Achieving your college degree or high school diploma isn’t an easy task; it involves several hard years’ toil in the library, laboratory, or lecture hall. But once you’re finished burning the midnight oil, you do have a reward to look forward to: a ceremony and party to make those four years worthwhile. This is the day when your friends and family can put you on a pedestal – much like those statues of famous professors and historical figures dotted around campus!
Every new graduate wants to be on the cutting edge, you see – not only of the job market and their chosen industry, but of the best graduation designs, products, themes, and trends. In recognition of this fact, we’ve gathered together our favorite design features and personalized products, ready for you to cast your discerning, scholarly eye over. Read on to learn how you can incorporate these motifs into your graduation day and impress your loved ones all over again!
Trending Designs
What sets 2025 apart from past years in terms of graduation favor and décor designs? Here are some of the hottest trends we’ve identified (and that our Independent Creators have embraced with enthusiasm).
Photo
Photo templates continue to be a hit into 2025, especially for delivering the finishing touch to graduation announcement cards. Any design, indeed, can be elevated by adapting a photo template: simply swap out the placeholder photo for your own. Given the number of snap-happy relatives bound to take an interest in your big day, you won’t be short of material, either.
Modern Minimalist
Some graduation designs can be a little heavy on text and ornamentation. Instead, why not enjoy the timelessness of a pared-back approach, with clear typography, neutral colors, and one of your best photos? This simple, clean layout will keep the focus on you, and is particularly suitable for graduation thank you cards, where the only thing left to say is, well, thank you!
Arches
Popular in 2024, arches remain a trend in 2025, whether they’re featured in photo templates, text layouts, or as part of content featured on our new acrylic invitations. Compared to more traditional, angular designs, the arch lends a softer, dreamier feel to your cards and announcements. Frame your favorite photo and those all-important details with an elegant curved finish – your recipients are sure to be enchanted!
Foil
Speaking of elegance: nothing captures hearts (or even just the light) like foil printing techniques. Available in rose gold, silver, and gold from Zazzle, our ‘REAL FOIL’ templates add a special sparkle to your graduation invitations. When your guests pull these, gleaming, from your graduation envelopes, the effect will light up the room – as you will, when you rise to collect your degree!
Bows
Bows are another trending design element this season, and why wouldn’t they be? They’re a cute, playful way to dress up a package or upgrade your graduation stationery, whether you’re using actual ribbon or just the motif. Bows also suggest success and completion – they indicate that this chapter of your life is ‘wrapping up’! That makes them an appropriate, valedictory addition to your invitations, announcements, and favors.
Hand-Drawn
You don’t need to provide character sketches instead of grad photos, but designs that look hand-drawn are surging in popularity this year. Scripted text can lend a personal, artistic touch to your graduation party supplies, especially when paired with a couple of unique doodles or squiggles. This design style brings character and warmth to your celebration, with a playful vibe.
Trending Products
We’ve mentioned some graduation supplies already, but in 2025, the following décor and accessories are proving particularly sought-after. If you want to pass your party prep with flying colors, try personalizing a few of these!
Backdrops
Because they allow for a makeshift photo booth, backdrops are a must-have for any successful graduation party. For eye-catchingly good results, incorporate your school colors, personalized messages, or graduation motifs into the background. A well-designed ‘selfie station’ – like those templated by our Independent Creators – can be the centerpiece of your whole event and amp up that fun, spontaneous vibe!
Signs
If you want something straightforward to communicate important details at your party, then graduation signs are the practical choice. For example, station signs are a creative way to direct guests throughout the event while extending your theme at the same time. Create signs that follow the same thematic content or color scheme as your other décor, and highlight any food, drink, or photo checkpoints you’ve set up. Navigating your event won’t take a college degree!
Banners
Again, 2025 promises to be a banner year for graduation photo templates. Illustrate your journey from preschool to commencement by arranging a panoramic collage of your favorite photos and memories. Or, salute your chosen profession or university with an industry- or occupation-specific banner. Our Independent Creators (and the colleges we’ve partnered with) are prepared for both scenarios!
T-Shirts
Typical ceremonial get-up consists of a gown and mortarboard, but what else is there to wear on graduation day? In 2025, we foresee most students donning a simple, energetic t-shirt for their post-commencement party. T-shirts are easy to modify with bold slogans, personalized names, or photos of you and your classmates. Some popular styles include retro aesthetics, minimalist graphics, and, of course, funny designs! Family members are even getting in on the action, wearing ‘Parent of the Graduate’ t-shirts to showcase their pride!
Cap Toppers
Worried that those snap-happy relatives from earlier won’t be able to pinpoint their favorite niece or nephew in a crowd? Spruce up your graduation gear with a tassel topper that threatens to steal the entire show! They’re easy to decorate with custom names, graduation years, and special quotes, and make a fetching keepsake to cherish from your alma mater.
Posters
Graduation posters are always on-trend, but this year, two variants are proving particularly popular. Create a year-in-review poster, and you can assemble a retrospective on the achievements, memories, and friends you made throughout elementary school, high school, or grad school. Design an autograph poster, meanwhile, and you can ask attendees to leave an encouraging comment or reference a hilarious anecdote. Become the poster child for the Class of 2025, in other words!
If you’re keen for more information on the 2025 graduation season, then we have some recommended reading: in “2025’s Trending Graduation Themes and Top-of-the-Class Party Ideas,” we expand on the broader themes and color schemes you can use to plan your party. We also have an article on “Graduation Announcement Wording Tips & Etiquette,” which explains how to inform others of your achievement with the requisite amount of “Pomp and Circumstance”!
Eoin is a Content Specialist at Zazzle in Cork. He’s recently bought a house with his fiancée, and thus most of his time these days is spent trying to keep the walls from caving in and the wolves from the door. Still, he’s always open to book, game, and movie recommendations, so if you have some, let him know: he’ll add them to a very, very long list.
