
Whether you’re looking to evolve your packaging in order to better serve your consumers’ needs or you just want to give your brand and products a totally new look in a bid to leave 2021 where it belongs (far behind us), here’s how you can leverage three of the biggest design styles set to shape packaging in the year ahead.
1.Eccentric text-centric design
Image credit: Packaging design by goopanic on 99designs
Forgoing photography and illustrations, eccentric text-centric design instead balances white and negative space with playful typefaces in even more playful colors. In some cases, readability is even left second to aesthetics as experimentations in line thickness and text hierarchy focus on the letters as the artform.
Image credit: 2DADS
2.Y2K aesthetic reigns supreme
Image credit: Chubby Snacks
Although this style was ubiquitous in its time, its novelty became old and tired quickly. Until now, it has remained quite firmly in the decade it was born. However, such is the cyclical nature of trends and after another truly challenging year, consumers and brands alike continue to seek comfort in the design styles of the past. While the Y2K style is gaudy, a little bit tacky, and experimental, there’s also something comforting and attractive in its appealing familiarity.
Image credit: BelliWelli
While this aesthetic has been growing in popularity with the Gen Z market for some time now, 2022 will see it catapulted into the mainstream. This younger cohort making up a large portion of consumers and the resurgence of Y2K is a great example of how their preferences can quickly become the driver of broader consumer taste changes. However, while it doesn’t look set to go anywhere any time soon, if you’re a more traditional brand, or you don’t plan on making any large branding changes for a while, approach this style with a little caution. Its kitschy, millennium charm is alluring to many, but there’s no telling how long it will stick around.
3. The reign of rubber hose characters
Image credit: Wally’s Vegan, packaging design by Anastasia S. on 99 designs
Known as “années folles” in France, meaning “crazy years,” this seems apt considering the revival of a certain type of cartoon—rubber hose characters! If you’re not familiar with the term, you’ll likely be familiar with classic characters like Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, and Popeye, which were made famous by the likes of Walt Disney and Bill Nolan in 1920’s animation.
Image credit: Creature Coffee Co.
Built from basic blocks and shapes, they may be simple in design, but their signature rubber-hose limbs create the illusion of wacky movement and animation in static 2D drawings.
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If one of your goals is to strengthen the emotional connections you make with your customers, making a mascot the face of your brand is a smart move. Packed with humor and personality, a mascot can be the perfect way to convey your brand story and personality. Just because these characters are cartoon-like, doesn’t mean they’re just for children’s brands. 2022’s contemporary take on these characters sees plenty of sports caps, sneakers, and tattoos giving them an edge and seeing them crop up everywhere, from street wear brands to pizzerias. So, if you’re looking to create a friendly face for your customers to connect and resonate with, why not consider one of these friendly fellows to help your brand take on a life of its own.
After another somber year, it’s really not surprising that society is seeking to inject positivity and lightheartedness into the day to day in any way possible. By leveraging the biggest and most beautiful design trends across your packaging, your brand can play a small but vital role in delivering some much-needed excitement directly to their doors—ultimately building a strong relationship with them that lasts long after the pandemic.
Shayne is Head of Marketing at 99designs, the global creative platform by Vista.