Deena Englard
- Dec 21, 2023
- 3 min read

11 Design Trends from 2023 to Keep Your Work Fresh

Design styles come and go in waves.

Listed here are styles that are in the beginning of their popularity arc within the design world but haven't yet reached their peak, so you can expect to see even more of them around in the coming year.

Most of these trends are still in their beginning phases in the non-Jewish design world - some have started to enter our community while some haven't reached us yet, and some might never reach us.

I sifted through the various opinions and takes on design trends to find the ones that resonated with what I've been viewing and the trends that I think are most likely to carry over into the Jewish design world over the next year or so.

Remember, the most trendy styles isn't always the best solution for your design. Each client and strategy requires the design style that will best reach their target audience and marketing goals.

There is a time for trends, however, such as campaigns that don’t need to be evergreen such as dinners, fundraisers, seasonal sales, etc. And they help get our creative juices flowing and keep our designs fresh.

So, feast your eyes and be inspired!

Bold, Quirky Sans Serifs
Elegant, High-Contrast Sans-Serifs and Serifs
AI Imagery
Text-Based Designs
In-Line Imagery
Pixels
Bento Boxes and Visible Grids
Reed Glass Blur
Abstract Gradients
Fluorescent Colors
Pastel Colors

You might notice some overlap - the most impressive designs incorporate more than one trend into them, making them really stand out. For example, gradients in pastel colors with bold, quirky fonts or neon colors with pixelated typography. Layer your trends for a greater trendy-vibe impact.

As a deliberate move away from the very simple sans serifs of 2015-2020, (think Gotham and Montserrat - I remember a time when my boss had to outlaw using those two fonts in the office because we used them for too many clients!) we're seeing a lot of more "interesting" fonts with personality - from bold sans serifs with quirky details to fonts that look almost like serifs without the feet.

Bold, Quirky Sans Serifs

Bold, high-contrast sans serif font — Chai Lifeline campaign by GCNY

Elegant, High-Contrast Sans Serifs & Serifs

These started trending a few years ago already but are still going strong and getting more popular than ever.

High-contrast sans serif and serif font — Beverly branding by GCNY

AI Imagery

With the introduction of free image AI, we're seeing interesting uses of AI in creating campaigns centered around using AI creatively, and just using AI to generate images that would otherwise have been difficult to find on a stock photo site - especially in the Jewish world where our imagery needs can sometimes be highly specific.

You can learn more about AI and its uses and drawbacks in design here.

AI imagery ads — Bonei Olam ad by Pivot Group

Text-Based Design

Less of a design trend and more of a concept trend - due to the increase in amazing frum copywriters (thank you CopyTribe!) and a greater understanding as to the value of impactful copy in achieving results, we're seeing a lot of ads that are solely copy-based. As a typography lover - this is the type of design (no pun intended;) that I love to see more of!

In-Line Imagery

This is an interesting trend taking place in both print design and in web design/development as cool hover states.

Pixels

A new and interesting way to mask or overlay images, create grids, and show that your company is tech-y and forward-thinking.

Bento Boxes & Visible Line Grids

visible line grids design trend — Honey & Co Creative

Reed Glass Blur

Abstract Gradients

Fluorescent Colors

Pastel Colors

I've been getting a few comments lately from clients to make the colors less pastel and more saturated. Now I know where that subconscious influence came from!

Side Note

While doing research for this article, I saw definite trends within each advertising industry (ie. fashion, jewelry, food, restaurants/catering/take-out, etc.), which makes it easy for a new brand to fit in with their industry norm, and also makes it easy how to stand out within a crowded industry.

If you observe the styles everyone else is using, then you now how to break away from it and do something wildly different to get attention. (If you want to... This isn't always the strategy you need and the image you want to portray to attract your target audience).

And you know what styles to use quickly before others get ahold of them, so that your clients can be the trendsetters and early-adopters in our community.

Additional Reading

Credits

Thank you to Chana Miriam Rosen, Reisy Manela, Bastzion Hersh, Miera Merkin, Adina Cahn, Chani Gorelick, Shaindy Lieberman, Chumie Friedman, Yehudis Blicksilber, and Chany Katz on the DesignAlly Slack group for all of your input and help with this article!