What visual trends will dominate communication in 2021?
The events of 2020 have left a big imprint on creative industries
Depositphotos, one of the leading international platforms for stock images, videos, and music, has recently released their 2021 Visual Trends Report. Creative agencies from around the world, including Active Theory, Dentsu ACHTUNG!, Design Bridge, and Your Majesty, have contributed to this project to identify the themes and ideas set to dominate visual communication in the year to come.
This post is a short summary of the outcome of this collaborative project. Here's the latest on what's happening in the industry here and now.
Welcome to a new reality: General overview
If you compare the typical consumer in early 2020 with the same consumer in 2021, you will find that many changes took place in this span of time in terms of consumer behavior and preferences. For instance, modern consumers are more selective with the goods they purchase. They value their physical and mental health significantly more and respond better to optimistic messages in advertising.
“Client briefs have become more human-centric, as everyone faced the same challenges. In the current environment of uncertainty, brands, managers, and companies have placed the focus on how to get closer to people and their needs…”
Leo Burnett
Plus, these people have spent almost a year online, so it's hard to impress them with static images and text slogans only.
In turn, short ‘snackable’ videos, gamification, and other formats like audiovisual forms of content allow you to establish a better impression in an otherwise monotonous online space. And sometimes this could mean establishing an even warmer relationship between a brand and a client in the long term. Design trends listed below reflect it.
The major pain points of modern customers in general have come down to the fear of further isolation, FOMO, losing spirit and good health.
9 design trends 2021 and their conceptual background
— Symbols of Optimism
Visual trends reflect the changing needs of the audience today. A year of insecurity, isolation, and political crises has led people to respond better to life-affirming colors and images featuring hope and well-being.
“Muted, barely-there color palettes and the reassurance (even nostalgia) of more traditional serif fonts will support, creating moments of calm and freshness away from the ‘madness’ of world events…”
Design Bridge
— Wellness First
A list of visual trends 2021 is incomplete without a mention of public and individual health. Many felt helpless in the past year and even suffered from the fear of death. As a result, there has been an increase in demand for health-promoting products and visuals that can convey this value.
— Solace in Nature
Among the design trends 2021, you will find several that are related to nature. Self-guided outings (often, to places that are not far from home) have been an outlet for many in the past months. On the other hand, the lack of traveling has increased the hunger of customers for images featuring distant lands and wild nature.
— Virtual Empathy
Online empathy is a concept that became possible due to recent tech advancements. And while the technology for hosting events online has been known for a long time, 2020 literally pushed netizens to use it often and learn to empathize through the monitor. Graphic design trends take us even further: the challenge of making a virtual event as emotional and memorable as its traditional predecessors are the task for UX designers in 2021.
— Authenticity 2.0
When describing previous design trends in 2021, we talked mainly about how brands changed their communication with customers. However, this clause is about the creative ways in which Internet users represent themselves online these days and how the notion of an authentic photo has changed the past year. All that remains for brands is adopting their discoveries.
“People will mostly avoid content that is irrelevant to the context, does not resonate with their views or even moods, and communicates everything and nothing. Or such content will simply not work as a sales tool…”
Publicis Ukraine
— Cinematic Aesthetics
Significantly more multimedia content was consumed this year compared to any previous one, as evidenced by the reports of streaming platforms. Films, cartoons, TV shows, and series have influenced the tastes of the audience and inspired artists to create using cinematography as a point of inspiration.
— Snackable Video
For some people, endless viewing of videos from social networks has become an addiction, while for others, videos have become a source of information about the outside world.
Light multimedia content of a few seconds is among the top formats brands can leverage today. It is equally suitable to inform users about something or to entertain them during quarantine in a way where you’re sure they’ll pay attention.
— Audiovisual Sync
Immersiveness is an important web design trend that continues to dominate marketing in 2021. Competing for user attention, brands are looking for new forms to deliver their messages. Voice marketing is just one example of a conceptual breakthrough in immersion marketing. It can be expected that in 2021 more internet products will be leveraged with audio or the union of visuals, design elements, and music.
— Gamified by Design
Gamification isn't just about entertainment. In some cases, it can be called a forced measure that brands choose, reshaping their products and strategies. Gamification can make important brand messages more memorable and understandable and is likely to become a major tool for many marketers.
“We’ve found playful games with underlying social cooperation like trivia and puzzles have proven particularly popular as they simultaneously give people something to do, and also provide a social connection as part of their activity…”
Active Theory
For more details and insights, see the full and well-illustrated version of the project 2021 Visual Trends: Living a New Reality.
What’s next?
Armed with a list of visual trends, you can start planning your seasonal marketing campaign or revise and improve your brand strategy. However, it is important to understand that these 9 marketing and design trends are only conceptual guidelines and are here to help you as the starting point to new ideas that can be adapted to work for your projects.
Also, remember that the main feature that has allowed many businesses to survive the challenges of 2020 is flexibility and unlimited empathy towards clients, partners, and industry colleagues. Find more agency insights here and good luck with your marketing goals this year!