The boundaries between graphic design and interior design are rapidly dissolving, creating unprecedented opportunities for designers who can navigate both visual and spatial realms. Industry professionals reveal how graphic design principles are fundamentally reshaping how interior spaces are conceived, designed, presented, and experienced in 2025.

At their core, both disciplines share fundamental design principles including balance, rhythm, proportion, visual hierarchy, contrast, unity, emphasis, and attention to detail. These natural synergies create powerful connections between the fields. Color palettes developed for brand identities now directly inform interior schemes, while typography choices that define corporate communications influence everything from wall graphics and wayfinding systems to furniture selection.

Marie Soliman, founder and creative director of Bergman Design House, describes the relationship as "a beautifully choreographed dance: one defines the voice, the other creates the stage." She emphasizes that in 2025, this relationship feels more intertwined than ever before. "Graphic design doesn't just decorate walls anymore," Soliman explains. "It informs brand storytelling, wayfinding, material choices, and even the emotional temperature of a space. In hotels, member clubs and residences alike, typography, color theory, and visual identity have become as essential to the mood as lighting or texture."

The influence of graphic design extends far beyond obvious visual elements, creating what industry experts call "invisible influence." From hotels and restaurants to offices and train stations, graphic design principles infiltrate every aspect of interior practice. The typography that guides the eye, the color palette that sets the mood, and the visual rhythm that makes spaces feel cohesive all result from graphic design principles at work.

Sophie van Winden and Simone Gordon, founders of Owl Interior Design, observe this influence everywhere in contemporary practice. "Graphic design is everywhere in interiors right now," they note. "It shapes how we pitch projects, how we present mood boards, and how spaces are shared on social media. In commercial projects it goes even further – environmental branding, signage and digital layers all combine to tell a brand's story. Essentially, graphic design is the glue that holds concept and experience together."

Chris Trotman, creative director at Run for the Hills, has mastered what he calls "invisible branding." He explains that most people are more design-savvy than one might expect and can spot disconnects between brand and interiors, even on a subconscious level. "So graphic design and branding play a huge role in the ambience of the interior space of a venue," Trotman says. "All those brand touchpoints that guests interact with – from the menus to the wayfinding – can all be reaffirming the story and enhancing the 'brand world'. We like to intertwine our interior design and graphic design, embedding brand elements subtly in fabrics, or hidden in art. We like to call it 'invisible branding' – it's the opposite of sticking logos everywhere."

Visual trends in graphic design consistently ripple into interior design, creating cross-pollination between the disciplines. Soliman notes how layered typography influences wall treatments and signage, while bold, gradient-driven color palettes inspire immersive feature walls and custom finishes. "In our own work, we've borrowed from editorial layouts to create spatial 'chapters' in a building, each with its own tone, rhythm, and texture," she explains.

The role of social media and internet culture in shaping visual aesthetics has dramatically accelerated trend dissemination in recent decades. Van Winden and Gordon observe how "graphic design trends constantly cross over into interiors. Fonts, color palettes, organic linework – you'll see them jump straight from design mood boards to wall murals, fabrics or furniture shapes." They add that the "Instagrammable moment is now baked into most briefs," with the strongest interiors taking cues from graphic design as well as fashion, art, and digital culture as part of one creative language.

Trotman views this as part of a global cultural shift but warns against mindless trend-following. "The world is smaller, and we have global trends that run across everything. Sometimes starting on the catwalk, or in films, but they sweep across everything," he observes. "Suddenly there is a seventies trend, and the color palettes across graphics and interiors are more retro, there are more arches and groovy patterns. But if you are too 'trendy' your project can date quickly, so we try and put a spin on things to make it more timeless."

Graphic design's influence is perhaps most immediately felt in how interior projects are conceived, pitched, and sold to clients. The visual standards established by graphic design have completely transformed client expectations. Interior designer Sarah Walter Boyd finds this often begins with personal branding, noting that in an increasingly flooded market, a design firm's brand identity can help deliver identity ahead of the competition.

"There needs to be something that speaks to a client in that first engagement," Boyd explains, recalling a client who said, "They're buying into you – so they need to know what you're about and that you're what they want." This identity gets conveyed through websites, company logos, and even fonts used for design proposals – all rooted in graphic design principles.

Project presentations represent where graphic design can make or break a pitch. While designers previously presented hand sketches and renders alongside small fabric and finish samples, the variety of available tools has increased dramatically thanks to technological advances. Boyd emphasizes that presentations must be sharp, with properly aligned images and thoughtful use of fonts and page arrangement to avoid distracting from the design scheme. "You may have conjured a stunning room scheme, but if any presentation used to convey the scheme is poorly thought through or executed, you risk losing that client."

Van Winden and Gordon agree that client expectations have been completely transformed. "The role is almost unrecognizable compared to a decade ago when it was hand sketches, sample boards, and stacks of fabric swatches. Now it's digital-first: immersive visuals, video presentations, and pitch decks that look like glossy magazine spreads. The expectation for polish and storytelling has gone through the roof."

Graphic design has reshaped the professional toolkit, with interior designers now routinely using software originally developed for graphic designers. Trotman recommends InDesign for client presentations, noting that "PowerPoint is limiting and isn't very professional." He also advocates for Photoshop for image manipulation, explaining how recoloring moodboard images and cutting elements can be accomplished with just a few clicks.

The uptake of technical skills in interior design demonstrates graphic design's importance to contemporary practice. Van Winden and Gordon advise balancing professional-grade tools with accessible platforms, using a mix of CAD platforms like Vectorworks or SketchUp alongside 3D-rendering tools, while platforms like Canva help sell concepts visually in ways that are fast, clear, and client-friendly.

Boyd reflects on how technology requirements have evolved since she started in 2009, when assistants only needed Microsoft Office skills. "Slowly over time, Photoshop crept in, then PowerPoint – and the landscape started to shift. A full understanding of Adobe Suite is a must nowadays along with CAD."

While artificial intelligence has democratized access to graphic design capabilities, Trotman notes that human touch remains essential. "You really don't need to have anywhere near the skill level you used to have for programmes like Photoshop. With the new AI features, it almost does what you want on its own with a couple of prompts," he observes. "The one thing AI hasn't got though, is taste. So it will always need a human touch and a designer's eye."

The transformation extends beyond tools to fundamental professional identity. Soliman describes today's interior designer as "part storyteller, part strategist, part technologist, even sometimes psychologist." She emphasizes the need for "the sensitivity of an artist, the organizational skill of an architect and the agility to work fluently with digital tools, from 3D visualization and parametric modeling to AI-assisted mood boards. But none of it replaces the magic of human touch: the hand sketch, the impromptu conversation with an artisan, the walk through a space to feel its bones."

The disciplinary boundaries that once separated graphic and interior design have largely dissolved. Soliman notes that when she launched Bergman, "the disciplines felt more separate, graphic designers lived in one world, interior designers in another. Now, boundaries have melted. We speak a shared visual language, and often, the graphic identity is considered in tandem with the interior architecture from day one."

Looking ahead, professionals see this integration as fundamental to creating meaningful experiences. "Whether on a page or in a room, design is about connection," Soliman concludes. "We're not just placing shapes and colors; we're creating experiences people will remember and, in 2025, that shared mission has brought graphic and interior design closer than ever."