Why Cute Graphic Designs Always Trend on the Internet (With Examples)

December 16, 2020 by Sangalang Kristine

Cute graphic designs have been popular in Asia for the past few decades. Incredibly, the influence and style of this Asian cuteness are already reaching the West much faster than we all think. Why do cute graphic designs always trend on the internet anyway?

We all need some ‘awwww’ moments in our lives

Life is already difficult as it is. Especially what everyone is going through right now, coping with stress and anxiety can be hard. Cuteness on the internet helps relieve stress, anxiety, and even depression. It alleviates the mood and, generally, makes people happy (even momentarily).

Based on the results of a study, participants experienced a drop in heart rates and average blood pressure after viewing both videos and images of cute animals for 30 minutes. The study showed that the anxiety and stress levels of participants dropped by almost half. This is clear proof that cuteness significantly improves mood and reduces stress.

Anthropomorphism has ALWAYS been in Popular Culture

Attributing human traits to inanimate objects is called anthropomorphism. It has been a trend in popular culture for decades. Nay, for centuries. In historical literature, we see non-human characters who have feelings and make decisions like humans. It makes them somewhat relatable to the listener or reader – making the “lesson learning” an easier process. Humans have a habit of imagining non-human beings with human emotions and qualities.

A lot of fairytales for children have talking animals. Team mascots or brand mascots are also usually animals or animated objects. Since we have seen this kind of design and artwork for all our lives, it makes looking at talking furniture not only “normal” but adorable. In modern times, cute is such a normal thing. Graphic designers do this to make their artwork not only relatable but lovable as well.

Nowadays, we see a lot of food or appliances with eyes. Add those to a pastel palette, and high-pitched voices – we have the perfect recipe for ultimate cuteness.

Cuteness = MUST HAVE

This is one of the most unusual concepts of the cute culture. If we see a poor little kitten on the street, what do we do? WE TAKE IT HOME. If we see a character standing out with a jampacked personality? We idolize it. A lot of designers indirectly use this psychological quirk in our brains in creating their designs to capture our need to have.  

If you see a poster of something cute, but don’t really need it, you still buy it. A really adorable app that does nothing but costs $10.99? Expensive, but someone out there will still buy it. A lot of people play games just because the graphics are so lovable.

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