The creative industry of today is an ever-changing landscape with trends that seemingly mimic the current state of our world. From tools to strategic design elements, artists must always be up-to-date when it comes to these developments to ensure they are on top in terms of speed, sustainability, and visuals, be it 2D or 3D.
For that, Adobe offers four such creative trends that will be prominent in 2024 through the 7th iteration of the company's annual creative forecast report, focusing on emerging creative styles, cultural themes, and technological advancements. We've gone ahead and summarized all of these trends right below.
Calming Rhythms
For Adobe, "wellness" has transcended its original focal point being restricted only to physical health with the rise of challenges concerning the mental and emotional of people. In fact, according to the Hopkins School of Medicine, about 1 in 4 American adults aged 18 and older suffer a form of diagnosable mental illness.
With this in mind, Adobe proposes that people look to improve their overall mood and emotional state by seeking soothing sensory experiences in all of the channels they inhabit, be it social or digital.
The report dubbed this trend as "Calming Rhythms," encapsulated perfectly by a specific form of content called ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, whose current hashtag viewership in TikTok exceeds a trillion views. Typically, the content described with this tag is minimal both visually and sonically, enforcing an abstract and relaxing feeling.
Wonder and Joy
Relatedly, this next trend that Adobe is forecasting for next year is also related to "happiness," however, "Wonder and Joy" more specifically covers a wider variety of messaging. This ranges from the simple pleasures of being a "kidult" to the more luxurious experiences encountered while traveling.
The overall theme tackled through this trend is closely related to that of "escapism" and can be depicted through simple illustrations, or even through AI-generated environments inspired by fantasy and other "foreign" elements. In short, people are just seeking a haven from the chaos happening in today's world.
Dynamic Dimensions
Continuing with the utilization of AI and new technologies, Adobe also predicts an increased demand for "Dynamic Dimensions," or types of content that play around bombastic, high-octane, and impactful visuals.
The company's report cites concepts of the "multiverse," gaming, virtual reality, and augmented reality as the source of this demand, saying that young people's perspective towards vulnerability will likely transform more in 2024 as they become more accepting and comfortable with expressing emotional turmoil.
This can already be seen in the referential content commonly posted in TikTok, with one meme "reviving" a decades-old painting that weirdly and endearingly represents today's "female rage," in a sort of temporally transcendental expression of potent emotions.
The New Nostalgia
The final trend concerns "The New Nostalgia," or a form of fascination for vintage and older styles that represent "simpler times" from the mid to late 1900s, but all digested through the relatively young lens of the recent generations.
For one, Gen Z is leading this meta-nostalgia of longing for an age or experience that existed way before they were even born, with 50% of individuals in this generation from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia exhibiting desires to "disconnect" digitally, as reported in a study conducted by Squarespace.
According to Adobe's report, this ultimately means inclinations for vintage aesthetics with a modern twist will be more prevalent and individuals will instead turn to analog, like "digital camera photography, to achieve this style.
