Getty Images has released their visual trends report, Creative in Focus, outlining 6 trends for photography and images that “will define 2017.” Providing insight into the future of photography, the report comes complete with essays and profiles of emerging talent and is a must-read for every photographer and visual communicator.
The data-driven predictions define next year’s creative trends based on research that Getty Images is able to garner from, among other things, the roughly one billion image searches they get on their site per year. The research into what visual trends will shape visual communication reveals a dynamic marketing landscape that strives to separate “genuine trends from passing fads.”
Here are Getty’s visual trends predictions for 2017:
Virtuality
According to Getty’s report, the virtuality trend got its start in the first person story-telling experience of Instagram and Snapchat. The idea was to give users “the ability to experience life in someone else’s shoes.” With the development of VR and 360°, this virtuality trend goes even farther, allowing viewers to go beyond being passive spectators, to fully interacting in and creating their own virtual experiences, making that experience their own.
Color Surge
Shifting away from the vintage and faded photo filters so popular in the early days of Instagram, image makers are trending more towards bold, unconventional color combinations. According to the report, “unusual color combinations can immediately ignite interest and excitement in a campaign.” Image makers looking to make a lasting impact should be willing to play with strong color combinations, “whether they are overwhelmingly beautiful or exquisitely ugly,” the report explains that it has the potential to make a more powerful impact.
Unfiltered
A move toward a documentary aesthetic is more appealing to discerning millennials, who according to the trends report, “make up a quarter of the population and represent $200 billion in annual buying power.” This move towards raw, “less glossy” marketing is a reflection of a turbulent time in history marked by youth protest and the rise of the “activist consumer,” who aligns him/herself with brands that reflect their own values.
Gritty Woman
Media has begun to retire the archetype of the “passive seductress” and instead is celebrating and identifying women as strong, “gritty,” “ferocious” and “unstoppable.” The new messages we are seeing in ad campaigns (even for traditionally feminine industries) showcase women who aren’t afraid to have muscle, bleed, and as the report quotes, ‘live fearless’ to achieve athletic goals like true warriors.
Global Neighborhood
According to the report, “As of January 2016, a record 2.3 billion people are active social media users (that’s 31% of the world’s population).” What that translates to is that we have access to share ideas and inspiration with our global network more than ever before. This creates a dynamic, multicultural market demographic with consumers who might live, for example, in the U.S., but take fashion or style tips from a YouTuber in Brazil. The visual trend should speak to this global and “borderless” consumer, without making assumptions that their location defines who they are.
New Naivety
The move here is away from “overly curated,” to “real,” “raw” and even “funny.” In a media world where interactions occur over spontaneous apps like Instagram and Tumblr, consumers don’t want to be bothered with overly cultivated personas. These apps have used a “natural, fun and loose approach,” which is where ad campaigns are heading, too. While this approach may not always be “on brand,” it will be relatable to the way people are currently expressing themselves on their own social platforms.
According to Getty, when it comes to these visual trends predictions, “it’s not magic – it’s data.” Getty explains that the trends don’t live independently from one another but rather inform one another and are often an evolution of the same trends year to year. It will certainly be interesting to see how we continue to consume and create images in the coming year, and what new trends will reveal themselves.
