Forward-thinking as tech companies may be, brands in other industries might find it easier to get ahead of the design curve. With user experience being a unanimous priority, a new burger spot is now as well-positioned to push boundaries as a cybersecurity startup. That means tech companies must keep up with brands across industries to make their designs as innovative as their solutions.
Today, we’re breaking down notable illustration and design trends to help tech companies level up their visual identities in 2023.
Text-Forward Minimalism
Some industry designers are stripping away traditional images, icons, and animations to bring more concrete elements to obscure industries.
Standing out from constantly evolving trends and technologies by highlighting essential information is a timeless and modern way to make a product or platform more accessible.
Image Left: Finao design work for Primer.ai
Image Right: Finao design work for Primer.ai
Modern Typefaces
Designers are spoiled for choice with the recent proliferation of typefaces. From Art Deco callbacks and retro minimalism to tall, thin serifs, many brands use typography to highlight simplicity and versatility.
Image Left: betterwise.com
Image Right: sendelemental.com/why-elemental
Pastel Colors
Minimalist web design may be a dose of simplicity among the abstract, but the increasing use of pastel colors provides a more human element. A respite of playfulness for esoteric industries, designers use candy color palettes to accent the necessity of their platforms in tech-heavy spaces.
Image Left: transposit.com/accelerate-employee-onboarding
Image Right: quantumlifecyclemarketing.com
Moebius-style Illustrations
Using playful pastels while embracing the futuristic and arcane are illustrations in the style of French artist Jean Giraud (Moebius). This dimensional style features smooth line work and harmonious color palettes.
Financial service company Robinhood began using Moebius-esque designs in icons and illustrations when it debuted elevated branding in 2020, calling the new look “delightful and future-focused.”
Image Left: Finao Agency visual concept
Image Right: sendelemental.com/404
Grid Systems
Visible grid lines give website users a sense of organization and clarity. With the structure and consistency of grid systems, sites may connect disparate elements while ensuring users can digest product or platform information.
Image Left: intelligence.abnormalsecurity.com
Image Right: similar.ai
Brutalism
Differing starkly from the organization of grid systems is raw, rule-breaking brutalism. With an emphasis on utilitarianism and a rough-around-the-edges aesthetic, brutalism makes for memorable web experiences by running against many common design principles.
Image Left: hackerone.com/security-at-beyond
Image Right: Finao Agency visual concept
Color Gradients
The renaissance of vintage and nostalgic aesthetics is hardly limited to web illustrations, but designers are also finding ways to breathe life into styles from past eras. Colorful gradients break from previously monochromatic options, offering flexible, unique textures in sophisticated tech spaces.
Image Left: vectara.com/solutions/support
Image Right: Finao Agency visual concept
Interactivity and Animation
Adding interactive and gamified elements to a website is an increasingly popular way to keep users in the driver’s seat of their experience. Inviting and animated components can round out a website and keep users engaged.
Image Left: apollo.io
Image Right: behome247.com
Using Design Trends in 2023
Tech companies should use these design trends as inspiration to step outside of their comfort zone, experiment stylistically, and improve user experience. Don’t move creativity to the back burner in the name of efficiency. Consider the benefits of different styles, find designs that align with core values, and make them your own.
