Print Design Trend: Sophisticated Flat Design
Flat design is the hallmark of mid-century graphic design, but designers today are finding a new relevance in the style and producing gorgeous print work to boot!
The last few years have seen 2D designs go from strength to strength; and it’s showing no sign of slowing down. With no fancy 3D effects to hide behind, designers have to showcase beautiful, strong ideas. And boy, do they do it well…
1. Wilco Poster by Justin Froning
Flat design tends to give prints a lovely vintage-inspired look and feel.
Take as a prime example this gorgeous poster design for the band Wilco by owner of HouseBear Design, Justin Froning. Muted colours in blue, inky washes give a soft edge to the dramatic illustrative style of the poster, and 1950s-influenced fonts add to the nostalgic, children’s book quality of the design.
Design: Justin Froning
2. Book Covers by Oliver Munday
If you want to spend a few hours drooling over drop-dead-gorgeous book cover design, take a spin round Oliver’s website.
He works his magic making flat print design look contemporary and relevant, and is a master at fostering perfect harmony between flat graphics and classic typography.
Design: Oliver Munday
3. Brizz Branding
Australian designer Douglas Teo gives us a lesson in how to infuse flat design with energy using punchy colours and minimal layouts. All in all, a high-impact and hip brand identity for wi-fi company Brizz.
Design: Douglas Teo
4. Join the Hawks Poster by Lampson Yip
Flat design doesn’t necessarily need to look so…well…flat! Building up papery background textures, bold photography and flat text that appears to interact with the football players, this poster layout by designer Lampson Yip is a demonstration in creating a 3D impression from simple 2D elements.
Design: Lampson Yip, LYDP
5. Book Covers by Elena Giavaldi
Collage-inspired designs can tap into the flat design trend in a way that feels both nostalgic and current. Elena Giavaldi’s covers for Rebecca Mead’s books, My Life in Middlemarch and The Growing Good are a case in point. layering flat, vintage-inspired imagery and text makes the designs feel tactile and love-worn.
Try out the collage look to create print designs that have an old-world charm.
Design: Elena Giavaldi; Art Direction: Christopher Brand
Flat design is a beautiful print design style, and it’s also really simple to achieve!
Get started with creating your own stunning print designs with our free tutorials: learn how to create a book in InDesign and discover incredible free fonts for print design. Or why not find the inspiration for your next project here?