when to use trends - an opinionated guide
they're always encroaching so when should you use 'em?
If your design education was anything like mine - it's been programmed into our brains that were supposed to avoid trends like the plague.
It's taught to us time and time again in our education, and then reinforced everywhere we turn our heads. The people we admire echo this need to avoid trends, and even go as far to explain that responsible and modern designer's don't give into these seductive little fads - that are here one day, and gone the next.
Their work touches the largest, and most prolific brands and if you aspire to even stand in the shadows of these great designers, you need to make work that will withstand the test of time.
The shame of using trends has become something every designer has either felt, or has at least been exposed too.
The quotes above are from names you probably notice, and if not you've certainly seen their work.
But - in today's day and age… not everything we make is meant to be timeless, and in some cases the things we create only have a shelf life of a few weeks.
Now as I openly write a blog that contrasts these legendary behemoths of design and marketing, that I have broken my neck to look up to - my thought is a simple one:
When appropriate - why not create work using trends, if our informed guess is that the trend will outlast the shelf life of the asset?
Introducing: The Creative Expiration Date Timeline
A timeline that shows the rough life expectancy of creative.
This timeline isn't an excuse to use trends anywhere you see fit, or in an uninformed way. Trend hopping from one to the other in a thoughtlessly is a great way to diminish your brands presence and dilute your overall identity. But - if a trend does lend itself well to your product or effort - and is set to expire in 1, 2 or even 3 years why not use it?
We see this sentiment in highly competitive spaces such as technology or beverages - that seemingly need to scream new, new, new as loudly as possible.
Below is a collection of trendy work from companies that you'll notice.
And a lot of this stuff is honestly quite fun and charming.
iPad Air
The silhouette of the apple mark itself has been around since 1977. And has gone through five color or material iterations until returning to the 1998 look that we know today.
Their products on the other hand are not set to last quite as long as the brand itself.
