Standing out in the saturated world of branding and marketing is all about staying ahead of the curve. With this in mind, what can we expect from design trends in 2025? The year is set to be all about balancing contrasting forces, for example, youth vs. experience, maximalism and minimalism, technology juxtaposed with humanity, and the digital sphere vs. the physical realm. The experts at Motion Array have put together the key pointers to help you set your creations apart in 2025.
Summary
Sustainability and inclusivity
It will come as no surprise to many of you — environmental awareness, inclusivity, and diversity are influencing design more than ever before. In fact, they’ll be an essential foundation for any project in 2025.
Tell-tale signs of this growing influence can be seen in the rise of natural textures and earthy tones, with the calming vibes reflecting environmental stewardship, while inclusive visuals celebrate diversity in abilities, cultures, and identities.
A good example of this is Motion Array’s Premiere Pro template, “Flat Jungle Leaves” logo. This template features a dynamic logo reveal with a colorful illustrated jungle canopy. You can easily add your logo and change the colors to fit your needs. Motion Array is also home to plenty of nature footage, like this stunning alpine lake reflections scene.
Typography trends: Serif to disruptive fonts
Typography trends are changing. After many years of using simple, corporate sans serifs, many brands have started to feel generic. In 2025, expect serif fonts to make a comeback — this type allows brands to stand out with a more distinct identity, thanks to their small decorative strokes or “serifs” at the ends of their letters. These illustrative typefaces immediately attract attention, making them ideal for crowded visuals and standing out on busy platforms like social media.
You can also expect brands to get creative, experimenting with variable fonts for greater flexibility or pixelated and disruptive typefaces for a more creative edge. For example, this Motion Array After Effects template features an 8-bit gaming text animation.
Meanwhile, this After Effects sticker and text pack is a great showcase of the fun that serif fonts can bring to a marketing campaign.
Color palettes that redefine boldness
When it comes to graphic design trends, color is always key. In 2025, there’ll be a few key palettes that will crop up again and again. On one end of the scale you’ll see bold, punchy, vibrant colors being utilized, while on the other (linking back to sustainability), there’s the muted, calm, and earthy tones. Meanwhile, for a futuristic look and feel, graphic designers will optfor neons, metallics, and chrome.
To achieve real harmony and visual impact, you’ll want to use a balanced color scheme like complementary (opposites on the color wheel for contrast), analogous (neighboring colors for cohesion), or triadic (three evenly spaced colors for vibrant harmony). Limit your palette to 3-5 colors, with one dominant, one secondary, and one accent to create focus. You can also incorporate neutral tones to soften bold colors and adjust saturation and brightness for some extra depth.
A great example of bold and vibrant colors can be found in these animation font cubes — a dynamic After Effects template which contains a fantastic collection of animated elements.
In “Fluid”, you’ll find those futuristic metallic chromes in the form of typography and abstract 3D backgrounds.
Nostalgia meets innovation: Retro-futuristic styles
Retro styles are on the rise again, with an interesting twist! Early internet aesthetics, rooted in 1990s web design, reflect the playful, experimental spirit of early digital culture with pixelated graphics, vibrant colors, and clunky interfaces. This nostalgic style has now been reimagined in contemporary design, blending retro elements with modern innovation. Expect to find plenty of this in 2025.
You can use storytelling to evoke emotional connections by referencing retro themes, cultural moments, or iconic styles while aligning them with modern values and trends. Graphic design trends are subtly integrating retro aesthetics into digital formats, such as minimal animations, neon gradients, or old-school patterns. These Final Cut Pro templates are the perfect example.
Scrapbooking
On the theme of nostalgia and the love of all things retro, it’s no surprise that scrapbook aesthetics are in for 2025. Designers are bringing the charm of old-school scrapbooking into modern-day digital design with a more careful and considered approach using structure, placement, and balance. Structured scrapbooking is all about intentional layering and collaging images, cutouts, doodles, tape, and stickers in a playful and polished way. These visuals often evoke creativity and personalization — a classic case of choosing humanity over technology.
Check out these 7 ripped paper transitioning effects for After Effects:
AI-powered design: Generative creativity and fluid forms
Graphic design trends for 2025 are all about contrasts, which is why for every retro-nostalgic scrapbooking design you’ll find, there will of course be plenty of AI-generated images and AI-powered design.
At this point, we’ve all seen how generative patterns and fluid, trippy visuals dominate AI-generated content. The surrealism and maximalism create a unique, distinct aesthetic. For some great examples, check out this post by Katsukokoiso.ai or this video by David Zauder.
To generate your own AI-powered designs, there are an array of powerful tools available, including MidJourney or DALL-E. To further enhance these AI-driven visuals, you can make use of Motion Array’s surreal, futuristic sound effects, like this Powerful Wooshes pack.
Organic futurism and the rise of 3D design
What is Organic Futurism? This type of graphic design pairs well with AI, showcasing technological progress in 3D design, with tools like Houdini enabling hyperrealistic, nature-inspired forms. This style blends surrealism and innovation, creating fluid, captivating visuals that stand out on social media.
Meanwhile, “3D Charms” features glossy, plastic-like 3D icons, playful forms, and vibrant colors. Inspired by fashion’s revival of charm accessories, it reflects the same focus on personalization, eclectic design, and maximalist expression. These trends will bring innovation and a whimsical approach to branding, fashion, and motion graphic design trends throughout 2025. The “Pocket Pals” modular intro is a great example of this:
Brain rot and chaotic maximalism
While it may not sound healthy, this one is a key trend for 2025. Brain rot aesthetics have been driven by Gen Alpha (born 2010-2025), reflecting the overstimulation of digital life with meme-inspired, oversaturated visuals. This style embraces randomness, humor, and viral internet culture, capturing the chaotic energy of the online world.
By balancing irreverence with a clear message, brands can stay relevant without undermining credibility. You’ll need to embrace self-aware, playful content that feels authentic and unpolished while aligning with your core identity. Use meme culture, exaggerated visuals, or unconventional storytelling to spark attention, but ensure the tone matches the audience’s expectations and the brand’s values. You should keep your brain rot campaigns short, interactive, and easily shareable, allowing users to co-create or remix content.
Actionable takeaways: How to prepare for 2025’s design evolution
To summarize, design trends for 2025 emphasize balancing contrasting forces, from sustainability and inclusivity to retro styles and AI-driven creativity. Projects should reflect environmental awareness through earthy tones, natural textures, and inclusive visuals celebrating diversity.
Meanwhile, typography will shift toward serif fonts for distinctiveness, while experimental and disruptive typefaces add creative flexibility. Color palettes will balance bold, vibrant hues with muted, calming tones alongside futuristic neons, metallics, and chrome for added depth. Nostalgia will resurface through retro-futuristic styles, blending pixelated graphics and neon gradients with modern elements to evoke emotional connections.
Emerging trends like AI-powered design, organic futurism, and chaotic maximalism offer opportunities to push boundaries. You should use AI tools to create surreal, generative patterns and hyper-realistic 3D designs that marry nature with technology. Scrapbook aesthetics and playful 3D icons add charm and personalization to campaigns, while the “brain rot” style embraces chaotic, meme-inspired visuals to resonate with younger audiences.
By using Motion Array to mix playful irreverence with strategic alignment to brand values, creators can stay relevant and impactful in a saturated digital landscape.
To help get you started, check out this collection of creative assets inspired by the top 2025 trends, compiled by the experts at Motion Array. To download them all and get unlimited use for your projects, sign up to Motion Array today.
