After a tumultuous 2017, it was always going to be fascinating to learn what top communication companies predict will help shape the climate in 2018.
One such company – Getty Images, the world leader in visual assets – has identified three trends it believes consumers will be most responsive to over the coming 12 months. In no particular order, they are 'Second Renaissance', 'Conceptual Realism' and 'Masculinity Undone'.
Getty's creative team analysed over 1 billion searches and 400 million image downloads on the stock image site, as well as studied advertising trends and examined pop culture shifts to predict the three concepts.
Here's more on the trends from Getty Images senior art director Lauren Catten.
Second Renaissance
"We are seeing a 'second Renaissance' in photography: quiet, contemplative images informed by art history. The Mona Lisa inspired Solange Knowles'…Pari Dukovic's "Art of Beauty" shoot for Harper's Bazaar recreates iconic paintings with trailblazing models like Winnie Harlow and Halima Aden.
This trend reignites the idea of craftsmanship in an age where it's never been easier to take a photograph."
Conceptual Realism
“Realistic”, “authentic”, “believable”, are buzzwords dominating the commercial marketplace. Semi-unobtainable and aspirational scenes no longer resonate. Consumers have become content creators and imperfect, DIY imagery feels honest. As trust in media diminishes, we crave imagery that looks real, even if the idea does not. “Conceptual realism” – such as the bizarre yet authentic S/S 2017 campaign from Kate Spade – has emerged to meet this need from a range of long-term visual and social drivers."
Masculinity Undone
"The male psyche is in crisis, with suicide now the number one killer for men under 50. The media presents few male identities to aspire to: “buffoon” (incompetent dad); sports advertising “hero”; beer commercial “tough guy”; “abman” of Diet Coke “hunkvertising”; and car ad “existentialist man”. But with millennials rejecting gender stereotypes, these one-dimensional depictions are being challenged.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has banned ads that perpetuate gender stereotypes, including men “trying and failing” to conduct “simple parental or household tasks.” “Masculinity Undone” tracks masculinity shown in complex, gentle, and emotionally astute ways."
