What We Learned From Shutterstock’s 2019 Creative Trends Report

Why we’re all in on performance branding – and how it can transform your growth.

What We Learned From Shutterstock’s 2019 Creative Trends Report

Bryan Karas

January 24, 2019

This isn’t 2010 anymore so you’re probably trying really hard to stay away from stock photography. But regardless of how you feel about stock photography, Shutterstock’s 2019 Creative Trends report provides real insights into what’s hot and it’s a gem of a find for any marketer.

Shutterstock gathered data on billions of image, video and music searches and downloads to guide us to the latest creative styles. Hipsters beware because out of the three “major” trends pulled out of the data there is one common trait – retro themes…

“Bright colors, cartoon faces, and ostentatious animal patterns show a vibrant undercurrent in this year’s trends. It’s a treasure trove of distractions, playful reflections of our own audacious individualism. Echoes of past trends – leopard print, gold scroll frames, neon signs – remind us just how loud and lively design can be.”

Zine culture topped the list with the search term “contemporary art collage” increasing by 1,376%.

Next was 80’s Opulence (a combination of gold chains, animal prints and attitude – think Versace) and Yesterday’s Tomorrow (glowing neon, light grid landscapes, buzzing synthesizers).

As marketers, it’s our job to stay on top of current trends. So how do we do that?

Set up Google Alerts on search terms and influencers in your industry.
Leverage your team by creating a Slack channel for interesting content.
Keep an eye out on your competitors. What sort of content are they creating?
Talk to your customers. Send them surveys asking them what sort of content or products they want.
Research information outside of your general area of expertise by reading news from Europe or Asia, etc – or by visiting sites for skaters or hip hop artists.
Get the heck out of the office and people watch in the areas of your target market. What are people wearing? What are they buying? How are they acting?

Keeping up with current trends has tons of benefits for marketers. It can dictate what sort of content you need to be creating, provides opportunities for “hackvertising” and gives you insights into what you should be doing next.

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