2027 Graphic Design Trends

It’s no surprise that a big “trend” in graphic design is a focus on human-centricity. A movement to show that the work was created by a human. “... the most useful graphic design trends right now are the ones a generator cannot fake.” (We And The Color) This goes beyond the look of a piece, it also includes proof, showing your work - the piece’s provenance. This is more of a silent trend, something you probably won’t be sharing with anyone unless they ask. However, behind the scenes content always does well so maybe you can incorporate this into your marketing plans.

As for trends that we will be seeing in design work, the focus remains on adding the human touch.

TEXTURES

We’re not talking about perfectly blended gradients any more, we’re going old school with a hands-on approach to creating textures. Think of the smears from a dying printer cartridge or speckles from dust on a scanner. Building your texture in the real world with traditional media (film, paper, ink) and transferring it to the digital prioritizes the human touch.

IMPERFECT

Like with the step away from clean textures, we’re doing the same with perfectionism. Deliberate imperfectionism is where you give yourself permission to break the rules, but be cognizant and don’t just throw caution to the wind and go ham. A quote I always think of, attributed to Pablo Picasso, is, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” By understanding how alignment, hierarchy, contrast, repetition, proximity, balance, color, and negative space work, you can purposefully push back on their intended use.

TYPOGRAPHY

Various ways of using typography have been trending for the past few years. 2027’s incarnation is to make it big, really big. Giant text is a great way to garner attention by breaking up the repetitive visual weight of everything around it. Be striking. Make one point, one message dominate rather than show everything. Let the type become the visual. A well balanced layout of hierarchy can create a striking piece.

COLOR

Color trends ebb and flow from bold to pastel to neutral and we’ll see them shift again in 2027 to rich, expressive shades pulled from nature. Sherwin-Williams has chosen celery as their color of the year, which they describe as “an airy, herbal green that embodies fresh perspectives and elegance.” Behr has selected grounded, “an earthy olive green that captures the restorative essence and quiet energy of nature.” (If you’re curious what Pantone will be picking for their Color of the Year, come back for my December article.) Stepping beyond paint colors, fashion has been leaning into earthy tones as well, as seen at various Fashion Weeks. “Blending feelings of joy with the growing movement to connect with the natural world, colors for NYFW Spring / Summer 2027 encourage individual expression and continuous experimentation.” (Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute) It’s not a far leap to expect to see these types of colors incorporated into graphic designers’ palettes.

As with anything, don’t just do something because it’s trendy. Make sure everything in your work (layouts, colors, text, etc) is intentional and works together (even if its point is to create tension), and, as always, it needs to make sense with your brand.

If you’re curious how these trends differ from the past five years, check out my previous blogs covering 2026 Trends, 2025 Trends, 2024 Trends, 2023 Trends, and 2022 Trends.

Jessica is the Art Director at PromoCorner and has been in the promotional products industry since 2010. With a degree in Graphic Design, she has been working in Marketing since 2006 creating advertising of all sizes; from social posts to billboards. Jessica shares her passion for design in her monthly blog, Designer Patch. She can be reached at jessica@promocorner.com.