Stickers may look like insignificant little shapes everywhere on walls and different products. But today, stickers are increasingly seen as an effective marketing tool. Many brands now explore stickers to promote their products and services in the target market. The market is full of popular sticker designs that people can identify easily.
The custom sticker market is still flourishing and entering new frontiers of creativity and personalization as we look toward the year 2025. Custom stickers do not only serve as promotional materials; they enable a brand to showcase its individuality and express itself in front of the audience. Businesses, artists, and individuals are using them to get the word out.
Stickers as a marketing tool
Businesses today launch stickers as part of their marketing strategies. This is because of the numerous advantages of stickers while reaching out to people. First, stickers are waterproof, implying they will remain there for long. That helps in making a brand visible all the time.
Secondly, stickers are cost-effective visuals that small businesses can easily afford to create and launch. With such personalized branded stickers, businesses can build trust amongst the target audience.
Businesses can also take the liberty of experimenting when designing their marketing stickers. That helps in building a brand identity uniquely and creatively.
The year 2025 is the year when graphic designers will likely experiment with different designs. With new technological innovations, the boom of AI, and creativity, the future of sticker designs is bright with endless possibilities.
10 Top Sticker Design Trends for 2025
When your company intends to launch its marketing campaign involving stickers, think of what is trending. Go through the current sticker design trends and follow them so your target audience likes your brand. Here are the top sticker design trends you should consider:
01. Minimalism will be a key element in stickers
The minimalist design trend has been the favorite of graphic designers for many years. This is because it helps create a clean and simple design to reflect the underlying messaging. A minimalist design expresses its message with just a few elements, giving enough scope to the audience to understand it. Minimalist stickers are trending stickers that brands use these days to grab attention.
A minimalist sticker design usually features one color scheme and font family. It may also have one simple image. The trend for creating visually appealing and clutter-free stickers seems going forward.
02. Retro and vintage styles will make their presence felt
Design elements from the bygone era still hold significance as they look unique and stand out. People immediately like such designs, reminding them of the old days and history. Stickers with retro or vintage style elements are trending as a tool to drive attention and to look different.
The frequent use of classic color schemes, old-fashioned typography, and illustrations to promote a brand via stickers will be visible in the upcoming year. The warmth of vintage hues and the elegance of retro fonts will make your sticker marketing campaign stand out.
03. Hand-Drawn Illustrations
Hand-drawn illustrations are another attractive design trend that graphic designers are likely to follow in 2025 for sticker design and beyond. Brands use illustrations to promote themselves as earthy and user-friendly. The hand-drawn sticker styles that convey the individuality and uniqueness of a brand will pick up its pace.
04. Natural elements will make a fresh addition
Elements borrowed from nature have always been impressive when creating graphic designs. With sustainability being adopted as a norm everywhere, the sticker design industry will focus on bringing eco-friendly papers.
The use of natural references is likely to accelerate. Designers will focus on adding natural colors, patterns, ecological ideas, and more. Brands following CSR or going all about natural things will use stickers with same elements to reflect their essence.
05. Geometric patterns
Geometric patterns are a series of repeated elements to complete the design. These patterns can be obvious or regular and in the form of squares on a grid. Or it could be abstract or more regular.
Repeating the design elements throughout the sticker space makes it interesting. People like such designs as unique and impressive.
06. Holographic overlay effects will be evident
Holographic stickers are popular for their illuminating feature when coming in contact with light. These stickers are perfect for product packaging to drive attention. You can also use it for laptops and promotional items. A holographic overlay will make your stickers look attractive before cutting it using an electronic machine.
07. Watercolor effects will be visible
Another sticker design trend that will be prominent in 2025 is using watercolors for effect. Watercolors give a design an artistic flair and a different look to stand out. Marketers explore watercolor effects in sticker designs to project their brands as people-friendly.
It gives stickers a soft, dreamy texture that helps create a visually appealing design. The use of watercolors also provides design fluidity.
08. Visual storytelling will prevail
Visual storytelling is another design element being increasingly included in sticker designs. Such sticker designs depict popular characters that convey brand message and evoke emotions. These stickers can leverage an image or illustration for storytelling.
Brands are exploring such online sticker designs for visual storytelling to communicate ideas and evoke emotions.
09. Sticker designs by Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also increasingly being incorporated into sticker designs, and the trend will likely dominate in 2025. An advantage of AI is that it can generate multiple design ideas instantly.
You can then pick a design that reflects your brand message. Brands intend to use AI in sticker designs to move away from conventional designs to look different.
10. 3D graphic design
3D designs have been around for the past few years. Graphic designers will likely follow this trend in 2025 to design stickers if required for brand promotion.
The trend will also persist since tools such as Adobe Illustrator have added new features for 3D designing. There is no need for experts anymore to create 3D images. We can see frequent use of this element in sticker designs in the coming months.
So, these are the key design trends that graphic designers are likely to continue in 2025. The intention is to create designs that help brands stand out in their target markets. Sticker designers experiment with different color schemes, typography, images, etc., that can convey a brand’s personality and message.
If you want to create sticker design, Designhill can help. This leading creative marketplace is your ideal site to access dozens of design ideas for stickers. You can launch your sticker design contest or you can work with a designer on a 1-to-1 basis.
Wrapping Up
Stickers are a prominent marketing tool for brands to enhance their reach amongst target audiences. New sticker design trends are developing and will be dominant in 2025. Minimalist designs, illustrations, 3D designs, AI-based designs, and others will be prominent. Graphic designs are likely to continue with these trends in the coming year.