8 Typography Design Trends for 2021

Visual design is more powerful than ever. With graphic design trends stretching from recreating organic textures to otherworldly, trippy tech styles, and modern still life scenes, there are practically no limits. So, to some, typography can feel like it poses too many boundaries for designers. In type, you must live in the realm of letters and are constrained to follow their form.

However, much like the subtly of a suit, the art of typography is in the details. To master it, you must understand that small changes like a slight adjustment to kern or a simple modification to the size and weight can dramatically differ the overall impact of a design. These kinds of expert adjustments form the foundation of the latest emerging trends in typography for 2021.

The top trends for 2021 employ both new and classic typographic elements. Here they are, direct from the experts at The Word Counter: 8 Typography Design Trends for 2021:

Svelte Serif Fonts

Perhaps born from our need for simplified messages and our distrust of “fake news,” these limber and lean forms are fresh and trustworthy. They give us hope as we move forward into a new and untarnished year.

Outline Fonts

Transparency is a crucial element with outline fonts. There’s no hidden message here. Long and elegant or bold and proud, this font trend allows you to reveal visuals behind to support the power of the words you choose to use. Not only does it look mature and dependable, but there’s also an element of sharpness and a modern-rugged appeal.

Evolved Brutalist

Speaking of rugged, evolved brutalist typography design channels the working-class who has been the star of 2020. It’s no-frills and always gets the job done. With wide industrial lines and bare-minimalist style, you can depend on this type-trend to provide a subdued, unadorned look. It’s best paired with no-nonsense color schemes like earthy or organic hues.

Text Layering with Other Elements

Whether you like collage-art or not, text layering is a cunning trend that plays on this artistic technique. Layering specific images or elements with text can entirely transform the message you want to relay to your audience.

Text-Image Blending

Combine text layering with the outline font trends, and you get text-image blending. It’s exclusive and flirty and demands attention. If you want to engage an audience, here’s a trend for you.

New Psychedelic

There’s been a heavy dose of nostalgia running through the currents, and groovy 70s psych is one of the latest rages. Maybe it’s because trippy colors make it easy to “take a trip”  out of the confines of our work from home spaces? Or perhaps it’s that element of free-spiritedness that we want to channel? Either way, we love the disco vibes.

Bold Modern Sans Serif Fonts

We like this big, bold, and modern type because it takes you just a tad out of your comfort zone. All you need is a strong, streamlined, no-nonsense serif and someone to make it BIG. Dependable, stand-out, and even presidential, this is a font trend we support.

Cyberpunk & Vaporware

Another call-out to a different decade, the 80s were full of futuristic and dark-punk themes. We think it is a natural response to the apocalyptic year we’ve had.

Typography in 2021

With 2020 behind us now, we can look back and appreciate the trends born from this past year. With new gratitude for digital communication and a smarter eye for scrutinizing message clarity, we all look at words a little more closely than before. These emerging typography trends will help designers create positive, clear, and engaging designs as we take on 2021.

Maria Papaefstathiou

VISUAL DESIGNER since 1996 and blogger since 2010. Living in Athens, Greece. She has been focusing her research on poster design and particularly on social poster design and portrait design. Her main poster project is a series of posters celebrating great personalities of traditional and popular culture in Greece and Jamaica. These include actors, singers, musicians, poets etc. This is an ongoing project. “I believe that design is a powerful tool that we designers can use to spark enthusiasm, change mindsets and bring positive actions to our world and our culture”. FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF GRAPHICART-NEWS.COM BLOG. She carefully curates high-quality designs, illustrations, and art, from all over the world that will teach and provoke other designers. Many consider her blog to be an exceptional educational tool. CO-FOUNDER OF THE INTERNATIONAL REGGAE POSTER CONTEST which was launched on December 2011, partnering, the creative activist Michael Thompson aka Freestylee. (www.reggaepostercontest.com)