When the year starts we get a plethora of businesses, organizations and individuals give us the trends to look out for in the coming year, from various perspectives. My January is spent going through these standpoints and forecasted trends.
After having read some of these, based on my background and some experience over the years here is my take on some trends and drifts we are likely to see and also how the field of graphic design, is likely to will change, evolve and move forward, based on the current reality.
Carrying on from 2020, the new year has brought with it a new way of doing things. The current pandemic may look like a real downer, and it sure is while we are going through these crazy tough times, but it will hold promise for the future. We know though history that past pandemic situations have brought about a shift in how we work, live and learn; it has changed our perception of what normal looks like. From the Black Death (1347 – 1351), to Spanish flu (1918 – 1919), pandemics have changed the course of human history.
With the current scenario, our work and social lives have gone virtual. Remote work and dependence of technology is what most of us experienced. It was not unknown for a graphic designer sitting in one part of the world to have clients 10,000 miles way. The pandemic which forced us to go online, will likely be an impetus and give this shift more momentum and the repercussions will be potentially profound. What Covid has done is that it came in and removed one main barrier that we humans faced to a digital future, and that is our own frame of mind and attitude; we were forced to change our way of doing things, we were forced to work, learn and live digitally which made us realize it could be done. This will give rise to the notion of choice for us; we will now have the power to choose, to have an option and an autonomy on how we work will be far-reaching.
With the technical and practical ability to have clients in any part of the world will come with an increased understanding and responsibility to be a more global citizen. The designer of tomorrow will have to be more aware and inclusive. Social consciousness has been a buzz word for designers since over a decade. With the world opening up, themes like diversity, improved representation and acknowledging that communication is never neutral is going to be key.
This will lend to the importance of the understanding of ‘symbology’ and semiotics if you are graphic designer working for a client, whose audience resides in a different part of the world. Responsible interpretation will recognise context and connotations.
This new working set-up, will rely more heavily on collaboration. This might seem oxymoronic in a virtual isolated space, but it is going to be more about the way we work with others, clients and stakeholders alike.
‘In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.’ – Charles Darwin
2021, with the notion of the world is our oyster, will see us designers looking for stimulating connections. Working with people and on aspects we have not experienced previously. This new space that we will create for ourselves will force us out of our preferred territory and step into some unchartered ones. Rather than focussing on a specialized area or a set of skills the designer who has the ability to expand their thinking and stretch themselves, will be on top. The T-Shaped thinker [See earlier blog] with that depth and breadth of knowledge and skills will rule the roost. The future will be kind to the curious, the observant, the life-long learners.
Collaboration and the need for the same will lead to us designers being more empathetic. Empathy will remain key, it’s a ‘trend’ that is never going away from the graphic designers’ tool box.
As we arrive in the new decade, it is obvious that 2020 was the year where we realized we needed to change; our perceptions, our normal, our attitudes. 2020 made us realize that we humans are adaptable and resilient in face of challenges, the key is to take one step at a time and embrace the challenges and opportunities alike.
