Published on 04/25/25

Arneo's 5 design trends 2025

Romain Gillet

17 minutes

New year, new trends!

It's a classic: every year, many design players share their visions and project what's in store for us in 2025. Arneo is no exception to the rule, and presents the 5 major design trends for this year.

As always, the technological and geopolitical context and the crises we're going through influence and inspire design. We had some great moments in 2024, notably with the Olympic Games, which will continue to feed our creativity in 2025. But the global geopolitical context and the increasing omnipresence of artificial intelligence in every aspect of our lives will also have a major impact on design.

We're already feeling it: a growing willingness on the part of creative people to get involved and become activists (with more eco-design and ethical design), an overstretch of graphic design (with AI constantly producing images and videos) and, in reaction, a return to the handmade, the human, authenticity and originality (scrapbooking, handmade illustrations, minimalist or maximalist design).

This is what we're going to explore in these 5 trends.

Creative AI: from revolution to appropriation

It's impossible to start this trend book without mentioning artificial intelligence. Over the past two years, it has revolutionized our daily lives, arousing as much criticism as admiration. Once again this year, artificial intelligence will unleash the passions of the design world. But after two years of predicting the death of creatives, replaced by AI, I believe that 2025 will be the year of appropriation.

Many creatives, previously reluctant to use these tools, are starting to integrate them into their practice. Last year, we witnessed the multiplication of AI artists, early adopters who were able to imprint their graphic touch through prompts. This year will mark the large-scale appropriation of AI. We'll see the emergence of new trends, new creative currents linked to artificial intelligence, followed by many creatives and brands.

Who knows? Perhaps next year, in addition to design trends, we'll be establishing AI trends applied to design?

Finally, AI invites us to rethink the way we conceive our creations. The viewer/user will increasingly interact with an AI capable of customizing its own interface to suit individual tastes. This is why creative minds have a bright future ahead of them: as the possibilities multiply, we'll need a conductor to give meaning to this new era of creation.

Design in motion: when animation energizes our creativity

Motion is more in vogue than ever. As Canva identifies in its trends analysis of user searches, the keywords "animation", "movement" and "interactive" are very popular. Social networks have long since shifted from static to video, and creatives continue to search tirelessly for new ways to stimulate us visually.

It's not necessarily the great comeback of the cinemagraph, even if it is enjoying a new lease of life, boosted by the contribution of AI, which makes it much more accessible. But we are witnessing a proliferation of micro-animations, whether on illustrations, which were very present on sites last year, in the animation of typography or through the use of gradients in texts.

The sensation of movement has become omnipresent, so much so that when you arrive on a static site, you almost wait for the animations to start. But beware of overdoing it: subtlety is still the key, and animation must not detract from the message or the content.

The year 2025 promises to be rich in contrasts and innovations. Creative minds will have to juggle technology and humanity.

Romain Gillet

Ethical and inclusive design: between commitment and responsibility

In a polarized world, inclusive and responsible design will play an increasingly important role. It is a way of asserting one's convictions, defending one's values and meeting new European regulations on eco-design and accessibility.

Inclusivity translates into the emergence of designs that reflect all diversities: disabilities, ages, genders and cultures. It also means more accessible interfaces, with adapted typography, color choices designed to improve legibility, and systematic subtitling of videos to ensure better comprehension for all.

Responsibility, meanwhile, is expressed in part through the rise of eco-design, which has been present for some time but has become a central issue in 2024. Faced with the growing sensitivity of consumers, who are demanding that brands take action to limit their environmental impact, and who are increasingly vigilant about greenwashing, brands must now prove their commitment to sustainability. It's become an inescapable yet omnipresent topic. I've lost count of the number of calls for tender and requests for "eco-designed, but..." website design. It's up to us to constantly reinvent ourselves to make eco-design sexy and less austere, and to integrate all facets of this vast subject.

This dual trend is set to become even more pronounced in 2025, driven by AI, which is pushing us to rethink our models towards greater frugality, a return to essentials and an approach in which the human remains at the center of design.

Minimalism vs. Maximalism: the harmony of contrasts

From the minimalism of 2023 to the maximalism of 2024? That's how I feel as I peruse trend books and other graphic designers' benchmarks. This emerging trend aims to reconcile the best of both worlds.

The idea is to get back to basics, to purity and simplicity (minimalism), punctuated by a complex element, bright colors and bold mixes (maximalism). The result is creations that are original, unique and highly distinctive, while retaining their functional aspect.

It's a perilous exercise (Jaguar's identity overhaul last year springs to mind), but the result is often original and memorable.

Back to authenticity: the human touch at the heart of design

Finally, I would like to conclude these trends with one last one, which is difficult to anticipate because, by its very nature, it is unpredictable. I believe, even more than in previous years, that we will see many brands and designers seeking to move towards greater authenticity and originality.

Going against our number 1 trend of artificial intelligence, this year will certainly see an even stronger return to the handmade, to the artist's graphic touch and to unique styles. There will be a more pronounced mix of creations produced without the aid of digital technology.

We're seeing the emergence of scrapbook-inspired designs or illustrations with a singular style, as a way of asserting know-how without AI.

In all cases, it's a fantastic opportunity for brands to showcase their singularity.

The year 2025 promises to be rich in contrasts and innovations. Designers will have to juggle technology and humanity. This promises to be a year full of surprises: it's always at times when design is constrained or challenged by technology that designers get the best out of it, and come up with extraordinary designs in the truest sense of the word.