Art Deco Graphic Design & What You Should Know about It in 2022

 • 7 min read
Author Julia Khakimova

The style of Art Deco emerged at the dawn of the 20th century as a result of mixing elements of neoclassicism and modernism. Although the heyday of Art Deco is long in the past, it remains one of the most world-renowned and recognized styles in art and design. The style has left its traces in fashion, interior design & architecture, graphic design, and polygraphy.

Loud parties on the seashore, splashes of champagne, glamorous divas with boy haircuts in iridescent dresses, luxury hotels, and convertibles – these are major Art Deco era associations.

Art Deco graphic design looks expressive, sophisticated, and chic. But even so, many art deco forms and shapes can be characterized as traditional and classy. What caused such an extravagant style blend?

In this post, we’re taking a view of Art Deco as a historical movement that found its way into graphic design.

Brief History of Art Deco

In the early 1920s, Paris designers were actively experimenting with boring classic interior and architectural forms. The new ideas, shapes, and materials in design were quickly picked up and introduced into different areas of human life.

In 1925, Paris hosted an International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts and Industrial Products. The event brought together industrialists from over the world to present their achievements in the field of interior decor production.

The Paris exhibition had a significant impact on the emergence of art deco as a style. The name “Art Deco” was first mentioned and interpreted in a twelve-volume encyclopedia based on this event. Soon after, the style migrated to the USA where it immediately won the hearts of millions.

Art Deco (translated from French as “decorative art”) reflected the festive lifestyle of Europe and the USA after the shocking period of the First World War. Years of deprivation and suffering were replaced by an endless party with champagne and sparkles.

Art Deco Flora & Fauna

Price $14
File type AI, EPS, PNG, PSD
Date July 17 2022
Colors
brown
gray
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5 (14 Votes)
Set of Art Deco alphabet with letters and numbers, flora and fauna symbols and labels collection. You can easily combine them to create your own design. Create unique style for your business or personal use.
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The sparkle of “chic and luxury” was bright but not lasting. Widely used in architecture & interior design, fashion, and arts, Art Deco gradually transformed towards functionalism. In the late 1950s, the style was completely forgotten after claims of being “tasteless and flashy.”

Although the style was soon replaced by modernism and minimalism, it has not completely disappeared. With the development of graphic design in the 1980s, art deco received a chance for rebirth. Today, artists and designers often use art deco elements to emphasize chic individuality and status.

12 Art Deco Illustrations – Ai, EPS, PSD

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Date December 24 2020
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4.3 (19 Votes)
Custom crafted 12 illustrations. They look perfect on walls, t-shirts, clothes and they are perfect for your next logo design or branding project.
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Main Characteristics of Art Deco

The style of Art Deco combines elements of modernism and neoclassicism with a subtle touch of cubism, constructivism, and futurism. It stands for a non-traditional combination of regular geometric shapes, rich colors & textures, metal elements, ethnic ornaments, and exotic motifs.

The key art deco characteristics are:

  • Straight lines & angles
  • Geometric shapes (zigzags, rhombuses, circles, squares)
  • Stepped forms
  • Stylized motifs
  • Ethnic ornaments
  • Contrasting colors
  • Rich fabrics & materials
  • Shiny metal surfaces

Art deco design elements were inspired by the rise of mechanization, as new materials and technologies were introduced to the world in the early period of the 20th century.

Art Deco poster artists took inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints that featured massive blocks of bold colors. In the USA, the art deco style borrowed motifs from North American Indian, Aztec, and Egyptian art.

Art Deco Girls Illustrations Vol. 1

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File type EPS, JPG, PNG
Date January 4 2019
Colors
black
brown
red
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This Set is inspired by beautiful era called The Jazz Age. Age of flappers, bootlegger, speakeasy and classic retro mafia romantic. Art Deco style is very popular now after “Great Gatsby” movie. It is always a good idea for a stylish 1920s themed party.
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Despite its flamboyance and bombast, Art Deco is rooted in neoclassicism and modernism. The style includes classic parallel lines and tapering shapes that create symmetry and streamlining. The prevailing colors are pretty basic: black, brown, white, gold, red, and olive.

Jazz’N Beauty Vector Set

Price $23
File type EPS, JPG, PNG
Date January 4 2019
Colors
black
orange
purple
Rating
5 (17 Votes)
Beautiful African women in style of 20’s. Highly detailed glamour female portraits. These illustrations are great for your retro party design.
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The art deco aesthetic can radiate different moods depending on the combining elements. It can be airy and graceful, “screaming” and heavy, majestic and regal, or overly minimalistic.

Compared with the contemporary avant-garde movement, art deco is not intended to create something new or extravagant for the sake of the future. The style’s philosophy is about enjoying life “here and now.”

Art Deco Graphic Design: Key Figures

The most famous art deco posters and graphics were created by Adolphe Mouron (A.M.) Cassandre – a French painter and commercial poster designer. His distinctive ad style was inspired by Picasso and Ernst paintings, and he himself made a big influence on the development of modern graphic design.

The art deco poster design by Cassandre can be characterized as distinctive, sleek, and minimal.

The other famous art deco poster artists of the 20th century were Paul Colin, Orsi, Paul Iribe, Raymond Loewy, André Édouard Marty, and more.

Recalling modern representatives of the Art Deco style, we can highlight Mark Bender who has his own interpretation of the 2022 art deco style.

Painting with Brooklyn Bridge and baseball.

Art Deco Graphic Design Style in 2022

Despite the pretentiousness and eclecticism, Art Deco remains in big demand among designers and all fans of extraordinary creative solutions. Since 2016, the style has been living through another renaissance, particularly, in the niche of digital & graphic design.

One of the reasons for art deco to come back in digital design is how well art deco posters and graphics can grab your attention due to the contrasting elements.

Art Deco Ultimate Collection

Price $18
Date March 5 2018
Colors
black
orange
Rating
4.7 (10 Votes)
Art Deco Ultimate Collection with 422 elements
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Following the classical canons, the art deco style of 2022 combines natural forms and regular geometric shapes.

The key elements of graphic design are:

  • Smooth & sinuous lines
  • Angles & circles
  • Decorative and ornamental illustrations of humans, flora & fauna
  • Metal (aluminum, copper) textures
  • Black & gold color combinations (with red, green, blue & brown elements)
  • Absence of italic, serif & slanted fonts (e.g., Bifur, Broadway, Peignot)

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An essential collection of design elements and templates inspired by vintage Art Deco.
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The elegance of Art Deco styling fits many industries, and all of them are related to sophistication and hedonism: beauty, service (hotels & restaurants), as well as food, beverage & tobacco brands.

Screenshot of the Art Deco hotel Lena website.

If you create designs in Art Deco style (actually, any other styles are also welcome), become one of the MasterBundles talented vendors & sell your web products (vectors, patterns, illustrations, fonts, etc) on our marketplace! MasterBundles provides fast moderation, simple and prompt payments, and friendly support 🙂

FINAL WORDS

Art deco has left a significant trace in the history of fashion, architecture, and interior & graphic design. Despite elaborate elements, the style looks functional and up to date, even when it comes to older art deco pieces.

In 2022, the style continues to live in graphic & digital design as if it’s a new style movement. The reason is, art deco elements remind us of endless parties in the 1920s and 30s with champagne glasses and jazz horns. These associations make great marketing triggers for people wanting to “buy” the element of celebration.

That’s why art deco is still so popular in corporate design, interior design, architecture, fashion, and other “secular” areas of life.

Banner for downloading guide.

Some Awesome Video About Art Deco



Art Deco Graphic Design: Let’s Talk About This Trend

Are you attracted to clean lines and bold design? Do you just adore the Roaring Twenties, with its flapper dresses, extra-long cigarette holders, and swing dancing? Chances are you’re responding to the ethos of Art Deco design. Art Deco, a specific style of design from the early part of the 20th century, is seeing a resurgence like you won’t believe. We will take a look at exactly what Art Deco design is and share with you some of the best Art Deco graphic designs as well as fonts affected by this riveting style.



Illustration Masterclass: Create an Art Deco Poster

​​Join Kyle T. Webster for another episode of Illustration Masterclass! This week, Kyle will help you learn how to create a poster in the beloved Art Deco style using Photoshop and custom brushes.

FAQ

Here are a few frequently asked questions about the Art Deco

What is Art Deco graphic design?

The trend of Art Deco graphic design originated in the United States and Western Europe in the 1920s–1950s. It combined poster and illustration art for commercials, magazines, fashion books, etc.

Art Deco graphic design combined everything that inspired illustrators of that time: oriental exoticism, new technology, expensive materials, and contemporary art, especially cubism. They would include cultural elements of Aztecs, Mayans, ancient Egypt, and Japan.

What are the design elements of Art Deco?

The main distinguishing features of Art Deco are bold geometric shapes, ethnic patterns, catchy colors, sharp bends and curves, strict vertical lines, streamlined shapes, active movement lines, airbrush, and highlights.

The materials used as textures in both object and graphic design are metals (aluminum and copper), ivory, crocodile skin, rare woods, and black glass.

Art deco design looks luxurious, chic, and expensive.

What colors are used in Art Deco?

The base colors are black and gold. Artists, however, can include other colors, including red, green, blue, and brown. All colors are not overly bright and typically go within strict geometric elements, like frames, ornaments, or flora & fauna illustrations.

Why did Art Deco go out of style?

After the rise of mass production, art deco was treated as flashy, gaudy, and fakely luxurious. The style started to lose its popularity during the Great Depression in the USA. It was completely gone by the beginning of World War II.

What is modern Art Deco?

Modern Art Deco is not limited by the art deco aesthetic of the past. It still has logic and structure but interprets this rule to the needs of the present. It includes expensive textures, details, and symmetry, as well as contrasts in shapes, forms, and colors. It can combine smooth and sharp lines, circles and triangles, ethnic patterns, and zigzags.

Modern art deco is a popular trend in interior & architectural design, graphic & digital design, as well as among illustration artists.

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