Design News & Inspiration for GCU Artists — Fall 2025
✨ Design News & Inspiration for GCU Artists — Fall 2025
The design world has been buzzing lately with colour, nostalgia, and a renewed love for print. Here’s a look at what’s making waves this season — and why it’s worth a peek for those of us in the greeting-card world.
1. Print Is Having Its Premium Comeback
In an era where everything lives on a screen, print has become the new luxury. Major fashion magazines are cutting back on frequency but upping their paper quality and production values, creating collectible editions that feel special to hold.
This trend celebrates the tangible — the feel of paper, the smell of ink, the physical experience of turning a page. It’s a comforting reminder that printed cards remain timeless keepsakes.
📰 Read more: The Future of Fashion Magazines: Fewer, More Premium Issues — Vogue Business
2. The Retro Revival Rolls On
From avocado-green kitchens to lava lamps and shag rugs, nostalgia is having a moment again. Designers are embracing the colour palettes and playful patterns of the 1960s–1990s — with a fresh, modern twist.
Whether it’s in home décor, fashion, or packaging, there’s a clear appetite for cheerful design, bold typography, and a touch of whimsy. That spirit of nostalgia pairs beautifully with the emotional core of greeting cards.
📰 Read more:
- Throwback Styles Meet Modern Tech for a Retro Revival — AP News
- Designers Are Calling It: These 1960s Trends Are Making a Comeback — Good Housekeeping
3. Colour Gets Bold Again
Muted minimalism is taking a back seat as saturated tones and expressive palettes surge forward. From high-contrast duos to electric pinks and deep greens, bold colour is back on the design stage.
Designers are mixing hues with confidence, creating work that feels optimistic and eye-catching — a welcome shift after years of quiet neutrals. It’s all about standing out and sparking emotion through colour.
📰 Read more: Graphic Design Trends 2025 — G2 Learn Hub
4. AI Tools: Supporting Creativity, Not Replacing It
In 2025, we’re seeing artificial intelligence step more and more into the design scene — but not as a substitute for a designer’s spark. Instead, it’s becoming a creative assistant: helping with brainstorming, generating variations, and freeing up time for the human part of design. Creative Boom+4Venngage+4AI Graphic Design Courses+4
Some key things to note:
- AI is most useful in the early stages of design: idea generation, exploring colour options, laying out compositions. AI Graphic Design Courses+1
- It encourages designers to iterate more, try variations faster, and experiment more freely. Yes I’m a Designer+1
- At the same time, it highlights the lasting importance of human judgement, story-telling and emotional resonance — things that are especially relevant in greeting-card design. Bernard Marr
📰 Read more:
“AI and Design Trends to Watch in 2025: From Photorealism to Personalization” — GeeksforGeeks
5. Nature & Organic Forms Keep Surging
From interiors to type, design is leaning into softer curves, natural materials, and “organic modern” warmth. A recent feature on Bella Hadid’s living room shows the look in the wild—neutral palettes, wood and stone textures, and layered tactility. Paris Design Week also highlighted nature-forward materials and calm geometry in Snøhetta × Citterio’s new “Borealis” modular seating. And on the graphics side, type with organic quirks and hand-touched imperfection is trending.
📰 Read more:
Designity — “Typography Trends 2025: the 5 biggest styles” (includes organic-feeling letterforms; published Sep 12, 2025). designity.com
Homes & Gardens — “Bella Hadid’s take on the organic modern trend” (published last week). Homes and Gardens
Wallpaper — “Snøhetta and Citterio’s ‘Borealis’ modular furniture at Paris Design Week 2025.” Wallpaper*
🌍 In a Nutshell
Across all corners of design, the message is clear: people crave warmth, emotion, and connection. Whether it’s through colour, nostalgia, or tangible print, the human touch is what stands out — and that’s exactly what greeting cards are all about.
Happy Designing!
Corrie
GCU Community 