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

Are you a fan of The Great Gatsby? Do you just adore the Roaring Twenties, with its flapper dresses, extra-long cigarette holders, and swing dancing? Are you attracted to clean lines and bold design? 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.

Today, we’ll 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.

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What Is Art Deco Design?

Artistic movements are often influenced by or respond to broader socio-political conditions, and this is no less so for Art Deco style.

Sumptuous and elegant, Art Deco designs marked the birth of a new optimism after the end of the First World War.

Short for Arts Décoratifs, the term Art Deco first appeared in 1920s Paris and was taken from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes.

Art Deco style drew inspiration from an eclectic combination of influences, materials, and previous art movements. Following its birth in Paris, the movement quickly gained a following around the world, adopting slightly different characteristics in each location and influencing a variety of creative disciplines, from design to visual arts to decorative arts, architecture, and fashion.

In spite of the range of influences, Art Deco styles are unified by a celebration of the future, glamour, elegance, an emphasis on functionality, and an embrace of bold new ideas.

With all the challenges we now face with climate change, water shortages, and killer viruses, maybe designers are attracted to Art Deco design today because they want to recapture the optimism and belief in the future captured by the birth of the Art Deco movement.

The Art Deco era came to an end with the beginning of the Second World War, which ushered in a new attitude to design, characterised by strict functionality and the unadorned styles of modernism.

Art Deco Characteristics

As mentioned, Art Deco style is a pastiche of many different and sometimes contradictory influences, all brought together under the desire to embrace modernity. For that reason, it presents itself more as a mosaic of styles rather than reflecting one single style. It does, however, exhibit some distinct and unifying characteristics.

Art Deco Colour Palette: Art Deco colours tend to be rich, bright, and vibrant, an influence of Fauvism and the Ballets Russes. There’s also often a liberal use of gold, particularly in Art Deco typography.
Art Deco Lines: Art Deco lines are straight, hard-edged, and smooth. Think streamlined elegance and sleek, exaggerated curves.
Art Deco Shapes: Art Deco shapes are usually bold, geometric, and symmetrical, and may include zigzags, chevron arrangements, and trapezoidal shapes.

15 Art Deco Examples (Designs You Can Download Today)

Let’s take a look at the resurgence of the Art Deco trend in graphic design with these 15 examples of Art Deco invitations, patterns, business cards, etc., all available at Envato Elements.

1. Art Deco Wedding Suite

Capture 1920s style and glamour with this Art Deco wedding invitation set. The set contains a main invitation card, an RSVP card, an information card, and a thank you card. They are presented in four layered PSD files and AI files that you can customise and edit to your heart’s content. A great way to celebrate 1920s graphic design.

2. Art Deco Business Card

Everyone needs a business card. Why not make yours distinct by incorporating the magic of Art Deco patterns and fonts? This business card is all you need to make that happen. This gorgeous Photoshop template is fully customisable and totally print ready. Just download, add your details, and your 1920s design is ready to send to the printers.

3. Art Deco 30 Awesome Vector Templates

This pack of Art Deco vectors can be used to create your own wonderful invitations and cards. There are 30 Art Deco designs included in easy-to-use EPS and PSD files. A great pack for experiment and creating fun projects.

4. Art Deco Wedding Invitation

How elegant is this Art Deco invitation template? It can be used for general parties or as wedding invitations. The pack contains four 4×6 templates in both AI and PSD file formats. The vector files are well organised in layers so that you can easily customise every aspect of the design.

5. 7 Art Deco Logo Frames

Looking for Art Deco borders that can be used for logos, wedding initials, or just about anything else? Then we have just the thing for you. This amazing collection contains seven unique Art Deco frames, including gold-foiled versions that are presented as high-res Photoshop files and black versions that are vector Illustrator files.

6. Art Deco Ornament Pack

Check out this beautiful ornament pack, filled with gorgeous Art Deco shapes and designs that you can use in projects such as business cards, posters, invitations, greetings cards, etc. The files are delivered in PSD and AI format and can be scaled without loss of quality.

7. Art Deco Seamless Patterns Vol 1

Looking for Art Deco wallpaper for a new project? These Art Deco backgrounds deliver the most gorgeous editable 1920s designs that are perfect for decorating your own posters, websites, banners, social media headers, fabric prints, and more. All patterns are provided as editable vector files, so you can easily customise them to suit your own designs. The pack contains ten Art Deco designs in both light and dark versions.

8. Art Deco Seamless Patterns Vol 2

If you liked Art Deco Seamless Patterns Vol 1, you’ll fall in love with this second volume of vintage Art Deco backgrounds, which offers even more awesome 1920s design inspiration. Like the first volume, this collection offers ten full editable Art Deco patterns that you can use in just about any project you can imagine. The files are presented in both PSD and AI file format and are fully scalable and editable. If you’re a fan of 1920s design, you won’t be able to resist this Art Deco wallpaper.

9. Art Deco Wedding Invitation

Want to create an invitation that incorporates Art Deco motifs? Take a look at this Art Deco invitation. The template comes in 4×6 inch size with a + 0.125 bleed and is delivered as PSD and AI files that are layered and well organised, making it easy to edit all aspects of the design.

10. Art Deco New Year Event Flyer

This Art Deco illustration is everything you need to create a gorgeous Art Deco flyer. The A4 template is delivered in PSD and AI files so that you can edit the text, image, font, and colour to your taste. A great example of the design ethos of the period.

11. Elegant Art Deco Restaurant Package

This is a great package for businesses in the hospitality industry. It features Art Deco artwork on one menu, two flyers, three table placecards, and four business cards. The package contains both PSD and AI files that are well organised in layers to make editing a cinch. Use your preferred software to add images, change text, and select your colour scheme, and your work is done.

12. Art Deco Styles

These Art Deco design elements are exactly what you need to make a statement and stand apart from the crowd. The pack includes three Art Deco backgrounds, Art Deco number fonts and letters, and a collection of Art Deco vectors that you can use to create posters, invitations, business cards, etc. A terrific pack to experiment with if you love that 1920s style.

13. Art Deco Labels

This set of Art Deco labels embodies all that makes the style great: stunning geometrics, solid lines, and strong fonts in lush gold. The pack contains both AI and EPS files that are fully scalable.

14. Vintage Art Deco Boardwalk Poster Templates

You fans of 1920s graphic design will be very happy with this collection of six incredible Art Deco posters which are reminiscent of 1920s and 30s American dance hall and jazz club posters. With pre-set text paths, vector elements, and customisable layouts, this pack is an excellent resource if you want to create posters, websites, or branding for an Art Deco themed event.

15. Art Deco Wedding Invitation

Here’s one more Art Deco invitation, and a stunning one at that. This invitation displays all the wonderful hallmarks of Art Deco design with its diamond shape framed with clean bold text and patterned accents. The 4×6-inch invite is presented in four PSD and AI files and can be scaled without losing quality. It’s also fully editable, so it’s easy to create an invite that suits your specific needs.

15 Art Deco Examples (Fonts You Can Download Today)

The Art Deco graphic design trend offers its own wonderful array of fonts which make full use of the signature gold against black style of the original period.

Art Deco typefaces are typically clean and bold and favour all caps lettering, though some can and do include lowercase characters. Characters vary from simple clean lines to the heavily ornate, but in Art Deco lettering, ornate tends to eschew long flourishes and swashes in favour of thick strokes with alternating lines or fills. Art Deco characters tend to be straight up and down, with the x-height of characters being exceptionally tall.

Both Envato Elements and GraphicRiver offer high-quality Art Deco fonts to help you create stunning projects. Let’s take a look at some of the best Art Deco fonts available there today.

1. DECOtype

A wonderfully ornate Art Deco Great Gatsby font style with a twist all of its own, this decorative typeface combines solid shapes with lines to create an eye-catching and unique look. If you are in the market for a stunning Art Deco font, this is one that you need to check out.

2. Metropolis Typeface

If you are looking for Art Deco lettering that closely mirrors the original Gatsby novel, this is it. This elegant Art Deco font includes uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation. The set includes over 50 Art Deco themed ornaments, and you can toggle the caps lock to access alternate characters.

3. Kaiju

This elegant Art Deco font style is a display font composed of two sets of uppercase letters that allow users to mix and match the two styles to create their own unique signature text. This one would work well for branding, logos, or signage.

4. Strip Deco

Though not the font used on the cover of the 1920s classic novel The Great Gatsby, this style of font has nonetheless become known as the Art Deco Great Gatsby font in some circles because of the typeface used on the poster for the 2013 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The beautiful Art Deco font style features uppercase multilingual letters, numbers, and punctuation.

5. Ironclad Typeface

As you can see, this 1920s font has clean, bold, rounded lines, which are one of the hallmarks of Art Deco typefaces. The font comes in three weights and includes multilingual uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation. Be warned: the gold effect in the cover image is not included, so you’d have to create that effect yourself.

6. Haarlem Deco

Classic Art Deco font styles like this one can add loads of style to any project. The uppercase-only typeface takes its inspiration from both 1920s Art Deco font styles and vintage Euro-American signage lettering. The set comes with over 300 alternate and multilingual characters included.

7. Bridge Line

This classic 1920s Art Deco font captures the striking geometry and rich decadence of the era. The bold display font offers both upper and lowercase Latin alphabet, numbers, and punctuation in OTF, TTF, and WOFF. Great for movie titles, posters, and invitations.

8. Bagiewise – Luxury Art Deco Typeface

If you’re in the market for a stylish 1920s font, this one is worth a try. You can use it for any number of projects where you need a strong display font. The set includes upper and lowercase Latin alphabet, numbers, punctuation, and various international characters.

9. Magnate Typeface

Another Art Deco Great Gatsby font inspired by the 2013 Gatsby movie poster, this striking display font offers clean, bold lines that catch the eye and would work well for logos, apparel, product packaging, posters, etc. The font offers uppercase letters, numbers, punctuation, symbols, and alternates.

10. Artikullash – Elegant Art Deco Typeface

Looking for an awesome display font with a vintage feel? Check out this Art Deco font that offers lots of curves and solid lines. A great choice for elegant signage, banners, and branding materials, the font is offered in both upper and lowercase Latin alphabet, numbers, and punctuation and also includes international characters.

11. Sojourn Typeface

Spice up your branding projects or your next poster design with this awesome Art Deco font. The uppercase multilingual typeface also includes numbers and punctuation.

12. Fontaine Typeface

This is a bold Art Deco font for posters, titles, signage, and other projects when you need a clean yet stylish font that captures the eye. The set includes uppercase letters, numerals, and some punctuation.

13. Murray – Art Deco Display Typeface

Check out the awesome Murray Art Deco font—ideal if you’re looking for a vintage style with a subtle 1920s Art Deco style feel. This is an excellent choice for banners, invitations, branding, and signage, and it includes both upper and lowercase Latin alphabet, numbers, and punctuation.

14. Avina Uppercase Font

A distinctly modern font with Art Deco font stylistic influences, Avina is an uppercase font that’s great for posters, headers, and logos.

15. Emporia Typeface

We round off our awesome list of Art Deco typefaces with this wonderful font, Emporia. It’s offered in two styles: regular and rough. This is the font of choice when you want to communicate elegance and exclusivity. The set includes uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation, as well as two bonus textures.

Choose your Favourite Art Deco Font or Graphic Template Today

Well, there you have it: a brief history of the Art Deco period, the characteristics that define Art Deco, and how we’re seeing a resurgence of Art Deco graphic design today. Why not use one of these terrific designs from Envato Elements and GraphicRiver in your next project and share it with us in the comments below?

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

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Art Deco Characteristics