5 Social Media Design Trends to Watch in 2024
Published on June 30, 2024·6 min read
Strong visual design is essential for capturing attention on social media. As a brand, you want to look current and relevant, not dated. Here are five key design trends that are dominating social feeds in 2024.
1. AI-Generated Surrealism AI image generators are no longer a novelty; they're a serious design tool. Brands are using AI to create surreal, dreamlike, and impossible images that are incredibly eye-catching. This trend moves away from sterile stock photos towards unique, artistic visuals that stop the scroll. * **How to use it:** Use Up Trend Finder's **[Visualize tool](/visualize)** to generate concepts. Use prompts that blend unexpected elements (e.g., "a businessman riding a whale through clouds of data").
2. Bold, Retro Typography Nostalgia is a powerful force. We're seeing a huge resurgence of bold, expressive, and sometimes slightly distorted fonts inspired by the 70s, 80s, and 90s. These fonts have a ton of personality and stand out from the clean, minimalist sans-serifs that dominated the last decade. * **How to use it:** Use a bold, retro font for a key headline on an Instagram carousel to make a strong statement.
3. The "Scrapbook" Aesthetic This trend combines photos, text, hand-drawn doodles, and digital stickers to create a layered, scrapbook-like feel. It's a reaction against overly clean, minimalist design and feels more personal, creative, and organic. * **How to use it:** In Canva or Instagram Stories, layer your photos with text, add some GIF stickers or hand-drawn elements to create a dynamic, textured design.
4. Vibrant, High-Contrast Colors While pastel colors had their moment, the current trend is all about bold, vibrant, and high-contrast color palettes. Think electric purples, lime greens, and hot pinks. These colors are energetic, optimistic, and impossible to ignore in a crowded feed. Check out our guide on [color psychology](/blog/color-psychology-social-media) for more. * **How to use it:** Use a vibrant color as a background for a text-based post or as a bold border around a photo.
5. Data Visualization That Tells a Story As audiences become more data-savvy, simple charts and graphs are becoming a powerful content format. The key is to make them visually appealing and easy to understand. A well-designed infographic can communicate complex information in a highly shareable format. * **How to use it:** Turn a key statistic from your industry into a beautiful, simple chart for an Instagram post. Use your brand colors to make it on-brand.
By incorporating these design trends, you can ensure that your brand's visual identity feels modern, relevant, and captivating to your audience.