Design trends of 2012: hand drawn

Over on Computer Arts magazine, Kate Franklin of creative consultancy Franklin Till, explores some of the micro trends that could run through 2012 like the word 'Blackpool' through a stick of rock.

Take the hand drawn aesthetic. You can see examples of it everywhere. From the subtle arrows (designed to guide the eye) on 37signals to the sketchbook-look of carsonified.com.

Design trends for 2012

Such hand drawn elements instantly inject a more human, fluent flourish into today's slick digital designs. And they're spilling over from illustration and packaging into web design and animation.

As Kate Franklin points out, the aesthetic one of the "major visual directions currently manifesting within graphic design."

I mentioned seven micro design trends for 2012 earlier. The other six include the likes of 'reductionism', 'Bauhaus' and 'true authentic'.

Want to learn more? See why these trends matter and view some inspirational examples in this Computer Arts report: Micro trends: Graphic design aesthetics.

As ever, let us know your thoughts and comments in the comments bow below!