Is graphic design dead? Have we reached it?

Okay, now you're just confused. "What is 'it'?" "What do you mean by 'it'?" What I mean is, have we reached the point in graphic design where the craft can no longer be simplified, and that what we see right now is what will be? Has graphic design reached the end of its evolution point, to where there is nothing new under the sun? Well, that's just absurd. Is it, really?

See, graphic design has reached a point where just about any minimalist, cutting-edge design you can think of is a reality. Maybe 20 years ago, seeing a gradient minimalist logo was hard to accomplish. But today, technology has advanced so much that any style of logo or font can be designed. In fact, it's so much so possible nowadays for two different people to have the same design style than 20 years prior. Just take a look around, even browsing your phone's app store. App designs all look alike. Logos for new, 'trendy' businesses all look alike. Is it possible we've reached the end of new designs?

Yes. But, how is that possible? Technology has advanced so much so that it's possible to create a logo in PowerPoint in under five minutes. That's if you have an idea of what you wanted to do by sketching on your drawing app. A poster can be created in Adobe Spark Post with only a handful of taps and swipes. Virtually every past revolutionary graphic design movement (from Art Nouveau to Doo Wop to Bauhaus) has a current influence on designs. Decades past (like the 80's and the 90's) have their fair share of influence on today's designs. In the early 2000's, the flow of graphic design changed direction and gained momentum. But by 2021, we now see so many minimalist and gradient logos that it's hard for a logo to stand out from the rest in terms of being revolutionary.

Revolutionary graphic design has hit a plateau.

That's not to say that graphic design itself is dead. The craft is very much alive. But, the advancements in terms of style seems to have reached an end. There's not much that can be done to be revolutionary. All that was thought of is. Modern graphic design is what you see. There are no new advancements.

So, what to do about all of this? Does that mean that we give up on graphic design because there is nothing cutting edge? No, far from it. Graphic design isn't about pursuing the latest design or trying to be 'cool'; rather, it's about making a face for a company or brand. It's about being a visual representative of a brand/company.