Shutterstock has launched its eighth annual Creative Trends Report, which predict major trends in 2019 as well as what will be the rising topics and one to watch in the year ahead.
The overbearing theme of the findings is that there will be a continued emphasis on nostalgia and taking inspiration from the past. Bright colours, cartoon faces and ostentatious animal patterns also have a strong showing in this year’s trends.
Here are the three major themes thrown up by the report, which was compiled from billions of image, video and music searches and downloads from Shutterstock customers.
1. Zine culture
The raw, homemade aesthetic gets a digital update. With a 1376% increase in searches for 'contemporary art collage', zine culture clearly lives on in the decentralized mindset of the digital age through social media, where independent makers can share and niche groups can discover.
Built on principles of collage and largely influenced by the invention of the photocopier, it is paper cutouts, noise and grain textures, and rough-edged layers that define this trend.
2. '80s opulence
The ‘80s are back and ready to party. The term 'chain print' is up 731% and 'elegance pattern' searches increased 1060%. Forget good taste, this is about good times.
Clashing is the key word for this trend. Think leopard print (up 167%) and snakeskin (up 157%), peacock feathers and gold chain belts, soft fur and hard metal textures.
3. Yesterday’s tomorrow
What’s old is new again. With interest in terms like 'synthwave' increasing 717%, 'retrowave' up 676% and 'duotone' up 230%, this trend is an optimistic redux of early-tech – a focus on what yesterday’s tomorrow looked like.
It’s all about the looks and sounds that defined futurism at the dawn of the digital age like bold purple, blue and pink duotone gradients, basic vector graphics and dreamy synth music.
Click here to see the full Creative Trends Report at the dedicated website.
