of trends and thus instills different values into these fields.

Digital design, however, is unique in that it is relatively fast and adaptable, and therefore more subject to frequently changing trends. Changing a creative cover or an app feature is so simple and free of ecological consequences that it allows for continuous iterations and updates at a much faster rate, for better and for worse. 

The trends that impact digital design aren’t random – they usually represent a change or need, specific and concrete or lateral, that spans the entire industry.

The trends that impact digital design aren’t random—they usually represent a change or need, specific and concrete or lateral, that spans the entire industry. For example, illustrations of characters with large bodies and small heads began to spread across the web because they allow for scalability in character modelling, by any designer who is not an illustrator. 

Sometimes the innovation or trend will occur by virtue of the technique used- vector design allows designers to adopt and abandon different techniques quickly. There was also a short period where it seemed that contour was the hot new thing, which brought with it a “simple” look for creative elements. But then gradients returned to our lives as a result of a feature launched in Adobe Illustrator. 

We also saw how trends impact design on a large scale when Wacom digitizers pushed us towards a less clean aesthetic, using lines that look as though they had been drawn by hand, with filters that are slightly grainier. Perhaps one of the most explicit examples would be how the evolution of 3D work has brought the real world and digital design together.

How can digital designers handle this?

Any designer seeking a new job knows the gut-wrenching stress of reviewing their portfolio, only to find that somehow in the short span of two years, it already feels slightly archaic- followed of course by the sense of urgency to bring it into “the now”.

This is due to the rapid fluctuations in what is considered “current” in design. Creative design in the digital world gives one access to so many existing efforts, techniques, formats, and ideas and this can be used to our benefit as designers.

Any designer seeking a new job knows the gut-wrenching stress of reviewing their portfolio, only to find that somehow in the short span of two years, it already feels slightly archaic- followed of course by the sense of urgency to bring it into “the now”.

As a start, striving to know and understand them, even if only roughly, will enhance any designer’s work. As far as juggling and formulating the right mix of sticking to the existing trends and innovating on top of them- there is no absolute truth. I, personally, tend to lean hard into the second option, but in doing so I often risk being misunderstood (which is, of course, every creator’s biggest fear).

There are many methods to produce a healthy balance between the two. Some designers combine a new conceptual message with an existing aesthetic, and some go the other way around, by using a new aesthetic for an existing idea. The other option is to explicitly challenge existing trends.

When we challenge an existing trend, as designers we need to understand how we’re changing it, and why. 

The opportunities are expansive—an interesting mix of a flat graphical element on top of a three-dimensional work; a saturated mix of colors contrasting the previous era of pastel; realistic character illustrations that serve to challenge the prevailing convention of abstraction; or even a texture that is almost the same as what is currently happening in the digital world, but with a single detail that is “off-grid”. All of these can be used by the designer to visually add interest to digital trends, and they spread like wildfire as soon as they pop up.

we should not be afraid of trends, since they will happen whether we like it or not. But by adopting a strategic (and romantic) understanding of their nature, we can add an evolutionary bend to our work as designers.

My assertion is that we should not be afraid of trends, since they will happen whether we like it or not. But by adopting a strategic (and romantic) understanding of their nature, we can add an evolutionary bend to our work as designers. The digital designer has been granted the privilege to juggle a variety of styles without giving any thought to the ecological effect of doing so, in stark contrast to print, textiles, etc. Because of that, we should celebrate these changes. 

as designers we also have the power to offer users a different point of view and allow them to open up, even if only momentarily, to aesthetic diversity, and hopefully to any kind of diversity. 

Of course, one must take into account the user’s needs and their natural inclination towards certain existing trends, but as designers we also have the power to offer users a different point of view and allow them to open up, even if only momentarily, to aesthetic diversity, and hopefully to any kind of diversity.