Looking for the most striking and festive holiday design trends for 2023? Here’s a list of what we predict to be the best holiday aesthetics this year . . . accompanied by beautiful images you can license right away.
In July, the British department store John Lewis & Partners released their top Christmas trend predictions for the year. This release signaled to small businesses and graphic designers everywhere that now’s the time to start thinking about which holiday marketing trends you’ll incorporate into your campaigns this year.
There are some tried and true classics, in terms of holiday designs—such as cozy Scandinavian materials and neutral color palettes. There were some surprises, as well. The report predicts that 2023 holiday design trends will also include bold, rainbow colors and even futuristic vibes.
This year presents the opportunity to go all-out with your holiday designs. Using stock visuals, ranging from glitzy product photos to whimsical illustrations, you can elevate your campaigns to be on-trend.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at nine holiday trends set to define this season. We provide plenty of inspiration with Shutterstock’s top trending visuals, all of which are available for licensing.
Whether your holiday aesthetic is more romantic and fairytale-inspired or modern and minimalist, Shutterstock has easily-adaptable images to suit every style, informed by real-time holiday trends.
1) Holiday Design Trend: Glitzy New Year Vectors
Even though it’s summer, Shutterstock customers are already searching for a number of 2023 holiday design trends. Sparkly, glamorous New Years vectors are among some of the most popular holiday downloads for Shutterstock customers.
Their dark backgrounds and sparkling fonts evoke celebratory fireworks you may see at midnight on January 31.
License these images via Dapitart, Foxys Graphic, ARTidea, Kovalov Anatolii, beata07, Gkpartner, Bibadash, lavendertime, and Bibadash.
These types of vector graphics are easily customizable, as they offer blank space for layering elements and adding text and logos.
These holiday designs lend themselves to be incorporated into website banners or social header images. They can also put a festive spin on invitations or greeting cards you send to clients.
2) Merry and Bright: Rainbow Hues
Remember that Christmas design trends 2023 go beyond basic red and green. This year, holiday aesthetics embrace all the colors of the rainbow.
Think bold. We suggest incorporating saturated hues inspired by this year’s Barbiecore designs into your projects.
License these images via Lauritta, Msnty studioX, Martyshova Maria, Lauritta, Lauritta, Greens87, and Galyna_P.
3) A Popular Holiday Aesthetic: Minimalist Scandi
Speaking of simplicity, Scandinavian-inspired vectors can break through the cluttered digital landscape with simple, abstracted, symmetrical shapes and patterns.
Minimalist holiday aesthetics featuring elements like trees, candy canes, stars, snowmen, and bells instantly evoke the holiday spirit.
License these images via Tolchik, knstartstudio, lemono, Daria Falcon, Marina Yatsenko, Yuan_Mei, Graphicaffe, and okchizh.
We suggest incorporating Scandi-style clip art into your logo design for an updated holiday look.
Brands—from Google’s Christmas lights-embellished logo to Target’s glitzy red glitter bullseye—love updating their logos to incorporate this look.
You can find easy clipart to incorporate into your logo on the Shutterstock library.
4) Bold Backgrounds: Snowy Scenes and Night Skies
Snowy backgrounds and starry sky backgrounds are both some of the most-searched-for images on Shutterstock. Of course, both of these backgrounds fit perfectly into the 2023 holiday aesthetic.
Since images like this offer simple space, they are optimal for serving as product shot backgrounds. The snowy background/dark sky motif is timeless and adaptable, extending their usability beyond the holidays and across the entire winter season.
License these images via Valery Brozhinsky, Pipochka, Arctic ice, Kate Isaeva, Woskresenskiy, and rvika.
5) Silver, Gold, and Beyond: Photos Full of Shimmering Metallics
British Vogue recently predicted the rise of “precious metals” to take over the holiday party season.
Meanwhile, Marie Claire has noticed a trend they’ve dubbed “daytime disco.”
Silver and gold are so ubiquitous with the holiday season, that they even have their own Christmas song. They’re ever-trendy during the holidays, and with this year’s holiday aesthetic predictions, they’re bound to be more popular than ever.
Consider incorporating metallics and sparkles into your holiday designs. Bring a feeling of luxury to your branding by incorporating classic metallics, or surprising pops of rich reds, greens, and blues.
License these images via Vira Simon’s Studio, Lorin Klaris, Burcu Avsar, Jingjing Yan, LCRP, luceluce, Stocklekkies, and mbond77.
6) Go Analog: Paper Art Holiday Aesthetic
As part of their 2023 report, Pinterest named “analog hobbies” as a trend to watch this year, with searches for “paper animal” and “origami instructions” on the rise.
Shutterstock contributor Burcu Avsar has created some delightfully on-trend images for this holiday season.
License these images via Burcu Avsar x2 x3.
Avsar incorporated paper decorations into some of her holiday images, giving her work a gorgeous, handcrafted vibe.
Show that holiday paper can go beyond gift wrap! Images of handcrafted gifts and cards can bring a warm, folksy feeling to your brand’s social posts and website graphics.
Brightly-colored and bold, Bauhaus-themed designs are some of the most searched-for on Shutterstock. While not traditionally associated with the holidays, a touch of Bauhaus-inspired style can add a modern and classic twist to your seasonal content.
Search for holiday-themed images with simple designs, primary colors, bold lines, and geometric prints. They’re easier to find than you may think . . . and using their loud aesthetic can capture the attention of your followers during the busy holiday season.
License these images via Merkushevaaa, Vector Tradition, MonikaJ, speedmanstudio, Torico, and Torico.
8) Exciting Environments: Wintertime Cityscapes
Architecture images, particularly cityscapes, are some of the most popular image searches on Shutterstock. If you’re someone who is searching for these images, why not give them a seasonal twist for your upcoming holiday projects?
Wherever you’re using your architectural images, we suggest you spruce them up (get it?) with city-centric images that include Christmas trees, festive lights, and snow.
You can even use holiday city scenes with bokeh and blurred effects as backgrounds behind products, text, and logos.
License these images via S.Borisov, Melnikov Dmitriy, Calin Stan, Lia Koltyrina, Marcio Jose Bastos Silva, and Bogdan Sonjachnyj.
9) Ever-Important: Embrace Diversity
The holiday season looks different for all of us. After all, there are many reasons to celebrate—including Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years Eve, and general holiday parties.
Remember to include all of your customers in your visual storytelling this season. Creative projects, marketing, and advertising must connect to consumers’ authentic lives, especially during such a special time of year.
Data tells us that Shutterstock customers are searching for diverse groups at all times, especially during the holiday season. We suggest including images of families celebrating together.
Your holiday creative strategy needs to be conscious of intersectional inclusivity—including people of all races, genders, and abilities—in authentic-looking photos of holiday celebrations.
License these images via Drazen Zigic, Westend61 on Offset, Image Source Trading Ltd, and Anna Kraynova.
Get Ahead of 2023’s Holiday Design Trends
Now that you have ideas on how to incorporate trendy aesthetics into your 2023 holiday designs, it’s time to download your perfect stock content. If you’re ready to get going on creating with any of the aforementioned trends, get started with Shutterstock’s flexible licensing plan.
With Shutterstock FLEX, you’ll have all-in-one access to our massive library, plus the FLEXibility you need to select the perfect mix of assets every time.
License this cover image via Melnikov Dmitriy.
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