Designing for Augmented Reality in 2018

As 2017 comes to a close, the Lúgh team reflects on a year’s worth of design innovations and trends. As we look back, however, we can’t help but to also look forward, speculating what the styles and discoveries of 2017 will spark in 2018’s world of graphic design.

One trend from 2017 that caught our attention, and we believe will grow even more in the new year, is designing for augmented reality–especially with the release of the new Iphone X.

Case in point, Engine Creative published an article, stating, “It’s clear that the world is set to embrace AR technology and that brands will need to think carefully about how users interact with them in this new reality.” So what does this new reality call for from a designer’s perspective? For one, it requires thinking outside the box, creating human-focused, real-world experiences for digital devices. Secondly, from a technical standpoint, it asks designers to gear their graphics for new interfaces. For example, when creating content for the Iphone X, designers must now consider the following:

  • New artboard size Creating artboards in Sketch or Photoshop at a resolution of 375 x 812.
  • New pixel density – Exporting assets @3x like a plus-sized iPhone rather than @2x.
  • New display shape and aspect ratio – Reworking responsive layouts.
  • Unique gesture-based system and no home button – Rethinking user interactions.
  • Different color space profile – Considering new possibilities of image processing.

The digital world is evolving, and as a result, designers are responsible to keep up. We’ve seen some great innovations in 2017, from augmented reality experiences to new digital devices and applications. With that said, the Lúgh team views these digital trends as a domino effect that will carry on into 2018 and influence the way that designers create visual content. So here’s to 2018–let it be even more innovative and digitally aesthetic than the year before it!

Back to blog