Keeping Up With Type Trends 2024

At a time of great unease, in a world falling victim to conflict and hardship, it is perhaps not surprising that more classical approaches are en vogue. There is something comforting about tradition, it allows us to stay grounded in ever more complex surroundings. A comfort that encapsulates an interesting duality, the ability to convey a demure and serious tone but equally a lighthearted and familiar embrace. This trend showcases brands paying homage to their legacy, all the while looking to the future, and others seeking to stand out in a field of minimalistic sans.  

100% Natural is a trend of multiple meanings – one of sustainable brands seeking to permeate their look with an element of nature, a call-back to their surroundings, or a promise of goodness. An organic, almost hand-made quality. Our environment inspires us to create and how textures and techniques can translate raw, honest, and playful emotion.    

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” - David Attenborough 

Negative space has long played a functionally subservient role to defining form. Now it’s stepping out onto center stage, begging to be seen and celebrated. Today’s type is moving beyond that immediate impression and amplifying the unseen. Counter attacks negative hollow voids are now very much ‘visible’. Chock full of charisma, this approach to letters plays well in creating an inner glow, a curvaceous joy, but is also equally adept at building a more complex and technical-looking narrative.

Is that a world-beating variable typeface, or is it just kinda De-form(ed)? And why are you not filling every possible pixel on the canvas? De-form breaks typefaces beyond their skeletons. It pushes them up to the final sub-pixel and wants still more canvas grab. This type wiggles and morphs across varied states. It covers ground. It provokes and packs a punch — it’s boxy and squishy and rarely anywhere in between.

If type is telling us something about our lives today, then thist trend reflects every possible facet of life, everywhere, all at once.  More is more with this trend as we move away from minimalism in a post-pandemic world.  Everythingallofthetime challenges designers to use all the colors, textures, and typefaces they could reasonably fit in a design. Everythingallofthetime approaches demonstrate designers’ willingness to test the limits of what a logo or identity can be. Why should it be one thing when it can be everything? Why should it be one thing when it can contain multitudes?  

Whether truly animated or inspired by motion, Flux looks fast and dynamic. You’ll also find type that employs AI to create dynamic or interactive movements. 

Nearly all the projects in the report for this style are rebrands, with two sports brands for good measure, emphasizing both transformation and speed.   

This trend seeks to replicate naiveté within bounds. Quirky but respectful, professional but with a twist. Seemingly naive designs display a frank and stripped-back approach and, in turn, give a sober perspective in an often complex and sophisticated visual landscape. It’s often said that there is none more honest than a child. A keen appreciation for the simplicity of what is – and not a desire for what could be. A careful blend of humor and honesty that gives way to curious but brilliant creation.  

Borrowing the fluidity present in Flux and injecting it into select letterforms. Branding by its nature demands bravery; A willingness to try something unexpected, to stand out, to speak differently. Quirk is a trend that speaks to the visual system and yet feels looser than the broader typeface. It’s a perfect balance between comfort and a little bit of chaotic energy. 

Systm is a brief respite —a return to structure, control, and precision. It is modular, flexible type with an industrial appearance. Despite having an engineered feel or approach to designing letters, Systm projects feel analog and human-made. Softer forms and thoughtful grid-breaking construction of letterforms enhance the human factor of this trend.

Think digital gradients, big, bold type, and drop shadows. Born of ‘90s nostalgia, Whatever encompasses a spectrum of styles from nihilistic grunge to colorful pixel play.  Perhaps influenced by Gen Z and Millennials coming of age in the twenty-twenties, it’s impossible to ignore the resurgence ‘90s aesthetics when examining today’s fashion, music, and design.