3d is definitely the trend of 2021, because it is found in all branches of design, and the novelty is that it is starting to be used in UI, which until now has been dominated by flat design.

The more and more frequent adoption of 3d is also due to the fact that we have at hand some new software, very easy to use, some even free (Figma for example, it is free for freelancers and has some plugins that make the use of 3d user friendly ) How many of us were not discouraged when they opened complex programs like C4D, 3D Studio Max or Maya? Now with software like Figma or Dimensions CC, any designer can quickly learn how to create beautiful 3d scenarios. These softwares are perfect for a 3D beginner.

Another factor that will lead to the more frequent use of 3d is the imminent release of Apple’s Big Sur, the new operating system for Mac. At the time of writing, Apple Big Sur is not yet released and does not even have an announced release date. Big Sur is currently in Beta. The Public Beta version (there is a developer Beta as well) became available on August 6th.

You're probably wondering how the design world will be influenced by this release. Well, Apple showed us a sneak preview to have a glimpse at how the new Mac interface will look like. The most important changes in design are the introduction of 3d elements (icons), areas with transparency and the abandonment of grey shades.

1. UI / Ixd Design

2. Illustrations

3. Motion Design & Interactions

4. Graphic Design & Printing

5. Packaging

6. Trending Tools

Colors are one of the most important visual elements of UI design. They can highlight your content and reinforce your brand’s style. A color theme should be designed to be harmonious. It should help the UI elements and surfaces to be easily distinguished from one another.

The surfaces are the tiles, cards, sheets and components that are placed on top of the background. These cards are white and have a smooth shade that creates a floating effect.. Usually the background is white or a very light grey.

If you don’t want to spend time choosing your color palette, there are websites that can help you by generating beautiful and vibrant mixes. Some of these websites are https://flatuicolors.com/ or https://colorsupplyyy.com/app/

7. Wahab Live Game Streaming App​​​​​​​

IOs 14, is here and it’s bringing some new changes that will affect all UI Design.

Widgets come now in three sizes: small, medium, and large and you can smartly rearrange them between app icons. A designer must create a widget icon in all 3 styles, so the user can choose which one to use. Each size of the widgets lets you display a different amount of information, so you need to be clear and display the right content. Remember that larger widgets allow you to show more data and information.

Animations are an important part of an app's design and user experience. These days, a design seems unfinished and static if it doesn’t incorporate an animation. There are many ways to create them and here are some of them: 

JSON (stands for Javascript Object Notation) takes your images & animations and renders  them into a code. The advantage of JSON animations is that it is a fraction in size compared to a GIF and it supports full transparency ( no BG needed).

A couple of years ago, the guys at Airbnb have created a tool named Lottie, that makes small animations really easy, using JSON files. Lottie is an open-source library for iOS, Android, and React Native that renders animations in real time. If you haven't tried it yet, you should definitely give it a chance.

So far we think everyone has realized that 3d is an important category in design. Now it influences the Ui segment more than ever. 3d icons are the new UI trend in 2021 so if you are bored with the flat icons, which have dominated the Ui scene in the last decade, then you can try the 3d ones. The final project will look fresh and modern.

6. Tran Mau Tri Tam Figma 3D Icon for Mac OS Big Sur

We predicted this trend last year in our Trend Guide. Illustrations in 2020 were dominated with this particular style of drawing and will continue to be in 2021 as well. Because this trend seemed to take off especially in the last semester of this year, we decided to call it the main trend in the category of illustrations for 2021.

The fact that 3d has taken by storm the design scene in recent years is no surprise. 3D has evolved a lot and is presented with some very polished illustrations that impress the viewer. The colors used are strong or pastel, depending on the message they want to convey. The difference from previous years is that 3d illustrations are more minimalist, as if inspired a little by the simplicity of flat design.

Remember The Ninja Turtles, He man, ThunderCats or Inspector Gadget? Well if you feel nostalgic, let us give you some good news, because this style returns in force this year and will continue to dominate in 2021. This classic style of cartoon drawing is using outlines, simple shapes with just a few details.

If you like to doodle then you will appreciate this unique technique of creating illustrations. Although at first glance it may seem unfinished, all these forms are very well thought out and put into composition. Overlapping shapes and strong colors create bold illustrations that can inspire any viewer. 

We have mentioned this trend last year as well when we predicted the trends for 2020, but being such an important tendency we decided it was worth mentioning again.

Reels are a short and entertaining video content format. These short videos can be used as effective marketing strategies. With the launch of Instagram Reels, an alternative to TikTok, big companies have started using this tool to promote themselves and grow their reech. These videos are no longer just made as a pastime for teenagers, but the big brands pay agencies to deliver such reels to them. If you’re already using social media for your business, it may be worth giving Instagram Reels or Tiktok a try.

Yes, the cartoons of our childhood are hot in 2021. We have said it before and we repeat it, so obviously, this genre is also found in motion design. Take a look at the selection we made.

VFX or Visual Effects, combines existing footage with computer generated imagery to create realistic scenes. They are animations that are inserted into a real to life scene, previously recorded with a camera. With the advent of numerous, more user-friendly software, VFX began to be more accessible and more common in videos and short films. The realism that can be created is incredible, something we only dreamed of a few years ago.

To be honest, this is not a new trend, but it is so important that it is worth mentioning again. 3d influences all branches of design so strongly that we can say that it dominates almost any digital creation in 2021.With the implementation of augmented reality in more and more applications, sites or software, 3D will gain more and more ground. As we mentioned in recent years in our articles related to design trends, we see how designers combine 3d with photography or 2d, creating an eclectic design. All these techniques, combined with motion, create a unique final concept.

Animated logos have been present for several years but now they are very visible and have taken by storm everything that means branding, so they deserve a mention this year as well. A logo is the first thing we see when entering an app, so it should be memorable using only a symbol or a typeface. Combining the logo with a smooth and sleek animation, you can achieve a memorable outcome for any company.

9.Andrea Binski ASD Logo mark and grid explanation​​​​​​​

AR and VR are in themselves a very vast field that has its own trends, so we will review some tendencies that you will definitely see in 2021. With the Covid19 lockdowns, companies have invested in AR technology to bring their product to their customers. Galleries have used VR and AR to allow users to browse their artworks easier. At least 100 million users were expected to utilize AR-enabled shopping technologies in 2020 (Gartner) and this prediction was made before the lockdowns all over the world. In the future we see AR used on a large scale, helped by Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, implemented in all fields, from medicine or art, in commerce, customer service or navigation.

Viewers retain 95% of a message when they see it in a video, but only 10% if they have to read on-screen text (Insignia). Whatever message you want to convey, informative, inspirational or demonstrative, you can choose to use a fast-paced video to do it. See below, in our selection, what we mean.

Typography is the most important element in design! A skilled designer can produce a visual identity using only typography. Typography is important to build a message, establish a strong visual hierarchy, deliver information and overall to create a great experience for the user. Big and bold typography has existed since the beginning of design, so it’s not new, but it’s very important. Even if designers use kinetic, distorted, 3D, animated or static typography, imposing large letters are, and will always be, a hot trend in design.

It's something unique in creating a complex design using very simple shapes. Geometric shapes have been found in visual art since the beginning of the last century, so we can't say that they are a new trend. In 2021, graphic design, whether it is posters, prints, packaging or brand identity, will focus on geometric shapes.

Super thin lines are hot, we have already decided that :) so we will mention this trend in every branch of design, showing how easily it is suitable for each of them.

With Covid-19 dominating the news in 2020, product packaging has developed an even more vital role. Consumers show concerns over food contamination, driving to 

increased packaging demand. Food delivery and online shopping also increased this year. These are domains that rely on packaging and a lot of their brand awareness is done through this. 

We now realize that COVID-19 has had a major impact on our planet, so the packaging industry must take measures to decrease the impact on the environment. Businesses must use biodegradable materials like paperboard, bioplastics, or materials made from corn, potatoes or mushrooms. Traditional plastics retain a high number of bacteria, so sustainable materials have another plus.

A well thought and unique illustration can create a great story for your brand. You have to make thoughtful choices about the graphics that will best communicate your brand’s story. They have to be meaningful and give consistency to the brand.

This is definitely not a new trend but it’s more actual than never so we decided it should go in this year’s trend list. If you sell a product, invest in good packaging design that tells an engaging story about your brand. Product packaging has the power to inspire us to purchase a product. From the copy that goes on the package to the font, material, size and shape, all of them have to create a unique experience when the customer is unpacking the product.

People love their phones, so packaging must adapt to keep the customers engaged. Smart Packaging is creating new experiences, allowing the customers to interact with the product, creating brand awareness.  From QR codes to AR experience, these are just some ideas to create a “smart-tech” packaging. 

Product design is also very influenced by tech, most new products revolve around the idea of ​​a smartphone and how a product can give you an interactive experience.

With the revolution of 3d printers, packaging with unusual shapes began to appear. This process facilitated the printing of packaging with strange shapes, the designers being able to give free rein to their imagination. The less pleasant part is the still high price for such a package, compared to the classic box. This procedure is very useful for mockup preparation and it offers rapid prototypes with lower costs. 

This new tool from Adobe is here to make 3D available for any designer. Substance is the complete suite for object texturing and material authoring for your 3D projects. The suite is actually an ecosystem that addresses designers, stock creators and illustrators. The downside of this new suite is that Adobe offers it as a different subscription as the Adobe Cloud, so for a beginner or a junior designer the monthly cost will be pretty high. The complete suite comes at a price of $19.99/month.

Substance Painter has smart materials, smart masks and integrated bakers. You can use smart materials that adjust to any object to show realistic wear and tear; explore mask presets that adapt to any shape, and paint with brushes you can 

modify on the fly. (substance3d.com)

Substance Alchemist will allow artists to perform finishing touches on materials by hand using some procedural methods. The thing is that the new tool will also bring AI-power giving, for example, an ability to adjust scans with delighting for a more realistic look after editing.

Substance Designer is used more for creating tileable, dynamic and modular textures. It's often used to create a base material library where materials can be used in other applications such as Substance Painter. 

Substance Source is a library of physically based materials packed with assets for taking your texturing, material-making and 3D art even further. There is something for everyone in Substance Source, from procedural Substance materials to hand-painted materials to 100% physically based scans.

Aero is a new tool from Adobe that helps you build and share immersive and interactive AR experiences. The best part of this tool is that no coding or 3D design experience is needed. You can find Aero in your Adobe Creative Cloud.

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“Adobe Fresco is a free drawing and painting app built especially for Apple Pencil and iPad, and designed for artists who draw professionally or paint for passion.” 

This tool is Adobe’s response to the high popularity Procreate is getting in the last years. 

Adobe Fresco is available in a freemium model - you can start with a free starter plan and then upgrade to a paid version to get the premium features. Adobe opted for a monthly plan for Fresco for Ipad, that is available for $9,99. This is an interested move since Procreate is available at a one-time purchase. What is your opinion about this?