GEN ALPHA: There are some new kids in town and they are called: Generation Alpha or the Gen Alphas. These kids were born in the 2010 decade so some are as old as nine. Our beloved Millenials are turning forty soon, and Generation Z is charging into their twenties. Generation Alpha is now influencing their families spending habits. Smart businesses are following their preferences and keeping them in mind in their marketing and creative plans. These kids are more tech savvy than any before them. Grabbing their attention and building their brand loyalty through technology will be key in this decade.
GIF: Simply stated a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is an image file. “But the GIF format has a special feature—it can also be used to create animated images..” “We say “animated images” because GIFs aren’t really videos. If anything, they’re more like flipbooks.” (https://www.howtogeek.com/441185/what-is-a-gif-and-how-do-you-use-them/) You’ve probably seen them on Instagram and Facebook. The technology goes back to the 1980’s and is more popular than ever because of the ease in using it on several digital platforms especially social media. Predicters say to expect to see more of them. Those moving images in the picture below are GIFs.
ORGANIC: Earth friendly focuses gained strength in the 2010 decade in response to our increasing and continued depletion of our earth’s resources and the growing world population. Add in a sense of frenzy associated with our abundance and access to all information and we’re going to see people increasingly trying to calm down their stimuli through products and lifestyle changes. The color of the year, Pantone’s Classic Blue gives voice to a need for calm in our society.
MINIMALISM: We saw minimalism first in interior design with people opting for less “stuff”. Think Marie Kondo and her “tidying up” approach to calming spaces and finding joy in your life. It seems that having much is well, too much.
TYPE AND FONT STYLES: Expect to see more type and less imagery in marketing as people are drawn to less clutter and clean, modern lines. Look for Fonts and type styles to be more creative and unique in these formats.
SOCIAL MEDIA: It’s no revelation that the way we receive information in 2020 has changed dramatically with the huge shift in printed-verses-digital deliverance of material. We’re interested to see how sustainable some of the digital format will be and whether there will be a return to some old standards. But for now, if you’re not prioritizing your website, social media and overall branding and visual impressions, 2020 must be the year you do.
LONG FORM CONTENT: Generally speaking, LFC is content that is more than 700 words. So this could be a blog, a book etc. Today info snippets have become the norm. But many marketers argue that LFC will continue to play an important role in content deliverance. (https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/05/05/longform-content) Side note, there is no arguing that LFC in the form of printed and published materials is more permanent. While digital content tends to just go away, printed materials continue to be accessible for years.
LET’S BE REAL: Some see a backlash to the social media “perfection” we see everywhere. It’s not surprising as people seem to be “on to them”. Knowing that the perfect images portrayed are often fake. But a ground swell of disdain for these perfect projections and a craving for truthfulness and reality will continue to grow and promote change.
SUSTAINABILITY: Sustainability will continue to influence not only buyer’s purchases but all businesses will seek more earth friendly options in the workplace and the warehouse. We think this is a genuine desire to improve our environment and lessen the negative impact on the future.
This is just the short list. What would you add to your unique industries’ trends? Some trends are just now unfolding, and just like a decade ago there’s no way to tell how the world will look in the next ten years. Let’s meet back here in 2030 and debrief. For now, we’d like to assist you with your marketing, utilizing not only the latest technology and design for your branding, website development and management, but also including trends that will keep your company looking fresh and on trend.
#getafterit #stayfresh #2020trends