Year in Review: 2021 in Graphic Design

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  • Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
  • Let's wrap up the year with a survey of trends and interesting things that happened in graphic design in 2021.
    If you're interested in exploring more aesthetic styles, check out the Design Tropes discord server at designtropes.org/
    00:00 How it is.
    00:19 Design minimalism is dead, kind of.
    01:01 2021 - more of 2020, but different.
    02:19 Generational shift: zoomers take the lead
    03:20 Millennials moving on, out or aside
    04:05 The 50 year curse, and its graphic design equivalent
    05:15 What's old is new again. Vintage aesthetics return remixed.
    06:35 What's cringe? Anything designed in the Bush era.
    07:05 Rise of the system fonts of yore
    07:44 Life's too short to be boring
    07:57 The new "will it fax?"
    08:52 Loose thoughts - car badges
    09:26 Most shameless - Save the kids scamcoin
    10:05 Best design moment of the year
    Armin Vit's blog - Brand New - is absolutely worth checking out, but is behind a paywall ($20 per year). Though if you're unemployed or a student you can reach out for free access. www.underconsideration.com/br...
    🛒My UA-cam Gear kit.co/timesnewboman/youtube-...
    🛒Amazing AI Upscaling topazlabs.com/ref/1205/
    Music from Streambeats and Epidemic Sound
    www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

КОМЕНТАРІ • 404

  • @stewarthicks
    @stewarthicks 2 роки тому +301

    Love your videos and this is no exception! Thanks for the shoutout. Looking forward to your 2022 videos and congrats on the baby!!

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +19

      Cheers mate, the feeling's mutual. Have a great 2022!

    • @theophilusthistler5885
      @theophilusthistler5885 2 роки тому

      The moustache must give even more impact. OUCHIE!

    • @bluebaconjake405
      @bluebaconjake405 2 роки тому

      Stewart Hicks?!?! Was not expecting you to be here

    • @MattGDesign
      @MattGDesign 2 роки тому

      @@LinusBoman I don't know why, but I read this as "the feeling's brutal", maybe it's the architecture messing with my head

  • @punkitt
    @punkitt 2 роки тому +1047

    I think stuff like stretched default fonts also speaks to people being more willing to capture the youthful energy of just...messing around on a computer. When you don't have any regard for visual clarity or style and your only tool is MS Paint, you make a lot of bold decisions. I think a lot of that is being reflected nowadays by people who've grown up goofin' around in computer programs.

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +136

      Interesting observation! Sounds plausible. But I consider myself one of those kids who did a lot of messing around with MS paint (or Paintshop Pro in my case) - and I spent a lot of time experimenting in software - though I think the fact I had no internet, and then when it arrived, it was slow dialup, made it a more compelling option. I reckon the kids who grew up with broadband might have spent less time on that stuff because, well, you have the whole internet to distract you. But, maybe it's not a completely zoomer aesthetic after all? Food for thought!

    • @punkitt
      @punkitt 2 роки тому +50

      @@LinusBoman haha, sounds like it was fun! I know even people as young as me still used to goof off in MS Paint and Word when they had free time in school. As cool as the entire internet is, just messing around in those programs still had it's allure. I guess that type of graphic design reminds me most of cruddy Word art and PowerPoint presentations for school, where the objective was more focused on getting info out there rather than looking good. Still, plenty of time to ponder it!

    • @thrownstair
      @thrownstair 2 роки тому +53

      WordArt-core coming soon.

    • @Si-Al-Ti
      @Si-Al-Ti 2 роки тому +11

      Those examples (sans emojis) reminds me of german techno album covers from the 90s early 00s

    • @eoincampbell1584
      @eoincampbell1584 2 роки тому +10

      @@thrownstair Yes! give me 3d slanted rainbow Times New Roman with sparkles in the background

  • @AdrianHereToHelp
    @AdrianHereToHelp 2 роки тому +503

    As someone in Gen Z I think it's worth noting that stretched out Arial isn't just "rediscovering something that is no longer overused", but that my immediate reaction was that it's absolutely hilarious. Irony is very strong with this generation, as is a low tolerance for corporate standards, which you definitely touched on, and I know in my experience every time I've employed brutalist or purposely-"bad" graphic design (note: I'm not a graphic designer, just in a general context), it's universally been motivated by humor. "I think it's funny" is all the justification I want, and I would definitely say I connect to designs that know something looks "bad" and does it anyway because that's what they want to do.

    • @tsu08761e
      @tsu08761e 2 роки тому +14

      i disagree, i think most consider it genuinely visually appealing

    • @hanvyj2
      @hanvyj2 2 роки тому +15

      I find gen z humour trends fascinating

    • @mutantaxolotl
      @mutantaxolotl 2 роки тому +12

      It's the Playboi Carti Whole Lotta Red effect. It's one of those albums that we all know is not Playboi Carti's best work at all but has gone through the stage of being hated with passion, to being loved in niche groups ironically, to becoming a genuinely beloved album throughout the past year.

    • @user-hsb6Aknzue85d
      @user-hsb6Aknzue85d 2 роки тому

      Interesting insight

    • @erchardsamoh3260
      @erchardsamoh3260 2 роки тому +1

      @@mutantaxolotl I did not expect to see a Carti analogy but I 100% agree. WLR is a classic btw

  • @AxelGage
    @AxelGage 2 роки тому +265

    I was in a very boring corporate chain coffee shop a few years ago, and they were clearly trying very hard to capture a vintage or even rural vibe with their interiors, corrugated metal and wood, kind of going for a Latin coffee farm look. On the wall, they had stretched a sack of coffee beans and put it in a frame, with a bunch of information on it printed in very stretched Arial. I remember finding such a very "digital" font out of place in the vintage, tactile aesthetic they were going for. But then again, the kind of type you'll find at a rural farm in the 21st century is PROBABLY Arial. Every operation has computers now.
    There's something to be said for digital type being a signifier not of hyper-modernity anymore, but now of affordability and accessibility.

    • @sgtpepper91
      @sgtpepper91 2 роки тому +7

      what a great story.

    • @AxelGage
      @AxelGage 2 роки тому +3

      @@Vex2not no, Espresso House, Swedish coffee chain

  • @JulieWDesign
    @JulieWDesign 2 роки тому +31

    as a confused millennial graphic designer myself - I do sometimes fear the "loud and stretched", but I really love seeing a new generation setting trends, breaking rules, and - most importantly - re-inspiring me to think out of the box again 😌

  • @eleanortaylor4768
    @eleanortaylor4768 2 роки тому +279

    I'm a zoomer and you've hit the nail on the head with me viewing that 'Juno scribbly era' as kitsch. BIZARRELY I have seen much younger zoomers, around 14-16 with no memory of this era, bringing the fashion and music back. On tiktok, they're calling the rebrand "indie twee" and often slightly merging it with 2014 tumblr style. They appear to have scrubbed all mainstream 'hipster' aesthetics from it though, as I assume they remember that being parodied. Florals, short straight skirts, Zoeey Deschanel fringes, pale filters, earth-tone illustrations. The shortening trend cycle is freaking me out, never thought I'd see it back so soon.

    • @GodheadNee
      @GodheadNee 2 роки тому +36

      This is super interesting to me as a millennial that was Juno's age when Juno came out, thank you! From my memory, that whole aesthetic was also kind of a response to digitization and computer-tech culture-- going 'lo-fi' with notepaper and pencil textures as opposed to the high-shine, loud and sleek minimalist look (like the ipod silhouettes). I think the neo-brutalist designs are doing the same thing, but from the perspective of a generation that has primarily and basically only used digital tools-- how do we make this look "homebrew" and counterculture when we MUST rely on perfect calculations done by a machine to determine alignment and kerning? By simulating a failure of those calculations (glitches) and breaking established rules. Almost an evolved form of the digital zine mentality of geocities and angelfire websites, but with, like, hopefully more self awareness, lol.

    • @eleanortaylor4768
      @eleanortaylor4768 2 роки тому +6

      @@GodheadNee this is so interesting, thank you so much for sharing!! by coincidence, im writing a piece for my uni magazine on the accelerating trend cycle and retrofuturism at the moment and this was genuinely very helpful!

  • @_remblanc
    @_remblanc 2 роки тому +231

    Hate to speak in generational terms but it’s not that we as zoomers see things as not-as-hideous-as-they-used-to-seem-like, it’s more that we are finding some post-ironic enjoyment in plenty of things that we do recognize as culturally perceived as hideous and/or outdated and reframe it more in the perspectives that actually work. Hideous clipart memes, music genres like hyperpop and digicore, we just kinda feel nostalgic for things that made people cringe 10 years ago now that their just as loud and obnoxious opinion no longer matters. I think the influence of internet cringe culture is also at play here as ppl either grow tired of it or find some joy in things that are supposed to be “cringe” or “embarrassing”.

    • @Cobalt985
      @Cobalt985 2 роки тому +18

      Excellent way to put it. I read an article about "digital brutalism" and nothing there really caught my eye and mostly just looked ugly, but at the same time I love stuff like the foreverbox style and weirdcore (the visual style not music genre) because it has a lot of nostalgia attached to it and brings me feelings of familiarity and being safe, as well as it just looking fun. Also worth mentioning I ironically liked hyperpop for like, a week and from then on I just listened to it unironically.

    • @colbyboucher6391
      @colbyboucher6391 2 роки тому +16

      That's honestly the most exciting thing to me. Nothing's frustrated me more in the 25 years I've been around than "that's so cringe, tho". I've always wanted "cringe culture" to die off and it seems like it's finally happening as this big cultural dare.

    • @keshetallekaridi708
      @keshetallekaridi708 2 роки тому +12

      @@colbyboucher6391 don’t kill the part of you that’s cringe, kill the part that cringes

    • @boghund
      @boghund 2 роки тому +4

      @@keshetallekaridi708 beautifully said

    • @MrAcuriteOf1337
      @MrAcuriteOf1337 2 роки тому +3

      Part of it is also, I think, that we've seen what gets lauded by older generations, and it just doesn't appeal to us, or otherwise revolts us. Like, working hard your entire life for a pitiful shitty retirement? Being patriotic for a country that hates you? Consumerism in the face of climate catastrophe? Fuck that shit, and fuck the aesthetics that go with it.

  • @Azeria
    @Azeria 2 роки тому +297

    I wouldn’t have been caught dead using a gradient in 2016… I think I only used gradients this past year.

    • @Gryff
      @Gryff 2 роки тому

      Fancy seeing you here…

    • @Azeria
      @Azeria 2 роки тому

      @@Gryff oh shit hey bud 🤣

    • @lettersnstuff
      @lettersnstuff 2 роки тому +3

      Gradients still just remind me of 2008 flash games

    • @hagbardceline1980
      @hagbardceline1980 Рік тому +1

      Ah yes, those who adapt slow. Me on the other hand, laughing, already being past gradients since 2019.

  • @hanvyj2
    @hanvyj2 2 роки тому +71

    I find the emerging "zoomer" humour and design really fascinating. It's interesting how I recognize a lot of it from the 90s/ early 2000s digital world. It looks like stuff crudely made in paint, or those user made websites when people were writing HTML badly, with garish clashing colours. But that seems like it would be something millennial like me were exposed to, and zoomers would be too young. Very interesting.

    • @QuinnArgo
      @QuinnArgo 2 роки тому +10

      Maybe that is precisely *why* it is so new and interesting. I only really have a memory of web 2.0, I can imagine that anyone who first witnessed the emergence of private html homepages cannot stand these colors now, but for me this is a blast from the very recent past, something that feels like it lies beneath everything I look at all day

    • @eleanortaylor4768
      @eleanortaylor4768 2 роки тому +15

      @@QuinnArgo Yes I completely agree. The reaction against Web 2.0 style feels like it's coming from the growing anti-Big Tech sentiment, with the pandemic increasing our awareness of all its harmful aspects. Web 1.0 seems like an optimistic Wild West and this design is like an ode to what the internet could've been before Zuckerberg and Co. got involved. When Big Tech get hold of this aesthetic, as they inevitably will, it's gonna feel weird.

    • @ileutur6863
      @ileutur6863 2 роки тому +8

      @@eleanortaylor4768 yeah, old internet was harder to use but it was infinitely more interesting that this corporate hellscape dominated by the 5 biggest websites with nothing else coming even close in functionality

    • @sznio
      @sznio 2 роки тому +8

      As a zoomer, I only caught the last few breaths of the old web, mostly 2006-2010, before facebook took over, but at the start of "decent" design on the web. It's extremely nostalgic to me.

    • @JSSMVCJR2.1
      @JSSMVCJR2.1 Рік тому

      @@sznio 2010 to 2012/2013 to me, since I am in Latin America.

  • @soundlesspeal
    @soundlesspeal 2 роки тому +19

    gotta say i love the reintroduction of early 2000s high detail skeuomorphism and all the tribals and flames etc. it really caters to my attention deficiency

  • @RedSpiralHandTV
    @RedSpiralHandTV 2 роки тому +73

    "Ancient Millennials" doing graphic design, haha. I was thinking of starting up a club of people who worked in graphic design in the 70s and 80s...you know, where we can all compare our worst #11 X-ACTO injuries (btw, I would win that one)
    And actually, many of those agencies have stables of young people but they are run by oldsters...the high end ones anyway. They make the final call on designs. It was that way at the high end agency I worked at in the 80s too...

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +12

      Glad to have you tuned in! Wow, the days when paste ups were literal - I only got war stories from my lecturers at art school on those. Yes, the Executive Creative Directors and such do usually tend to be the old guard, but I think there's definitely some new energy from the young bloods these days. Happy New Year.

    • @duckrutt
      @duckrutt 2 роки тому +4

      I have removed significant amounts of meat off my left index finger. Twice. Although the second one was with an axe so might not count strictly based on your criteria.

    • @RedSpiralHandTV
      @RedSpiralHandTV 2 роки тому +8

      @@LinusBoman Well, hopefully the "young blood" don't have to bleed quite as much as the "old blood" did...

    • @RedSpiralHandTV
      @RedSpiralHandTV 2 роки тому +7

      @@duckrutt I was slicing several layers of Mylar for colored view graphs that fit in a frame (you might have to look that up) and they needed them ASAP. I inadvertently had the index finger on my left hand, holding the metal straight edge, hanging off just a tad. I sliced the side of that finger clean off... I mean there was a piece of it lying on the art table. It bled and bled.
      Fortunately this was at General Atomic (Torrey Pines, CA) and they had a medical facility there on the property.
      It hurt so bad but also, I was rather embarrassed... I'd only been working there a few months.

    • @duckrutt
      @duckrutt 2 роки тому +2

      @@RedSpiralHandTV yup. Fortunately I did it opening a box of supplies so I didn't bleed on anything important.

  • @QuinnArgo
    @QuinnArgo 2 роки тому +18

    I LOVE the zoomer brutalist aesthetic, especially for book covers, where this kind of thing has been slightly niche for a while. I'm willing to buy any book that looks like that, big letters repeated over and over, simple patterns, bright colors

  • @slena
    @slena 2 роки тому +105

    i love how you discuss trends :D although even as a gen z cusp whatever, im a bit annoyed by the 'digital brutalism' trend bc 1. it's lack of regard for function positions it so far away from the founding principles of brutalism (architecture anyways) and 2. it is the anti accessibility trend. it's like design for design's sake which im very meh about, even if i can appreciate it aesthetically. idk maybe i'm wrong about that! would love it if you had any resources that discuss it more in depth :^)

    • @royvandermarel3953
      @royvandermarel3953 2 роки тому +22

      I feel it obscures the line between 'art' and 'design'. From an aesthetic point of view, I even applaud it. But it loses functionality, a lot.
      I hope it turns out to be a quickly fading trend. Mostly because I am not comfortable designing within it, myself.

    • @TheRealPostpunker
      @TheRealPostpunker 2 роки тому +11

      @@royvandermarel3953 Feeling the same way. It feels more like an art style ( I mean yeah graphic design always took inspiration from modern art ) though it lost the technical fidelity sometimes. Accessibility and readible designs won't die. You can adjust the style towards the trend though in my mind it should always function as well. In case of a poster it might not be that clear as it sometimes is just an attention grabber.

    • @donotreply8979
      @donotreply8979 2 роки тому +1

      It's UGLY

  • @lii8406
    @lii8406 2 роки тому +88

    i never knew i was interested in design until i found your channel. you've got me fangirling over the olympic pictograms (which were fantastic) and reading Never Use Futura - this is a whole new avenue i'm so excited to explore. huge congrats on your new baby, and i hope 2022 is excellent for you!!

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +19

      That's exactly what I hoped for with this channel, and it makes me really happy to hear it! Thank you and hope you have an excellent 2022 as well!

    • @monko4738
      @monko4738 Рік тому

      Everyone's interested in design! Sometimes you just need a good voice to listen to first

  • @vurpo7080
    @vurpo7080 2 роки тому +13

    Speaking as another zoomer, I think the attitude (at least for me) is simply that it's funny to do stuff intentionally in a stupid and ugly way. I definitely feel like I know what the "traditional" rules and sensibilities of graphic design try to tell us, but I also see that it's just plain fun to do stuff that you're not "supposed to" do. Like walking in the middle of the street when it's the middle of the night and no cars are around, it's pretty harmless but you know it's still "forbidden". Or, say, constructing intentionally gross, creepy, or scary environments in Animal Crossing, which is supposed to be the video game embodiment of the concept of "cute" (se /r/crappyanimalcrossing).
    It's like yeah, I know the "rules" and what they're there for, but hey! There's nobody around to stop me, so I can decide for myself when I want to and don't want to follow them!

  • @jmalmsten
    @jmalmsten 2 роки тому +13

    In movies and TV there's often talk about the 30 Year Cycle. Like how filmmakers and TV producers of the 80s rediscovered the 50s, 90s did the 60s, 2000 did the 70s, and 2010s reached the 80s. It's about time 2020s get on to the 90s... the theory being grounded in the assumption that the trendsetters often are about 30 years old and the period they feel nostalgia for is the time they were born in and had the least amount of responsibilities and rules during.
    You can even go even further back. As in the 1950s they rediscovered and remade tons of properties from the 20's. And the earliest movies were about westerns and the civil war. Recent memory for those filmmakers.
    As someone born in 1985 I am in the age group that will probably cling on to the 80s for a good while forwards. I find the 90s esthetic a bit too loose and busy.
    Maybe the 40 year thing in architecture is because architects tend to get to positions of decisionmaking when they are in their 40s?
    Although seeing the design of Burger King using designs that are straight out of an UPA cartoon does mess with my assumptions a bit. Maybe the cucles work with multiples of 30? As UPA was more 60s than 90s? But UPA was actually more like 50s... Dangit...

  • @rosejuliette9180
    @rosejuliette9180 2 роки тому +56

    It's so strange to me that right now I'm not really seeing much design that particularly meets my aesthetic desire. Whilst I enjoy this nu-brutalist design I am frustrated by its illegible nature and not just in the typography but as a whole. I believe this is intentional as well in a way that i kind of find a little manipulative. Last year (2021) year moreso than any previous year my response to design has been "what is this even trying to advertise?" Some of this has been in response to minimalism to the point where purpose is lost but most of it has been to busy collages of seemingly unrelated themes and styles. If I'm being generous I would say it reminds me of old school comic book stands where each zine on the stand is bursting with colour, dynamic poses and trying to grab your attention with enticing text... I'm not feeling that generous and instead it's looking more and more like a page of clickbait UA-cam thumbnails from 2009. Your Instagram point kind of supports this. Why make your design make sense if people are more likely to click when they don't understand what it is. That is after all the task that these designers are frequently being assigned instead of reaching a specific target audience. I think that this style will soften out a bit to become more fit for purpose and I can only hope that with that it drops the exploitation of mindless internet traffic. That might seem like a strong critique but I genuinely love the concept of going against the minimalist approach and creating a busy and brutal design. I just think a lot of it could be achieving those goals without being so hostile to the audience who has to engage with them.

    • @maxswisher5476
      @maxswisher5476 2 роки тому +6

      That's a fascinating thought, and it resonates with me. I have to wonder, when ads and algorithms objectively favor that which grabs attention, will we ever see a mellowing down? Or will we just see bolder, brasher, and more illegible designs, until suddenly you need to be soft to stand out against the noise... I suppose I'm trying to say that I think it will get much worse before it gets any better, and that gives me a headache. 😅

  • @Crystal3lf
    @Crystal3lf 2 роки тому +22

    Been on UA-cam since 2007, but this is my favourite new channel. Looking forward to what you make next :)

  • @charlie891
    @charlie891 2 роки тому +17

    from the perspective of a 16 year old gen-z, there's a strange phenomenon that took place in about 2019 that i call the nostalgia rush. since the early 2000s, eighties nostalgia was lingering in the air in the same way that 1950s nostalgia does, in faint tacky "retro-wave" nuggets that would come and go. it experienced a massive boost as we got into the mid 2010s, and it all really kicked off with stranger things.
    however, post-stranger things, i began to notice that what was considered nostalgic was slowly starting to spread out and consume all separate eras of design and fashion in the mainstream and then it all happened quickly over lockdown- all different kinds of aesthetics that were only still appreciated in niche circles now became widely popular in general alternative culture again. think the revival of emo, y2k's further empowerment, 70s style's total resurgence with the browns, yellows and greens synonymous with that era going from considered gross to totally cool, late 2000s/early 2010s fashion being revived in their own unique groups (i.e "bella swan-core")
    a lot of this stuff was still considered tacky and unfashionable just a few years ago but the popularity of nostalgia has empowered the return of so many unique styles, stuff even from MY lifetime is considered nostalgic and cool in a "retro" way. i for one welcome this, it gives me a chance to dress in familiar, loved styles and not stand out in an awkward way, and for me to even introduce myself to loads of styles which i wouldn't have even considered before.
    after writing this i realize i totally ended up writing about fashion instead, but i think pretty much most fashions have their own design languages that go hand in hand so that kinda still works???
    anyways, great video! very interesting perspective on this challenging aesthetic movement

  • @ArkitectHaizara
    @ArkitectHaizara 2 роки тому +35

    You should do a video on the 50 year cycle! Hadn't thought about it like that but it makes absolute sense. Don't know if there's a video past the clip you made here but worth looking into it imo!

  • @ProjectSeventy
    @ProjectSeventy 2 роки тому +13

    Regarding the 50 year cycle, it very much reminds me of Laver's law, which is a prediction/description of attitudes towards fashion, based upon how many years ahead/behind it is. It follows a trend of negative to positive in the few years ahead of the curve, then a strong negative to positive as something gets older by the decade.
    It was proposed a very long time ago, if I recall, so I couldn't say if it still holds up, or if it did when proposed, but I think it's interesting to see similar ideas being brought up in other fields.

  • @alimfuzzy
    @alimfuzzy 2 роки тому +38

    Was wondering if you've noticed something or am I going crazy. I just finished a web/app dev course and when we all showed our projects I couldnt help but notice that around 70% of them used teal as the main color (mine included). I'm wondering do different levels of designers (I'm assuming we were all amateurs/non-designers) tend to stick with particular colours... is teal just "in" lately and we've just picked it up subconsciously?

  • @itskindofemily
    @itskindofemily 2 роки тому +7

    I'm really loving the design trends of 2021 tbh stretched fonts, hazy gradients and poppy 70s and 90s vibes are super fun!

  • @Hetachan
    @Hetachan 2 роки тому +17

    This is fascinating!!! I never understood that "digital brutalist" style but after watching this, I have a new found appreciation for it

  • @henriquejambu
    @henriquejambu 2 роки тому +22

    Wow digital brutalism, didn’t know the name to that. Honestly when I see it and I just think “this is what generic graphic design looks like”. Can’t believe it’s only been around for 2 years? It feels like it’s always been everywhere 😅

  • @sura3638
    @sura3638 2 роки тому +26

    I think it's important to mention that zoomers ( I am on the cusp of millennial and gen z) have the easiest access to media and knowledge than ever before therefore we can see the designs and aesthetics of the past and are able to cherry-pick elements and bring them back. This accessibility also means the trend turn over speed is ridiculously fast

  • @johnblair8146
    @johnblair8146 Рік тому

    Old retired guy here. I noticed that you used one of my favorite fonts here. Windsor!!!!! Another QUALITY font that was probably overused back in the GOOD old days was ATF Bookman with Swash. Now Mark Simonson has brought this back with his EPIC Bookmania. SMASH minimalism!!!!!

  • @abstractdaddy
    @abstractdaddy 2 роки тому +52

    This is quite an insightful video. Thanks!

    • @tenshi_amachi
      @tenshi_amachi 2 роки тому +5

      Whoa, didn’t expect you to be here. I love your videos very much!

    • @katiefrances531
      @katiefrances531 2 роки тому +2

      funny seeing you here

  • @CowmanCowman
    @CowmanCowman 2 роки тому +3

    Great video! Digital brutalism is not a term I’ve heard before but I think it fits perfectly. I’ve certainly noticed it before, particularly in album covers, and some independent fashion. Also, the style of typeface you used for your section intros seems to be becoming more popular, I like it a lot.

  • @Y2Kikii
    @Y2Kikii 2 роки тому +22

    Great video! And thanks for touching on this brutalism trend. I follow a popular designer who does a lot of work like that. I'll be honestly, not the biggest fan of it cause it more amateur hands it just looks...well, like amateur work. But I dig the kinda "punk" DIY vibe that some well put together pieces have. I'm a BIG fan, however, of the "retro" designs. I follow a few people who do it SUPER well. Like it's the perfect blend of that 60/70's aesthetics with modern sensibilities.

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +5

      There's definitely a spectrum in terms of quality, regardless of aesthetic style and tropes, for sure. I've definitely seen some examples that I genuinely like a lot.

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG 2 роки тому +2

      @@LinusBoman CS Lewis, whom I like when he's writing as an essayist and critic, not as an author of fiction, once wrote that it is difficult, if not impossible, to properly critique something if you don't like what it's trying to be. If you hate murder mystery novels, you will not have any insight into whether any particular such novel is a good or bad example of its genre.
      Do you agree? Do you find the same when critiquing or analysing design? If you dislike the style of a logo, is it more difficult to analyse that particular logo as the individual logo it is, as opposed to analysing it as an example of its genre?

    • @hirallyly
      @hirallyly 2 роки тому +1

      nice name lol

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +1

      Trig - that's a great quote, and a good question. I don't know if I agree with Lewis on that. I think if you're a decent writer and are well read across genres, even if you're not into murder mysteries, you could tell a well crafted one from one written by a hack. I certainly feel that way about stand up, which I did for a few years. After being immersed in comedy, there are a lot of styles that aren't my cup of tea, but I know who is a good vs a hack, even if neither make me laugh because of their style. I think It's similar with graphic design to some degree. It becomes muddy when there are "naive" styling elements, but generally you can tell if the designer has a good eye and has attention to detail. But I might not be as unbiased as I might like to believe! Haha.

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG 2 роки тому

      @@LinusBoman I think that Lewis was a bit cheesed off at the literary critics' response to what we would now call "genre fiction", which he, of course, wrote, so it's likely that he himself wasn't actually as unbiased as he should have been when he wrote it!
      I've not yet tracked down the original quote, but it's somewhere in "Of This and Other Worlds" if you want to look it up.

  • @goopthekid
    @goopthekid Рік тому

    im a graphic design student at portland state and can confirm that nearly everything coming out of our program looks like your thumbnail... as a transfer student into the program it drives me crazy but confident to keep doing my own thing

  •  2 роки тому +8

    As a millennial, this got me thinking and left me calm and with less anxiety about what's to come. At least, design wise lol. Great video!

    • @kristaw206
      @kristaw206 2 роки тому

      Made me feel old tho, lol

  • @emilioolated6821
    @emilioolated6821 2 роки тому +4

    I fill that this year has had a little bit of a renasiance to the Y2K style, with designers like Kyoto, or Detectiive (check their twitters). Also, i really love how Graphic Brutalisim looks, i just discovered what its called watching this video, ive always called it the "Designers Republic Signature Style" and ive used it a lot in school projects since 2019. Really good vid

  • @sbilldmilk
    @sbilldmilk 2 роки тому +2

    Who would have known that I was such a pioneer when I was stretchin' Arial in MS Paint way back when I was a wee toddler

  • @reddcube
    @reddcube 2 роки тому +7

    I wonder if Cursive will make a come back. Some logos use cursive, but not much else.

    • @TheElectrizantee
      @TheElectrizantee 2 роки тому

      Cursive and lettering are definitely coming back

    • @tylerphuoc2653
      @tylerphuoc2653 2 роки тому

      As a Zoomer, I feel like I've been the only one in existence that I've known of to prioritize legibility in how I do decorative cursive (even some of my shorthand incorporates "cursive" characters like k or a).

  • @AntonWongVideo
    @AntonWongVideo 2 роки тому +2

    and thus, the pendulum continues to swing back and forth

  • @tad2021
    @tad2021 2 роки тому +1

    Ef'ing minimal UI has been a complete pain professionally. I work in IT and nearly all of my users have been universally confused by minimal UI we had to use. No matter how long they were forced to use the same, unchanging interfaces, they never got used to them and would constantly make tickets when they needed to do anything beyond the most basic task as even known exactly what you were looking for did not help in actually finding it.
    This became even more obvious over the past couple weeks when we upgraded every use from the old minimalist UI office had to the current less minimalist UI in O365. We were bracing for constant support calls from the UI change, but shockingly there was almost none. Many users even remarked how much better the new version was. The only major difference between the two is that there is actual color in the UI graphics again and they almost kind of look less abstract.

  • @NicolasSeijas
    @NicolasSeijas 2 роки тому

    So you are telling me that those ultra squished letters on the top genres of Spotify 2021 weren't an error? That was an actual design decision? Daaang boy.
    Great video. Cheers from Argentina.

  • @_adamsmith
    @_adamsmith 2 роки тому +6

    I really enjoyed this video. I find it so satisfying when something you notice happening in the world of visual culture is crystalised into a nameable idea or style. Congratulations on becoming a father!

  • @andressoler7115
    @andressoler7115 2 роки тому +1

    Are we not gonna talk about that shade thrown at Adam Driver at 3:02 ? lol

  • @Lavinia_Garcia
    @Lavinia_Garcia 2 роки тому +1

    So happy I discovered your channel! I've recently started getting interested in the world of design in it's many forms and aspects and your channel explains things to people like me with no actual background in a very engaging manner. Looking forward to more!

  • @samzarazararam
    @samzarazararam 2 роки тому +2

    Really learned a lot! I feel like my design professors at school refrain from being super honest about trends and sometimes student works following the trends. Learned a lot from your video and instantly subbed!

  • @HuntMcD1
    @HuntMcD1 2 роки тому

    Really glad I found your channel this year. Knowing nothing about graphic design, you explain things in a way that grabs me like few others.

  • @filipvegt
    @filipvegt 2 роки тому +2

    Congrats with the baby! Hadn't heard about it yet, though I'd call myself an avid follower of your content. I love your videos.

  • @argotsambience
    @argotsambience 10 місяців тому

    my uni's year end show branding looked SO similar to some of the photos you showed at the beginning!
    Great video- your analysis and reflections on whats going on right now were really nice to hear

  • @liammills5559
    @liammills5559 2 роки тому +3

    Keep it coming in the new year. Love your stuff

  • @_Amit_Sunil
    @_Amit_Sunil Рік тому +2

    Need this for 2022!

  • @hannehjmark894
    @hannehjmark894 2 роки тому

    I'm pretty sure this video just gave me a nice dopamin boost.
    I haven't seen your content before, but your thoughtful and pleasent way of sharing your thoughts on this subject just feels uplifting. Super imprest :)

  • @kijiystudios
    @kijiystudios 2 роки тому +1

    Absolutely love how concisely you put all of this, fantastic video!

  • @909sickle
    @909sickle Рік тому

    Please do more of this. Analyzing design in particular years or spans of time or change points. Also, cutting edge new things happening in design that are interesting and not pretentious

  • @moritz7763
    @moritz7763 2 роки тому +8

    I was always loosely interested in design and your channel really focussed that! (Sorry for the bad expression I'm German). In your videos i particularly enjoy the influence of design on everyday-life which you might not even notice. Also, I find the challenges for brands these days very interesting (as you mentioned the does-it-instagram question or how car brands want to appear modern and green)
    All in all, I love your general view on society and generations. It gives you a new perspective, which is always nice. Happy new year to you!

  • @CaravanCreative
    @CaravanCreative 2 роки тому

    Thanks for doing what you do here, Linus. Speaking as a designer that didn't follow a traditional route for design education, following your channel has felt like the best way to stay in tune with the industry and reminds me of what its like to have knowledgable colleagues around you to learn from. Please keep sharing! Good luck with the year ahead!

  • @arambaali
    @arambaali 2 роки тому

    This is a masterclass in design! I'm watching slowly and researching at every point to make sure I understand what is being discussed to implement it in my projects.

  • @gunrodoplu
    @gunrodoplu 2 роки тому

    I think your analysises are incredibly thoughtful. To read design trends this way is simply near philosophical! Thanks a lot for great videos.

  • @MissMisnomer_
    @MissMisnomer_ 2 роки тому +2

    I'm glad, I'm so sick of minimalism 😔 As a young designer, I've always felt so tied down by the crispness that is demanded by the old guard: let me go eild!

  • @catherineboudreau1891
    @catherineboudreau1891 2 роки тому

    I'm so glad I found your channel! Your videos are really well made and insightful. perfect length, flow, and editing! keep up the good work, you stand out from the other graphic design channels :)

  • @vitormachadof
    @vitormachadof 2 роки тому

    I love this channel so much, thanks for your work and happy new year!

  • @nyatella
    @nyatella 2 роки тому +1

    EPIC VIDEO, LINUS! I'd like to see more casual / freeform shorts and content from you. Congrats on making it through another challenging year. Congrats on the new baby human. So glad to see more successful 80s Linus's come to the spotlight. Looking forward to more of your content this year 🥳🥳🥳

  • @lunaedward6574
    @lunaedward6574 2 роки тому

    I love the way you speak or script your videos. Ironicallly it has this minimalism to it

  • @Geckokidthepaladin
    @Geckokidthepaladin 2 роки тому +1

    Happy NYE my fellow Asian millennial designer living in London! I love your channel and your energy :) Your insights are so fascinating and a few years ago I kept seeing the repeated squishy text trend and I just... didn't get it, now I know why!

  • @elgabrizav
    @elgabrizav 2 роки тому

    i loved this video! Your thoughts are really worth listening. Congrats on the baby, keep it up the excellent work.

  • @downtownmotel8914
    @downtownmotel8914 2 роки тому

    Loved the Electric Company intro there, that really hit hard

  • @jesseduggan46
    @jesseduggan46 2 роки тому

    Congrats on a great year & I look forward to another year of fantastic content!

  • @kaliora7047
    @kaliora7047 2 роки тому

    I'm a millennial designer who saw the brutalist style kind of emerging back in 2016 or so . Some of the blogs I was following were showcasing such designs and at the time I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. I understand it better now and utilize it sometimes for work now lol.

  • @CappyJae
    @CappyJae 2 роки тому

    Just discovered your channel, thanks for your intellectual take on design! I needed this.

  • @gmb893
    @gmb893 2 роки тому

    This is the stuff I nerd out on. Thank you for putting my feelings about culture into tangible explanations. Discovering your channel was a highlight of my 2021 on UA-cam

  • @HyphenatedHistoryUK
    @HyphenatedHistoryUK 2 роки тому +2

    I don’t know if this is an example of digital brutalism but it reminds me of the album covers for Life of Pablo which came out in 2016. I wonder if that was very early sign of its emergence

  • @jefcaine
    @jefcaine 2 роки тому +1

    Great work on the thumbnail of this video! I was immediately drawn to the design - then I realized it's a parody of 2021 design trends and I feel like a sucker.

  • @mivytaylor2462
    @mivytaylor2462 2 роки тому

    I had this vid recommended on my YT feed and clicked out of curiosity. Very informative, wonderfully delivered. I’m just starting out as a freelance designer and illustrator so subscribing for more amazing and helpful content 💖

  • @callmeperch
    @callmeperch 2 роки тому

    Really interesting video! What a great review, I would be thrilled if you did a series about specific artists or decades!

  • @alfiewright1396
    @alfiewright1396 2 роки тому

    Wow. Really interesting and unique insights. And your contextualisation of everything with pop culture references was really great.

  • @audreysopoco
    @audreysopoco 2 роки тому

    I just wanna say that this is the exact kind of design channel I’ve been looking for! Graphic design in popular culture and history are what interested me in it in the first place.

  • @bloycey
    @bloycey 2 роки тому

    I really enjoy your commentary. Please keep doing opinion vids and sharing your perspectives on where design is heading.!

  • @juliahinze
    @juliahinze 2 роки тому

    Thank you for this amazing video, I really enjoyed listening to it. It felt like a nice little podcast thing, that one could listen to every two weeks or so :)

  • @davidvkimball
    @davidvkimball 2 роки тому

    Great recap of the latest trends. Thanks for this!!

  • @BehradDavoudi
    @BehradDavoudi 2 роки тому

    what an amazing and well thought out video! thank you so much linus.

  • @leticiasayonara_
    @leticiasayonara_ 2 роки тому

    I could'nt agree more with your observations. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

  • @jw7903
    @jw7903 2 роки тому

    Love this video! I have used stretching font and other anti-design elements on my project but my professors treat them as they are just false and need to be correct. They love everything present in a minimalistic aesthetic. It makes me question myself and this video explained everything.

  • @MrMMertKorkmaz
    @MrMMertKorkmaz 2 роки тому

    Another amazing video. Please keep creating. Love&respect.

  • @danielvmay
    @danielvmay 2 роки тому

    Really enjoyed your vids this year, learned a lot!

  • @durere
    @durere 2 роки тому

    Great video, congrats on the baby!

  • @Lilly-Gorney
    @Lilly-Gorney 2 роки тому

    Thanks for the interesting video! Design isn't a topic I thought much about before watching some of your videos, but I'd honestly love to try a stab at it myself. (just in a hobbyist capacity)

  • @juliadandy6019
    @juliadandy6019 2 роки тому

    Thank you for the great content!
    I think a highlight was your "premonition" of the Meta logo XD

  • @danlehman1895
    @danlehman1895 2 роки тому

    super interesting break down Linus. Couldn't agree more that the design world has such a narrow understanding of what's good and bad. The overwhelming majority of design simply conforms to current trends, ensuring that all of it looks dated in less than a decade (loved the architectural analogy). I'm always thrilled when I see a brand update on Brand New that is simply good on its own terms, not because it ticks all of the "cool" boxes. One that comes to mind is the new Seat Geek logo, where so much personality was created by arcing the base and cap lines.

  • @whysr876
    @whysr876 2 роки тому

    Great video! Doing a Graphic Design degree and this really helps for my own reflections in my work

  • @Hackasaures
    @Hackasaures 2 роки тому

    Just randomly came across this channel & I think I just found one of the best youtube channels in the world. You’re basically a lecturer

  • @StephenYuan
    @StephenYuan 2 роки тому

    Thanks for this channel. We live in a universe of brands and this content has already brought my visual literacy to a new level.

  • @emmanuelotiotio5042
    @emmanuelotiotio5042 2 роки тому +2

    Thank you for your awesome content this year Linus! I found your channel about two months ago and you've helped me fall in love with design again!
    (Your work on the evil mega-corporation branding should win you an Emmy😂).
    Have an awesome 2022.

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +2

      Thanks Emmanuel. Happy new year to you too!

  • @pokehalo
    @pokehalo 2 роки тому

    Awesome content and I'm stoked that Arial is back.

  • @PezGenesis
    @PezGenesis 2 роки тому

    As a junior designer, your videos really help when it comes to talking about/describing and presenting my work. Thank you

    • @PezGenesis
      @PezGenesis 2 роки тому

      Please create more videos like this, really engaging stuff

  • @tuckwell77
    @tuckwell77 2 роки тому +1

    Hi Linus, love your channel! Would love to see your review on automotive logos, particularly of German cars.

  • @boescavern
    @boescavern 2 роки тому +1

    you're my favourite youtuber discovery of 2021!!!

  • @tassaron
    @tassaron 2 роки тому +4

    Your my best new subscription of 2021 🙂

  • @dorkyska
    @dorkyska Рік тому

    You are my new favorite person on the internet. Obsessed!

  • @allluckyseven
    @allluckyseven Рік тому

    That was nice. Let's have one for 2022!

  • @khazermashkes2316
    @khazermashkes2316 2 роки тому

    Congrats on the new baby!

  • @itsNNAU
    @itsNNAU 2 роки тому +5

    Love all of these design insights and the channel 🔥🔥

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому +2

      Thanks mate, appreciate you saying so!

  • @PhilEdwardsInc
    @PhilEdwardsInc 2 роки тому

    This is the year in review I needed! Excited to see you reboot your channel in stretched Arial next year…

    • @LinusBoman
      @LinusBoman  2 роки тому

      Thanks Phil, but obviously I have to go Times New Roman. For the brand. 🧐

  • @AlexA-gf3xd
    @AlexA-gf3xd 2 роки тому

    Hey Linus, really love your videos, would be super keen to find out your favourite commercially open source typefaces, or ones with interesting pasts!

  • @ReubenCornell
    @ReubenCornell 2 роки тому

    This channel entertains AND makes me think.