In a social media space that has become ‘digital noise’, so to speak, it’s important to find ways to stand out. Depositphotos considered this factor as they named one of their trends Creative Provocation. Read on to find out more about how DP put together their report on the kind of visual content and ideas that will be refreshing next year.
A question everyone might be asking is how these trends are relevant. In today’s world, it’s important to be innovative, not just with ideas but with the execution. The kinds of visuals one might choose is a factor that will set posts and campaigns apart from the crowd.
This year’s visual trends aren’t just about pictures. They’re ideas, movements and a whole lot of opinions from some of the most talented international artists. These trends are about trying something new, different and in line with changes happening in visual communication today.
How did the visual trend develop? As a way to work with this idea of personalization, visual content also has to adapt. Yes, it still considering factors like inclusivity, authenticity but also showing clients only relevant content in the coming year. This is going to be key for many businesses.
Brands are investing more time into co-creating experiences through UGC and influencer marketing. This kind of content falls perfectly under our trend but also illustrates that there’s a way to go forward with the kinds of visuals one will use - visuals that resonate with clients.
Y&R Prague / Behance
The above featured image was an advertising campaign by Y&R Prague that stopped people on their tracks when scrolling through their feed. Bold, brave and unconventional choices in content curation and project execution is what this trend embodies.
The trend hints at the importance of well thought-out campaigns that inspire conversation. It’s visuals that stop people as they’re looking to find something that remotely interests them in their feed. Creative Provocation is about putting thought behind a visual strategy and taking a chance with making a bold statement.
In 2019, it won’t be enough to curate flawless designs and picture-perfect photographs. The key next year will be to stand out, be memorable and leave people something for the bookmarks. This kind of care with visual content curation and projects will determine the success of campaigns and online strategies.
There’s always a place for an old school strategy, and next year it’s going to be about understanding audiences and tapping into their earlier memories of “the good old days”. There are more websites using palettes, patterns and fonts reminiscent of past decades as a way to use inspiration and put a new spin on things.
It’s not just website design but fashion, art and design in general that looks to the past to ask new questions about it. How one uses this inspiration in 2019 and for what purposes depends on the target audience. Nostalgia has always been there and is something to leverage with visual content.
One artist and photographer, Christy Lee, creates breathtaking underwater photographs that resemble Baroque paintings. Her unusual technique, light manipulation, and artistic direction has helped her break conventions of contemporary photography. It’s one artist that beautifully captures what this visual trend is about.
Christy Lee Rogers | Photography
There are many photographers even in the Depositphotos library interpreting this trend in their own way. Advertising occasionally takes the same route and even Instagram accounts look to use classical paintings to add a modern twist to them with a touch of humor and irony. The implications are many, and inspiration is endless here.
There’s an obvious influence to the spread of a homogeneous trend around the world - social media. Social media is quickly starting to shape they physical world around us and influences the interiors in the places people eat, drink and pass time.
Many spots around the world are starting to consider the “Instagrammable” factor when making design choices. The specifics of this trend is the refined, clean and sleek aesthetic of the perfect shot that captures a kind of “luxury” minimalism. Scrolling through Instagram will illustrate the refined aesthetic that’s taking over the world.
This is also true for visual arts, where interactive and experiential art is giving people the opportunity to interact. The Museum of Contemporary Arts in Sydney had a project where people used technology to rename the museum based on the 3 letters of their abbreviation. It shows that people too can be part of a design.
Integrating interaction is yet another technique and strategy that ensures that people remember a specific brand, product or cause. Especially with launching new online projects, this trend can help reach and intrigue new audiences.
Interestingly, even the Depositphotos stock photography platform is seeing more 3D art and design. These experimentations can also be applied to website design and other more artistic projects that need a creative edge.
Facebook recently introduced 3D photos. It’s quite fascinating to observe how technology is heading in this new direction. There are many applications of this trend, in advertising, social media, and graphic design and promoting personal work with new formats.
Minimalism becomes philosophical in the sense that viewers are forced to stop and think, to reflect and reach conclusions about shots that are stripped of the grandiose. Many photographers interviewed at Depositphotos embody this trend when they discuss how even the smallest elements mean something to them.
It’s about adding subtlety and reflecting on artistic works all the while considering the context and the photographer’s personal story and body of work. This extra layer of meaning and thought behind even the simplest photographs is what beautifully illustrates this trend.
In terms of visual content, there will be more visuals that don’t hide the truth but accurately depict what’s going on in different corners of the world. In other words, images that shouldn’t leave one indifferent.
Brands are also starting to take a stance. They’re making it easier for citizens to support causes and team up to start making positive changes today. Part of the visual trend is really about raising awareness through advertising by addressing environmental concerns in all the little ways - as individuals, consumers and simply members of communities.
A question everyone might be asking is how these trends are relevant. In today’s world, it’s important to be innovative, not just with ideas but with the execution. The kinds of visuals one might choose is a factor that will set posts and campaigns apart from the crowd.
This year’s visual trends aren’t just about pictures. They’re ideas, movements and a whole lot of opinions from some of the most talented international artists. These trends are about trying something new, different and in line with changes happening in visual communication today.
1. The Era of Personalization
This trend didn’t start as a visual trend at first. Just about every media covered the importance of personalization in marketing towards the end of 2018. What does personalization mean? Personalization is simply a way to edge closer to individual clients. Marketing no longer functions with the “one-size-fits-all” approach.How did the visual trend develop? As a way to work with this idea of personalization, visual content also has to adapt. Yes, it still considering factors like inclusivity, authenticity but also showing clients only relevant content in the coming year. This is going to be key for many businesses.
Brands are investing more time into co-creating experiences through UGC and influencer marketing. This kind of content falls perfectly under our trend but also illustrates that there’s a way to go forward with the kinds of visuals one will use - visuals that resonate with clients.
2. Creative Provocation
Y&R Prague / Behance
The above featured image was an advertising campaign by Y&R Prague that stopped people on their tracks when scrolling through their feed. Bold, brave and unconventional choices in content curation and project execution is what this trend embodies.
The trend hints at the importance of well thought-out campaigns that inspire conversation. It’s visuals that stop people as they’re looking to find something that remotely interests them in their feed. Creative Provocation is about putting thought behind a visual strategy and taking a chance with making a bold statement.
In 2019, it won’t be enough to curate flawless designs and picture-perfect photographs. The key next year will be to stand out, be memorable and leave people something for the bookmarks. This kind of care with visual content curation and projects will determine the success of campaigns and online strategies.
3. Nostalgic Flashbacks
Who would have thought that a 2000s style website would have been a successful move 5 years ago? Adidas caught on to the wave of nostalgia when they created a website promoting the Yung sneakers line for the next millennium. With their target audience in mind, they knew exactly what they were doing with their creative choices that made people reminisce.There’s always a place for an old school strategy, and next year it’s going to be about understanding audiences and tapping into their earlier memories of “the good old days”. There are more websites using palettes, patterns and fonts reminiscent of past decades as a way to use inspiration and put a new spin on things.
It’s not just website design but fashion, art and design in general that looks to the past to ask new questions about it. How one uses this inspiration in 2019 and for what purposes depends on the target audience. Nostalgia has always been there and is something to leverage with visual content.
4. Embracing Art History
Taking inspiration and adding a modern twist to it stretches to other fields in art and visual communication. Some artists are looking up to the masters of the past as a way to glorify the past and add their interpretations to produce something in line with their aesthetics.One artist and photographer, Christy Lee, creates breathtaking underwater photographs that resemble Baroque paintings. Her unusual technique, light manipulation, and artistic direction has helped her break conventions of contemporary photography. It’s one artist that beautifully captures what this visual trend is about.
Christy Lee Rogers | Photography
There are many photographers even in the Depositphotos library interpreting this trend in their own way. Advertising occasionally takes the same route and even Instagram accounts look to use classical paintings to add a modern twist to them with a touch of humor and irony. The implications are many, and inspiration is endless here.
5. First Global Aesthetic
Is it suspicious that cafes are starting to look the same around the world? Quartz News were the first to pick up a case of a unifying global aesthetic. Similar interiors were spotted in 4 different cafes in 4 continents - they all shared the same Brooklyn-particular aesthetic in interiors.There’s an obvious influence to the spread of a homogeneous trend around the world - social media. Social media is quickly starting to shape they physical world around us and influences the interiors in the places people eat, drink and pass time.
Many spots around the world are starting to consider the “Instagrammable” factor when making design choices. The specifics of this trend is the refined, clean and sleek aesthetic of the perfect shot that captures a kind of “luxury” minimalism. Scrolling through Instagram will illustrate the refined aesthetic that’s taking over the world.
6. Adding Layers of Interaction
In the start of 2018 we mentioned video and animation as key trends as more companies were incorporating video marketing into all aspect of their customer experience. The forecast for next year is an extension of this with a focus on interaction. Website designers integrate interactive elements to get people to engage with visual content.This is also true for visual arts, where interactive and experiential art is giving people the opportunity to interact. The Museum of Contemporary Arts in Sydney had a project where people used technology to rename the museum based on the 3 letters of their abbreviation. It shows that people too can be part of a design.
Integrating interaction is yet another technique and strategy that ensures that people remember a specific brand, product or cause. Especially with launching new online projects, this trend can help reach and intrigue new audiences.
7. 3D Design Transition
In graphic design, there’s something new that’s being tested and experimented with every year. Graphic designers are making the most of the latest technologies and programs to work with three-dimensional elements as a way to challenge static graphic design.Interestingly, even the Depositphotos stock photography platform is seeing more 3D art and design. These experimentations can also be applied to website design and other more artistic projects that need a creative edge.
Facebook recently introduced 3D photos. It’s quite fascinating to observe how technology is heading in this new direction. There are many applications of this trend, in advertising, social media, and graphic design and promoting personal work with new formats.
8. Minimalism Gets Philosophical
Minimalism has always been relevant. In 2019, there’s a little shift in the kind of minimalist images and photographs that will be popular. It’s about deeper conceptual minimalism in web and app design, product design and photography.Minimalism becomes philosophical in the sense that viewers are forced to stop and think, to reflect and reach conclusions about shots that are stripped of the grandiose. Many photographers interviewed at Depositphotos embody this trend when they discuss how even the smallest elements mean something to them.
It’s about adding subtlety and reflecting on artistic works all the while considering the context and the photographer’s personal story and body of work. This extra layer of meaning and thought behind even the simplest photographs is what beautifully illustrates this trend.
9. New Wave of Environmental Awareness
Depositphotos also considered social and environmental issues that are going to be a priority in the coming year. What they discovered is that towards the end of this year, there are more and more talks about something fundamentally important that is going to be a heated topic of discussion in 2019 - the environment.In terms of visual content, there will be more visuals that don’t hide the truth but accurately depict what’s going on in different corners of the world. In other words, images that shouldn’t leave one indifferent.
Brands are also starting to take a stance. They’re making it easier for citizens to support causes and team up to start making positive changes today. Part of the visual trend is really about raising awareness through advertising by addressing environmental concerns in all the little ways - as individuals, consumers and simply members of communities.