My Favorite 5 Photoshop Trends of 2018

1. Double Exposer Duotone. I’ve seen this a lot even on Instagram and twitter, where people use apps to double their images with red and blue halo-like effects. Designers are also able to create the same effect on Photoshop by turning off the red, green or blue channels of a photo with the Advanced Blending tool. Then all a designer has to do is shift the photo layer that is on top and it looks like the viewer is seeing double!
2. Duotone. Duotone is really popular right now with designers and their work probably because of Spotify and its influence. Designers either use duotone presets that allow them to create duotone effects, or they do them organically by turning their photo black and white and then adding solid colors on top of each other. The darker color is usually set to ‘multiply’ while the lighter color is set to ‘lighten’ in the layer options.
3. Cropped Typography. According to Graphic Mama, cropped typography was a hot trend that began in 2017 and is still hot for 2018. This is where typography is tightly wrapped around objects or other elements in an image. This kind of effect is created through photoshop by putting a layer mask on letters and using the eraser to either add (with black in front of white) or take away (with white in front of black). I have taken a liking to this style and have used it in different personal pieces. I also have seen this effect in friend’s work, church flyers, billboards, and other types of content.
4. Chaotic Typography. Chaotic typography or even stacked typography is a growing trend not only in the world of graphic design, but here on GCU’s campus. I typically see this effect with mostly san serif typefaces, but it really depends on the designer and the look they are trying to achieve. It is a very non-traditional way of ordering letters and words. Hot Mama also notes that chaos is one of the trends that has moved over from 2017 to 2018 and saying “no” to aligning text is more of a thing.
5. Color Transitions/Gradients. I think this effect kind of coincides with duotones. People really seem to love different color effects right now, but who can blame them? The use of color in different ways makes design more intriguing and helps it stand out in a unique way. Plus the tutorials (if one already does not know how to do it) are pretty easy to follow as long as you are aware of which version of Photoshop the speaker is using and how that relates to your version, you will be good.

It is important for us designers to play around with the programs that they use everyday so that they can broaden their knowledge and apply that knowledge to different projects. I really like following along in YouTube tutorials because one, the tutorials are free, and two I am able to remember steps because its all visual. Tutorials are great tools to keep in your tool belt when you want to create something new and different, or in this case be on trend.

(Quick) Tutorials That I Have Found Helpful:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW9zzc8zfqE
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlyMym997cA
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9U4U2XNnfw&t=174s

References:

https://graphicmama.com/blog/graphic-design-trends-2018/