Across all creative mediums, the 2021 trends feel especially meaningful — reflecting a range of reactions to the hardships of 2020, and the hopeful, regenerative spirit with which creatives prepare for the year ahead. Key highlights include:
Visual Trends: Compassionate Collective
Over the past several years, the collective drive to associate with brands that share and demonstrate our values has continued to gain momentum. The growing appreciation of collective action gained new dimension and urgency during 2020 with Compassionate Collective emerging as a visual trend that expresses the desire to connect with strength and empathy.
Visual Trends: Mood-Boosting Color
Bright, saturated, spectrums of color are everywhere now – they have the happy psychological effect of making us feel more awake and alive. Aside from adding a vibrant spirit, the Mood-Boosting Color visual trend expresses a feeling of joy and power that is strong and defiant while still retaining a sense of playfulness.
Ultimate Gray (PANTONE 17-5104) and Illuminating (PANTONE 13-0647) are Pantone’s dynamic duo for the 2021 Color of the Year. Both practical and rock solid, warming and optimistic, the combination of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating is one of resilience and hope — for our new year and beyond.
Design Trends: Vintage Vaporwave
Vintage Vaporwave mixes pop art and outlined sticker graphics, bright pastels matched with neutral tones, and lo-fi design elements. Checkers and grids, random tiling of pattern elements, and cheeky cartoons keep these designs full of movement.
Motion Trends: Handheld
As COVID-19 drove budget cuts and cancellations for shoots, many brands responded with: true user generated content (UGC) and the DIY look of content created in the moment. Handheld footage and the UGC aesthetic have been dominant across industries and we will see it everywhere in 2021.
Audio Trends: Global Rhythms
After reviewing the most requested, most searched, and bestselling audio clips, artists, and genres, listeners have been identified as expecting diversity and inclusiveness in visuals and the music within their videos, too. In response, video editors and producers are actively seeking audio tracks to help create a global, modern feel to their branded content.
To find out more about this year’s creative trends, as identified by the Adobe Stock team, check out the blogpost here or a short video clip below.
In celebration of our creative expressions and unique perspectives, check out how local artists @rhosecoronado (mobile photographer) and @graceciao (fashion illustrator) also joined forces to co-create with Adobe Creative Cloud, incorporating each other’s creative muse of the Singapore shophouses and fresh flowers respectively. More details on how they embraced their creative differences here.
