MARKETING
The 2020 year brought us a new reality. We have had to adapt to it quicker than ever before. Technology and trends have to react to the new needs of the customers in periods of dramatic change. We at STRATEGIZZE have carefully researched and hand-picked for you 9 most fast-growing and vibrant visual trends that reflect the current situation and will help your brand and content creators to find a new path to customers’ hearts.
1. Authenticity
Over the last year, people’s priorities and pain points have changed – so does the content they prefer to interact with. It must be adapted to a new reality and reflect consumer’s changing values and lifestyles. Shutterstock’s keywords search shows rising interest in more authentic photographs – with search terms like non-binary, candid portraits, and authentic people being at the top. The main tip for this trend is to be as close to your customers as possible. Consider how their views and priorities have changed recently, and offer them simple, sincere, and honest content. Best suited for industries: fashion, retail, food & beverage, social media, advertising, healthcare, insurance, professional services. Where to apply: web design, social media marketing communications.
2. Solace in Nature
In the new reality, closeness to nature has become more important than ever before. People started to search the videos of a raging ocean, majestic mountains, or desert dunes to escape elsewhere at least virtually. Using natural elements in design is a powerful psychological trick that can help relieve stress and reduce anxiety levels. Nature-inspired color solutions, botanical prints, and even natural elements for animation can be used to build a safe and comfortable atmosphere. However, the most interesting solution can be creating a multi-sensorial experience for your users – for example, you can complement the visual with soothing music and sounds of nature.
Best suited for industries: fashion, interior design, wellness, life coaching, renewable energy, hospitality, media, sustainability.
Where to apply: web design, product design, social media marketing (YouTube)
3. Self-care
Taking care of physical and digital wellness is becoming more and more important for customers. Self-care, home hobbies, mind and body balance are the subject of growing interest and search. And this trend should be reflected in a brand’s communication – both in messages and in visual components. The visual part should include a calm, balanced color scheme along with subjects that users associate with health and harmony. These can be motivating photos and videos showing that the health of your audience (both physical and mental) is not an empty phrase for your brand. To convey an important message, use visuals that illustrate self-care, healthy lifestyle, and also remind your customers of the importance of meeting basic needs (getting enough sleep, eating on time, and having regular physical activity for a better quality of living). Best suited for industries: healthcare, wellness, life coaching, media, real estate, e-commerce, food & beverage, personal banking, insurance. Where to apply: web design, social media marketing, packaging design.
4. Symbols of optimism
Audiences tend to engage with brands that bring positive emotions to their content. Requests for optimism are also reflected in music users prefer to search. It’s playful, it’s uplifting, and it’s here to inspire all the feels. Symbols of optimism in visuals are vibrant bold colors and rounded fonts that look more friendly. Positive visual concepts such as slow living and work-life balance should also be used by brands that tend to develop friendly, long-lasting connections with their target audience.
Best suited for industries: healthcare, wellness, life coaching, media, food & beverage, insurance, hospitality, renewable energy, sustainability, pharmaceuticals, professional services.
Where to apply: web design, social media marketing, interior design, packaging design, fashion, any video content.
5. Cinematic Aesthetics
Expressive and laconic footage that looks like a freeze-frame from an unseen movie is one of the key visual trends in 2021.
The beauty of this approach is that one good cinematic photo can reveal a whole new world behind the frame. This effect allows to create more voluminous and interesting content and increases engagement. The basis of the cinematic approach is in a specific muted color scheme and a carefully balanced composition.
Best suited for industries: real estate, construction, telecommunication, retail, fashion, transportation, consumer electronics, automotive.
Where to apply: web design, social media marketing, print media.
6. Fantasy in full color
This trend reflects the most popular design and graphic motifs and shows which types of patterns are going to be popular in 2021.
Best suited for industries: fashion, consumer products, interior design.
Where to apply: can be more suitable for offline communication and product design, though when used in animations will be perfect for web design and social media.
There are three of them:
7. Сontent that stands out (whimsical animation and audiovisual synch)
In a world overcrowded with content, it’s highly important to stand out. New live-action footage is harder to come by, while animated videos are limited only by the designer’s level of creativity. Colorful, unusual, and eye-catching – all these features make animated content engaging.
Another winning solution, which helps to attract customer’s attention, is creating a multi-sensorial experience.
So freely complement your visuals with relevant music and sounds, including audio tracks on your websites and apps – and get a strong emotional response from your customers. The most searched types of music are the tracks featuring string instruments along with playful and positive melodies.
Best suited for industries: media, IT services, software, professional services, industrial design, automotive.
Where to apply: can be suitable for all types of online projects.
8. Gamification design
Gamification is an existing trend that got a boost during the pandemic. Brands are trying to incorporate their products into newly adopted digital habits and make them more entertaining with the help of motion graphics, badges, challenges, and other gaming elements. This approach can perfectly work for such routine procedures as banking services, or even paying utility bills, making customers’ interactions more fun and entertaining.
Best suited for industries: any B2C industry where main marketing goal lies in engaging customers into active communication with the brand.
Where to apply: elements of the gamification can be suitable for all types of online services
9. Snackable videos
This trend was born out of the explosive growth in popularity of the TikTok app. Its short few seconds-length videos are perfect for quick content consumption, but also have a very short lifespan. For such videos, the hype and the relevance to the moment are more important than high-end quality and artistic value. Snackable videos can be literally created “on the go” with the help of smartphone cameras and simple video editing apps.
Best suited for industries: media, small businesses services, fashion, consumer products trading.
Where to apply: social media marketing (only if it’s appropriate for your audience and your brand).
Sources: Depositphotos annual trend research and Overview of the most popular keywords used on Shutterstock.
Hope you enjoyed these trends and will find them useful for your brand strategy development. In case you will require professional assistance in crafting personalized go-to-market or growth marketing strategy for your brand – be free to contact me directly at anna@strategizze.com or DM me on LinkedIn.
