After another rich year of design and design trends, let’s take a look at what 2023 could look like!
If at some point the article seems a bit messy, do not be afraid, it is part of the journey.
Glassmorphism
We have to admit that it was not the tremendous new thing of 202X that people were hoping for, but it’s actually used in some interfaces, such as in iOS on iPhones or in Windows 11.
Oh, you forgot what is Glassmorphism? Let me remind you:
You like blur? You like transparency? You like translucent?
Glassmorphism is all at at once! It can be used, but only for graphism purpose, and not really in UI design.
Neobrutalism
The current trend of Neobrutalism (or Neubrutalism) is a mix of Brutalism and Neo Memphis.
Brutalism is a style of architecture that emerged in the 50s based of the use of raw materials and impressive scales, and Neo Memphis Design, is a style that emerged in the 80s with colorful but very basic shapes.
Neobrutalism uses bright colors, simple geometric shapes, thicc bold borders and quite often, grotesque fonts. Despite having vivid colors, the interfaces stay straight to the point and minimalist at their core.
AR (Augmented Reality)
The most common piece of AR that we all know, is Google Map feature that allows the user to follow a path using their phone in the street like a onfoot-GPS.
This usage of new tech could be used for more! For instance, providing directions to the nearest cafe or restaurant around the charging station where the user will be for the next 30 minutes.
Also, this could be useful for newbies in any domain, by giving them access to a fun manual and allow them to interact with it!
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Another important trend is the use of AI for painting, writing and so on.
Want to create a beautiful illustration? Use Dall•E!
Want to write an interesting article? Use Notion AI or ChatGPT!
And I must admit that I personaly use this ChatGPT, it’s very powerful and can provide interesting informations in only 1 search.
Beyond the obvious issue with copyrights and AI, we could use this to learn stuff and help us gather inspiration.
Newstalgia
Trend is a cycle, and we tend to use old designs to create new ones.
Let’s take those very old piece of cartoon from the 30s (Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse…) and adapt those style with our new tools and tastes.
And you get Cuphead! A 2017 game using the same style than those 30s cartoons.
I don’t have a precise conclusion about Newstalgia, I just like to see what we can do nowadays by extracting aesthetics from the past.
This type of style could be used in an entire interface with some gamification!
And I’m not done talking about Newstalgia.
Let’s take the Y2K, this new trend that revamp the early 2000s design: weird gradients, stickers and a sh*t ton of effects to create a futuristic style.
We haven’t seen anything in UX/UI with this Y2K trend, but some works reuse this style. Take the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc, people recreate video games that look like the ones from 20 years ago!
I would not be surprised to see some day Y2K elements in a website or an app because since trend is a cycle, everything comes back someday.
Look at Apple: they are leaving their flat design to something more concret with shadow and reflections (yep, that’s Neumorphism).
Final words for 2023
Despite all trends and aesthetics, I would like to give 3 takeaways for the upcoming year.
Minimalism
Although some of the trends may seem complicated, they remain minimalists, with simple interfaces. It’s importants for users that we, designers, can stay focus on what really matters for them.
Eco design
Internet consumes 10 to 15% of global electricity and it doesn’t stop increasing each year. In 2023, we need to be even more aware of our ecological impact, stop using videos and uncompressed images, every resource matters.
Accessibility
Keep designing for everyone, be inclusive, something that can help one specific population can be useful for everyone!
Thank you if you read all that brain activity up to the end!
