How to Create Exuberant Brand Designs – The Art of Photography

After a somber few years, consumers are craving some fun. Let’s give it to them. Here’s how you can delight through design.

As children, play allows us to learn about the world through experimentation and fun. As we grow into adults, we often lose touch with that childlike intuition. And yet, with the world becoming seemingly more serious and somber by the day, there’s never been a better time to reintroduce this naive spirit into our daily lives, to bring lightness and joy to dark days.

The design world is catching on to that reality. With consumers increasingly turning to childlike activities and products—games, toys, and cartoons—to unwind and escape doom-scrolling, brands are realizing that a playful approach to design can be as commercially rewarding as it is beneficial to their audience’s sense of joy.

Google Store animated concepts created by Travis Ragsdale.

Want to get in on the playfulness trend by bringing an energetic and explorative spirit to this year’s projects? Read on to explore inspirational examples of this mischievous new attitude.

What Is Playfulness in Design?

Playfulness in design can be accomplished by experimenting freely with shape, color, and type, and by introducing childlike themes into your work.

3D animated objects floating through the air — *3D animated characters for HR platform Cornerstone, created by Pentagram.*

The four sub-trends of the general movement towards playfulness in design are:

Games
Magic
Childlike design
Grown-up mischief

Even if you’re skeptical about taking a wholly childlike approach to your design work, a dose of playfulness can bring an element of childlike wonder to even the most formal of designs.

Playfulness can be balanced with more mature elements, such as grown-up color palettes, to create a compelling balance of play and conservatism.

Pastel colors and metaphysical abstract object for flat living room in classic space, concrete staircase, turquoise walls, armchairs, potted plant, carpet, and lamps — *In this interior design example, playful shapes are integrated into a mature scheme to create a finely-tuned balance that feels both sophisticated and tactile. Image via Archi_Viz.*

Below, you can find examples of how designers are incorporating a playful energy into designs for packaging, logos, products, websites, interiors, and more.

Playfulness Trend #1: Games

Gaming is a huge cross-cultural trend in 2022, with more adults and different demographics finding their place in the gaming world than ever. So, it’s no surprise that game aesthetics have filtered into design.

In 2022, we’ll see a move away from the dark side of gaming as designers tap into a more childlike and innocent aesthetic.

Expect avatar-esque illustrations to make a prominent appearance across advertising and social media, with Manga-inspired characters in 3D styles giving a cutesy element to marketing campaigns.

Cute fluffy white kawaii puppy with red tongue sticking out of his mouth and a big smile on his face — *Enhance your social media marketing with cute 3D avatars. Image via contributor Roman3dArt.*

Designs inspired by retro games such as cards and pinball will also be big news in the year ahead, with brands like Google already channeling a retro gaming vibe to give users a hit of both nostalgia and interactivity when accessing online content.

In our tech-saturated environment, retro gaming gives audiences a double dose of escapism, allowing individuals to retreat to childhood modes of leisure while also offering an alternative to screen-based gaming.

Design agency Pentagram has even dipped a toe into the retro gaming world, creating a vintage-inspired games console that encourages children to play screen-free audio games.

In your own design projects, channel a playful retro vibe with mesmerizing pinball animations (addictive to watch), 3D illustrated avatars, or branded playing cards.

A person playing with "work off" cards while drinking whiskey — *Singleton WORK OFF playing cards created by Mobills-group Corp.*

Packaging image of the Yoto mini1 game — *A smaller, more portable version of the award-winning screen-free audio platform for children. Brand identity and product design by Pentagram.*

Google game with wooden figures — *Google Store animated concepts created by Travis Ragsdale.*

Playfulness Trend #2: Magic

If you want to bring playfulness into your designs and tap into a much wider cultural movement, magic is a theme to experiment with. With global interest in spiritualism and alt-religion soaring, consumers are more open to magic as a concept.

If retro games and naive illustrations are too childlike for your tastes, consider incorporating a little dark mischief into your designs with references to Ouija, tarot cards, witchcraft, and the occult.

With The Macabre tipped to be one of Shutterstock’s biggest Creative Trends for 2022, it’s clear that spooky imagery will tap into the consumer psyche in the months ahead.

Bring in an element of playfulness to your designs with woodcut illustrations or tarot cards that explore a quirky, mischievous aesthetic.

Six tarot cards on a black background — *Illustrations for Polish music group Kirszenbaum, created by Aleksandra Czudżak.*

Set of ten mystical-themed tarot cards — *Image via AnzhelikaP.*

Playfulness Trend #3: Childlike Design

Use bright and bold multi-color and geometric shapes to help foster a youthful mood, while super-sizing design elements to make viewers feel pint-sized and playful.

Or, throw out the rule book when it comes to realism, and embrace an illustration style that is charmingly naive. Innocent drawing styles make for surprisingly compelling brand identities.

In 2022, tasteful and sophisticated branding will take a back step to identities that are distinctly more fun and tongue-in-cheek. Experiment with graphic styles that feel ultra-friendly and informal, and team them with colors and shapes that maximize the playful potential.

You want to transport consumers back to a childlike frame of reference, inviting them to look at brands and products with a greater sense of openness and joy. While a childlike style might not be the best match for all types of brands, particularly those within more formal and corporate industries, they are a fantastic fit for brands associated with leisure, such as food, drinks, and entertainment.

Beer cans with colorful abstrac objects decorating each — *Packaging design for BR ALE, Barley Craft Brewery’s beer, created by Cacá Passos.*

Jerome Pizza identity created by Sergio Laskin.

Modern exterior of a colorful office building in Milan, Italy — *Image via faber1893.*

Playfulness Trend #4: Grown-Up Mischief

Playfulness doesn’t have to always be childlike. A fun-loving attitude can be integrated into otherwise adult-themed branding and products, and balanced with grown-up design elements to create something more clever than naively innocent.

Experiment with emoji graphics to create playful brand identities, or highlight a mischievous product name with eye-catching colors, textures, or type.

Humorous or surreal references can create more memorable marketing campaigns, so don’t be tempted to keep your designs overly serious and sophisticated.

After all, good design doesn’t have to somber.