Mixed media design is one of the most popular trends in graphic design that combines reality with creativity to birth visuals that not only stand out but also tell captivating stories.

There are many forms of mixed media that allow you to create visuals in different styles. Today, we are talking about creating hybrid visuals by blending photography in design.

If you ever felt inspired to try mixed media after seeing a cool poster or album cover art, then having an understanding of the basics is crucial to achieving the best results. So let’s dive in and figure out how, why, and when you should use mixed media art in graphic design.

What Is Mixed Media Design?

Still-Life with Chair Caning by Pablo Picasso

The history of mixed media in visuals dates all the way back to the early 1900s when Pablo Picasso created a collage called “Still Life with Chair Caning” using various types of items such as cloth, rope, and paint.

In digital designs, mixed media refers to the design style where you combine real photos, illustrations, sketches, and cut-outs with your graphic designs. It’s a commonly used design style, especially for creating cover art for music albums, posters, advertisements, and more.

The flexibility and the creative freedom it offers are not the only reasons why mixed media is so popular among designers. It’s also one of the few design styles that makes your creations stand out in even the most crowded places.

Why Blend Photography With Graphics?

One of the most common misconceptions about mixed media art is thinking of it as just collages. There’s actually much more to it than combining a bunch of different pieces of photos and art.

The main goal of blending photography in design is to create depth by adding layers. It adds a sense of realism to your flat, digital designs in a unique way that you can’t achieve with other forms of graphic design.

Mixed media also makes your designs much more visually appealing and memorable. Anyone who glances at your design will look twice to fully grasp the formation of the uncommon design.

When it comes to storytelling, mixed media offers the easiest path to creating digital graphics that evoke emotions. It’s much easier to tell stories when you can combine different types of art and photos with your design.

Different Types of Mixed Media Designs

When approaching mixed media, there are a few different options to choose from.

Minimalism

Minimalist mixed media is a great approach you can use to draw attention to your artwork. When there are no distractions, users will have more time to admire and process your artwork to fully understand the message it brings. This style is commonly used by modern brands, especially in large billboard advertising.

Bold and Daring

When you want to make a strong statement with your design, this approach is the best option for a mixed media project. It will give you more freedom to combine different types of graphics into your design and make it easier to create visuals that speak.

Abstract

You’ll see this style of mixed media commonly used by big brands. It’s an easy approach you can take to create cool mixed graphic designs, but it also requires careful attention to detail to perfect your designs into mixed media artworks.

Surrealism

Mixed media approach is the perfect way to create surrealistic graphic design and art. It not only allows you to easily create mind-bending visuals but also gives you the freedom to experiment. With this style, creating visuals that evoke nightmarish to fantasy-like designs is much easier.

Key Elements of Mixed Media

You can use several different types of building blocks for creating mixed media designs.

Photography

The most commonly used element in mixed media is photography. You can use photos of real environments and people and integrate them into your designs to create unique and surrealist mixed media designs.

However, it’s not limited to photos. You can also use cut-out graphics from posters, banners, and magazines to scan them into your digital designs.

Typography

You can also use cool tricks to create unique typography using mixed media techniques. The most common technique is cutting out letters from newspapers to create “ransom note” style typography.

Of course, there are other methods you can use. Some designers would even print out digitally made titles and add layers of paint and textures by hand before scanning them into the design once again.

Illustrations

Hand-drawn sketches, doodles, and illustrations are another key element in mixed media designs. And it goes the other way around too. You can print out digital illustrations and icons to incorporate them as mixed media into the designs.

Textures

Textures play a crucial role in mixed media designs as they help add depth to the overall look of the artwork. Without textures, your mixed media designs will look flat and lifeless. Simply put it becomes a photo collage without the right textures.

5 Tips for Seamless Mixed Media Designs

It takes a lot of practice to create mixed media designs that don’t look chaotic. Start by following these basic tips.

1. Find Your Style

It’s perfectly okay to find inspiration from others to create your mixed media designs but sooner or later you will need to find your own style. This will allow you to create a consistent, signature look for your art and it will also make it easier for you to make more memorable and distinctive designs.

2. Match the Mood

Always look to match the overall mood of your design by combining the right graphical elements with photography. Choose typography that fits the vibe of the photos and add hand-crafted elements that complement the digital objects.

3. Create with Purpose

Even though most mixed media art looks a bit chaotic and complex, they are all made with a purpose. If you make mixed media art without a purpose, it will render your entire design meaningless. Understand the purpose of your design and create with a vision in mind.

4. Avoid Overcrowding the Design

When making mixed media art, it’s easy to get carried away with all the options you have. Remember not to go overboard with your choices and overcrowd the design. Use empty space and visual hierarchy to improve the user experience.

5. Maintain Consistency

As with creating any other type of design, consistency is the key to creating mixed media designs that work. Instead of adding a bunch of random cut-out pictures and graphics into a blank canvas, pick objects and elements that complement each other to create more consistent mixed media visual designs.

Conclusion

There are no limits to what you can create with mixed media designs. You can experiment with imaginative ideas and concepts to create wild creations that people will talk about for years.

Whether it’s a marketing campaign or cover art, this design trend will always make sure your creativity shines above all else as it’s the definitive way to create designs that are most impactful and memorable.