If you have a millennial in your office, I suggest checking in on them.
Are they okay?
In recent years we’ve seen a resurgence in nostalgic 90’s to 2000’s trends. There’s no safe space; from fashion to graphic design, we’re flooded with popular motifs from the era, now dubbed the Y2K trend.
If you’re unfamiliar with the trend, think low rise jeans, butterfly hair clips, flared or wide leg pants, multi-layered clothing and many of my deepest fashion regrets from youth – they’re now back in! Y2K isn’t only focused on the fashion from the turn of the century, but a holistic recreation of the time itself. We’re now brought back to 2000 through design techniques including bold graphics, typography, vivid colours, vintage tech and an overall maximalist vibe.
It’s a far cry from the sleek, “uncluttered” minimalist designs we’ve become accustomed to, with previous website bugs becoming design features. Colour palettes are now exploding with bold patterns, colours, and statement shapes. This design shift is hard to miss as it is evident across most mainstream media. You may be left asking yourself – “Why is this happening to me?”
Well, the drastic change in design choices of the Y2K trend ironically help give a brand a current feel. It is such a divergence from what has been standardised design choices of the past 5 years that it breathes new life and differentiates itself from other recent designs as well as attracting a younger audience who are really driving the Y2K movement. As a Millennial who enjoys minimalism, I find this quite a jarring shift. But have to admit, some elements of the Y2K trend are very fun.
Credit Gao Hang
We can see brands incorporating elements of the Y2K trend to varying degrees. Spotify’s 2023 Wrapped is an excellent example of a brand diving headfirst into the trend. The website itself is very time specific. In referring to its user’s data from 2023, it makes sense the design for this year breaks from Spotify’s previous brand guidelines and launches itself into the popular trends of the year – enter Y2K mania. At the other end of the spectrum, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra embraces the use of vibrant colours, block typography and varied background colour gradients to update the website’s look and feel without committing to the Y2K trend exclusively, but subtly mirrors its popular design elements. Here at DesignStreet, we’ve incorporated a more bold, vivid colour palette and block shapes into our designs to capture the audience’s attention and incorporate these contemporary design trends whilst staying true to brand guidelines – take a look at our FIFA Woman’s World Cup 2023 and NSW Government Correctional Services Campaign to see more.
Without going “full Y2K”, there are many ways to incorporate bold, bright colours and shapes into your designs to infuse a taste of this trend. For me, I’ll stick to my “Coastal Grandma” aesthetic and dabble with the “Latte Trend”. But have to admit, I have enjoyed the nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Thanks Y2K.
