Shutterstock has analysed millions of searches to forecast the design trends of 2018.
What has 2018 got in store for creatives? We've already looked at the biggest logo design trends and typography trends that could be coming our way over the next 12 months, but Shutterstock is looking further afield with its 2018 Creative Trends Report.
The latest annual report from the technology and stock photography company has been compiled by studying billions of searches within Shutterstock's collection of 170 million customer images. This data has been gathered over the past year across images, videos and music.
By analysing user habits, Shutterstock hopes to determine the standout ideas and concepts that it believes will shape creative direction in the year to come.
Top creative trends of 2018
Fantasy - A fantasy theme looks set to be significant in 2018. Searches for fantasy are on the rise, with classics like 'unicorn' up 297%, and 'mermaid' up by 145% on 2017. Alongside this, epic, orchestral music is becoming increasingly popular as creative professionals add some magic to our everyday experiences.
New Minimalism - Forget plain old minimalism, 2018 is set to be the year of new minimalism. This is a look that goes beyond crisp, clean lines to feature bold colours and fluid styles. An increase of 432% for 'continuous line' and a boost of 387% for 'neon circle' are giveaways for Shutterstock that new minimalism will be a trend to look out for.
Space - The final frontier continues to amaze audiences on the big screen, so perhaps it's no surprise that it's had a big influence on Shutterstock searches. 'Solar' is up by a whopping 991%, while interest in 'astro' has risen by 671%. Meanwhile, the popularity of 'synthwave' has soared by 494% from 2017.
"Now in its seventh year, our Creative Trends report inspires creative professionals all over the world as they strategize creative planning for the year ahead," said Shutterstock’s Curator, Robyn Lange.
“Our 2017 report was particularly accurate in its predictions, identifying trends like ‘Glitch’ early on. Throughout the year we watched as the style grew, developed, and thrived into major campaign themes for brands across the world. We look forward to watching 2018’s trends blossom the same way.”
Check out the trends set to dominate 2018 with the report below.
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Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
