Summer Design Trends (2019) That Any Artist, Illustrator or Designer Can Embrace

Bold. Strong. Empowering. The design world is looking up for summer 2019.

We’re lucky enough to see the world through the eyes of a global community of artists. The unique thing that comes with seeing society through the lens of creatives is our ability to pick up on underlying moods and motivations. If you’re looking for a creative prompt, here’s some summer 2019 design trends that we’re seeing pick up steam. With the launch of our new collection of outdoor products, we wanted to make sure you had a little guidance if it’s something you thrive on.

It’s important to note that everything should be created with your style. The products seen in this post are intended to illustrated a variety of artistic styles rather than highlighting “best sellers”. If you’re a typographer, focus on type. If you’re an illustrator, focus on illustration. It’s easy to look at something and want to fall in line, but the reality is that everyone benefits when the community gets more diverse with their creative and product offerings. So, honor your style any time you take a creative prompt and don’t stop yourself from getting experimental. That’s often where gems lie.

Summer 2019 Mood: Empowering

*motivated by awareness that social and environmental change is needed

We’d be lying to say that a rocky global, political and social climate hasn’t impacted, and sometimes dominated, our attention and energy…even when we know it’s hype.. After long enough feeling one way, fatigue sets in and we shift to something more useful than just calling problems out. This has already been happening, but we’re supportive of this continued momentum as we get into the most optimistic season of every year.

In fact, the current wave of optimism is being driven by far more than “self care”, although that’ll always have a home in art. What’s culturally notable is cynicism giving way to an undercurrent of people interested in problem solving. Keyboard justice is giving way to community action and empowerment in the real world. Even if you don’t feel connected to an IRL community, don’t hesitate to offer your artwork to non-profits, missions or projects you’re passionate about.

Whatever you create, remember to keep in your style. If any of the below themes resonate with you, see if you can use empowerment to motivate your work, not just encouragement or general optimism. It might not seem like stripes give you a lot of freedom to infuse “empowerment”, but I disagree. That’s why we’re artists. We create things capable of moving the line (no pun intended). You you can use angles to signify growth or empowerment. You can create shapes using stripes. You can blend abstract minimalism with stripes. You can collage with stripes and various subjects all day. You don’t even need to create stripes if you can find them in the natural world or in your own home and photograph them.

Summer 2019 Design Trends

Jungle Cats

Panthers, jaguars, tigers, cougars, you name it. Some of the world’s most famous “big” cats–the ones who typically leer from the protection of leafy greens–are experiencing quite a lot of popularity. And customers are showing us they’re into it. Keeping in line with your style, whether actual set in the jungle or not, this is one theme our customers seem like they can’t get enough of.

Abstract Minimimalism

If you separate minimalism from abstraction, they both serve to create space–mental space or perceived physical space. This trend, I think, is a reaction to a recent pendulum swing towards maximalism (i.e. see jungle cats above).

Purely from an artist’s perspective, nothing feels better than creating something that frees you from expectation. You don’t need people to understand you or your art. The subject can be highly ambiguous, and yet fans are smart enough to pick up on the meaning of your shapes, colors, textures and the arrangement of these elements. We find hints of mid-century modern infused into this trend as well if that’s fits your vibe a bit more.

Stripes

Isn’t this the most basic of all design trends? Yes and no. The beauty of a simple concept is that its interpretation can look very different to different artists. And different artists, whether intentionally addressing this theme or not, find ways to bring the idea of stripes to life. This creative diversity gives your customers the opportunity to find something their friends don’t already own. That is why customers shop on Society6 after all. Also, stripes are a theme well-suited for our outdoor collection as well, so consider your spin on this classic if you’re looking to fill out your designs for your outdoor products.

Fruit

Watermelon especially is killing it right now. Don’t shy away from summer and fruit-friendly drinks like margaritas, mix drinks and cold beer (don’t use any logos or brand names). Some general guidance though–think watermelon, lemons, limes,  oranges, grapefruit, pineapples and anything else that feels particularly summery. There’s a lot of room for interpretation so feel free to have at if you think your customers would appreciate your take on this one. Go abstract or keep it real.

Beachy, SoCal, Tropical

This is more of an always trend, but it’s worth noting because customers really start scooping up beach-vibe products every year around the summer. Whether that’s photos of the beach or illustrations of sun, sand, surf, skate or palm trees, any of these things tend to see a spike in popularity. If you don’t have anything that fits this theme, it’s pretty easy to find a subject and infuse your style of illustration, photography or design into this one.

Featured artwork by Ingrid Beddoes