A while ago, I was riding in a taxi on the way home from work when a news anchorman reported extreme floods have hit large parts of Iran. The taxi driver was quick to change the station, noting irritably "what does that have to do with us" without elaborating whether it was the geographical distance or the choice of topic that made the update seem irrelevant. Riding behind him, I smiled, thinking about how this event will affect him - on how it will affects us all.
As part of my work as a Visual Content Expert at Wix, I map out significant events worldwide and then outline the different ways in which they manifest themselves through culture, design, and art. We might feel comfortable with the idea that events that happen far away have little impact on our lives. Still, political, environmental, and economic incidents affect our culture in unexpected ways. In innovative digital design, looking for connections provides insight into creative intuitions. Researching shifts in behavior shapes our digital products' even the smallest decisions - from layouts, images, illustrations, or icons.
During 2019 we identified several macro-trends: ״new masculinity״ emerged alongside #metoo; a return of real-life protest; and the evolution of health and the concept of wellness.
When it comes to trend research, my team's philosophy is we cannot predict the future. Instead, we look at events through a broad lens, continuously evaluating the trend to gain new insights. To summarize 2019 in design, we chose to revisit its most prominent trends and past major themes and draw connections to how they might evolve in 2020.
Liquid Motion
In 2019 we bid farewell to the marble-surface/texture-trend and welcomed the liquid effect. In many ways, both trends originated from a similar place, yet each one has held a very different meaning. Marble is stone; liquid is water. They are two opposing elements: one is characterized by groundedness and control, the other represents fluidity. Liquid motion inspires calm, bliss, reminiscing of a clear lake but also of flood-like destructive chaos. At the heart of the liquid trend is an ambiguity that represents the design of early 2019. Three years after the award-winning documentary Before the Flood addressed global policies towards climate change, it seems that the film's prophecy is coming to fruition. Rains are flooding vast areas, the arctic melting is causing sea levels to rise, and clean water has become a scarcity. Climate crisis is no longer a future threat but today's reality. Images of toxic blue-green algae that are contaminating the coasts of Florida, or sled dogs running across the water in Greenland, are powerful visuals that the creative mind cannot overlook.
Creatives all across the field reacted to these images in their own fluid way. Some embraced it as a pattern, and some imitated liquid movements using animations and effects, all to simulate that flow.
Martin Laxenaire's website with liquid animation
Helvetica Now typeface, launched by Monotype.
Will We Go With the Flow?
Throughout 2020, this theme will show up in new variations and will undergo a natural evolution. A hint of this trend can be seen through an examination of the resident color of the year, as chosen by various companies. Lush Lava, chosen by Shutterstock, carries the liquid theme through heat, while Pantone's choice of Classic Blue represents the stability and calmness that liquid matter can possess. It’s important to acknowledge this fundamental desire for stability in this new decade, against perhaps the colossal need to adapt and potentially embrace a fluid reality.
The Analog Protest
While on the topic of stability, or the lack of it, recent years were fueled by massive civil protests: the Women’s March and the March for Our Lives in the US, the Iranian protest against the compulsory hijab, the Yellow Vest movement in France, and the constitutional crisis in Spain, to name a few. While the digital form of protesting has not existed for long, in its prime there was a clear preference for likes and political posts overtaking action in real life. Over time we noticed protesters have shifted their actions back from the digital sphere to the analog one, harnessing the power of mass action with an added creative touch. In 2019, activism revealed itself in the form of craftivism and haute couture. The new colors of protests, as seen on the street and the runway, were neon yellow, white and light purple.
2019 also birthed the shift toward much more youth-driven protests. The leaders and symbols of the current revolutions are students under the age of 25, like Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg or Hong Kong social activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow. This age group, known as Generation Z, has its unique aesthetic that should be acknowledged as well. Their style choices are affected by a culture that is rooted deep in social media and comics, which is partly related to their low attention span on the one hand, and their phenomenal ability to multitask on the other. For example, further examination of the protests’ color palette, as reflected in the media, shows that black has become dominant in Hong Kong, where protesters wore black to resonate with the color of the local police uniforms. The protesters paired their wardrobe with black masks or iconic comic book masks. If the reappearance of facial masks in the last decade was rooted in the need to hide your identity, like in the case of the hacktivist group Anonymous, their return to our view is associated more with the character of the righteous vigilante.
In the climate change sphere, green is also back in the game as the ultimate environmental color, representing the brighter side of nature. At the forefront of the environmental battle is the rising movement Extinction Rebellion, which uses a toxic green shade for its logo. And just as their confrontational title suggests a difference between them and their environmental counterpart, Greenpeace, the new toxic green’s shade is a shift from canonical apple shaded green. On the other hand, blood red is making its comeback due to its connection to a state of emergency and warning and will demand more of our attention in the upcoming year.
After Winter Must Come Spring
Going into 2020, the protests we are witnessing today are both local and global. On the global arena is the climate change battle, and on a local scale, we see themes of democracy, civil rights, and economic inequality. With that, all protests touch the core of our existence as a society and are widespread and vigorous. Some take a more radical approach with a decisive tone that might be attributed to the younger groups leading these movements, whose mission is to have a significant effect on decision-makers. When dealing with the climate crisis, for example, some actions have already been taken. Parties and politicians are promoting environmental legislation, while brands and businesses embrace a sustainable agenda. This pugnacity and persistence will lead the protests of 2020, and most likely will continue to be represented visually in a bold, fierce manner. While the dominant color scheme continues to go darker, a wave of optimism will follow, along with the true belief in the ability to change the world for the better.
The Evolution of Wellness
Early 2019 welcomed a new take on wellness and made us rethink what it means to be present. We wanted to escape the digital world by looking for a new sense of calmness and self-discovering, and soon after we were looking to technology to help us escape reality. Ironically enough, escaping smartphones and social media in 2019 was done through apps that offer a so-called “controlled digital detox”. Disconnecting from our phones meant reconnecting with nature and the outdoors, as well as with our home environment. The letter “F,” which stands for fear in the acronym “FOMO” was replaced with “J” for joy, and homebodies became the new cool again. Naturally, homes turned into workspaces, wellness areas, and entertainment hubs, and fashion, houseware and beauty brands saw this as a great business opportunity.
This shift towards taking a break for “me time” led to a focus on a good night’s sleep, introducing new businesses like nap cafes, sleep magazines and new apps that promote relaxation. The aesthetics of sleep also came to life through new collections by brands like Moncler, Versace and Skims by Kim Kardashian-West.
Wellness Wishes for the Future
One of the most interesting themes in 2020 will surely be the importance of mental and emotional health. Instagram has already begun this by removing the ability to like posts for a selection of its users, and Pinterest recently launched the hashtag #pinterestwellbeing as a way to support Pinners, especially those who might be struggling with their emotional well-being. Pinterest predicts that in 2020 we will focus on finding balance in our everyday routines to counter anxiety, stress, and burnout. A healthy conversation around mental health is also arising through representations in art. Todd Phillips’ Joker movie and its handling of what happens when mental illness meets society sparked fiery discussions in blogs and forums and removed taboos around the topic. Mental health awareness can also influence brands and companies across industries. In digital product design, this can be manifested in the form of spacious user experience, slick and delicate animations, and soothing color palettes.
When we look back at 2019, we see a tricky year full of vicissitudes, with a strong drive for stability and balance in numerous spheres such as health and wellness, society and the planet. The desire for balance can inspire us to focus inwards, on our well-being. Yet, the same desire can be so powerful that it encourages action toward a cause. These parallels - internal and external, quiet and loud - are the natural forces we witness around us. Will we get to live in a more or less balanced world in the next decade? It is too early to tell. But what we do know is that the culture around us and the creative forces that drive it forward will keep reacting to this tension in fascinating ways that will impact all of us in one way or another. Here’s to 2020!
