Is all design looking the same to you? Are you following graphic design trends subconsciously?
Top 7 Most Overused Techniques & Elements Used in Graphic Design
Whenever you look for inspiration, you are bound to come across at least one of these techniques / effects / elements. These effects are neither “good or bad” however they are the most common elements found in today’s designs.
Stock images have been used to portray each element. On that note of stock, there was a great discussion about the use of stock art over at GoMediaZine.
1. Sunrays / Rays of Light / Rising Sun
By far the most overused technique used in design today is theinfamous rays of light usually found tucked away in the background of adesign or at the very forefront of the design such as in the pictureabove.
2. Black (or Coloured) Silhouettes
Vectorised silhouettes of people and other objects is definitelysecond on the list. Made famous by the iPod campaign this technique cannow be seen everywhere. Notice the combination of the sun rays andblack silhouettes?
3. Ink Splatter
Closely contending with number 4, ink splatters are everywhere. InkSplatters do add a cool / trendy look to a design and they do blendwell with grunge style designs however ink splatters should be used inmoderation.
4. Swirls / Flourishes / Ornaments
Swirls seem to be all the rage at the moment as they are quiteappealing and generally just nice to look at. Flourishes &ornaments go well together to create organic, fresh designs which isquite ‘in’ at the moment.
5. Flowing Lines
Flowing lines generally add motion and fluidity to a design whichgives it a certain emotion when combined with other elements (ie. funkycircles as seen above) which is generally why they come up so often.
6. Funky Circles
The funky circle colour combo is evident in numerous designs acrossthe web and like the name suggests it does give a design a quite funkylook however they are being used everywhere!
7. Smoke Textures
These smoky effects are not as blatantly obvious as the other onesas they are always in the background of a design however if you look abit closer, these smoky effects are everywhere.