In this week’s episode we discuss design trends. It can often feel like design trends are changing constantly, making it pretty hard to keep up. After all, how do you keep your work feeling current and original, all while standing out against all the noise happening in your industry?
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Show Notes for This Episode:
[1:00] This week we talk about design trends and how quickly they change
[1:45] How quickly the trends on typefaces change
[2:20] The trends are changing faster than they used to
[2:50] Some trends are changing every month and you can’t ignore the trends
[3:30] Your website will feel outdated after 6 months
[4:10] It can be exhausting to keep up with the changing trends
[4:50] The feeling that you are failing if you don’t create something that is on trend
[5:50] How changing trends impact on consumer habits
[6:40] Detergents using brush scripts on their packaging
[7:20] Trends change quicker in the design industry
[8:15] Designers predicting future trends
[9:00] Witnessing a big spike in engagement when you redesign to keep up with the trends
[9:40] The base trends that keep consistent and last longer
[10:30] The watercolor trend is getting darker
[11:10] Pursue the base trend but don’t sacrifice your personality and your style to keep up with the changing trends
[12:10] Ian’s example of men wearing skinny jeans and getting mixed feedback
[13:00] Pick and choose trends that work for your skill set and style
[13:30] There’s a hierarchy of trends, and some trends are safer than others
[14:30] The excitement that comes with working on redesigning to keep up with trends
[15:40] Tom mentions the redesign of the Design Cuts website
[16:20] Dustin’s analogy of the different styles of the 90s bands
[17:20] The benefits of doing retro design and not having to keep up with the trends
[18:00] The slow changing trend in rap music
[18:30] The flat design trend picking up in the blink of an eye
[19:30] The mixed feeling you get when a new trend comes out
[20:20] Would people get tired of a trend that wasn’t over used?
[21:15] The everlasting Helvetica trend
[22:00] The risk on jumping on a trend that’s about to fade out
[22:40] Use only parts of the trend that work for you
[23:40] How Design Cuts is not affected by the changes in the design landscape
[24:10] Adapting the changes in the consumer market
[25:00] Dustin changing the company name to ‘Trends Supply’ and always being on trend
[25:50] The hosts weigh in on designers that constantly change their style according to trends
[27:00] Sticking with your style is more sustainable than chasing trends
[27:30] Out of all hosts, Ian’s work is the most affected by the changing trends
[28:30] Is hand lettering the bitcoin of design trends?
[29:10] Find a style that really stands out
[30:30] Even non-designers are jumping on the hand lettering trend
[31:20] The people in the long tail of hand lettering will be the first ones to go
[31:50] There’s always been hand lettering
[32:30] The evolution of sign painting
[33:00] The overall trend will last, while the smaller trends linked to it will come and go
[34:00] Adapting the trend and the style to the project needs
[35:00] Using trends only in parts of the project to make it more current
[35:50] Ian’s example of Harrods in London keeping their classic and sophisticated style
[36:30] In opposition, Nike is finding the new trends and applying these to their promotions
[37:30] When you need to push back and explain to a client that a trend won’t work for them
[38:30] Dustin’s example of Coca Cola being a solid brand and being able to follow trends while keeping their personality
[39:20] Coca Cola kept its classic logo but added changes to their external marketing
[40:10] Saul Bass’ recognizable style
[41:40] Please check the amazing work Lisa’s doing with her daily drawing challenge over at @5minutedrawing
[42:50] Try a side project where you can experiment with new trends
[43:40] Jon Contino’s vintage lettering style
[44:20] Find a client that constantly changes their style
[45:00] The hosts have a debate on how to correctly pronounce Nike and Adidas
[45:30] Design Cuts plans to create videos to highlight your daily challenges
[46:50] The host love seeing your work and the daily improvement
[47:40] You can now watch the Honest Designers show over at www.youtube.com/designcuts
[48:30] Thank you all for listening to this week’s episode
“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!” – AG_GD
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