It’s 2024 and the world of design is constantly evolving. As this new year has arrived, so will many new trends in the creative industry. They will ultimately impact how people work and create; we asked our Executive Creative Director what trends he thinks will take the industry by storm this year.
The Rise of the Solopreneur
This year will be the year of people launching their business ideas. No matter how big or small the plan may be, the desire for self-employment will increase. Already, approximately 1.57 billion people in the global workforce are solopreneurs and about 40% of them do it full-time. This process of starting the business will include things like writing your brand promise and building your brand design system. We also believe that there will be a shift in the number of creators who will become art directors. This desire to have more control over the creative process is leading individuals to take the lead more. It’s been found that the main motivation for becoming a solopreneur is the desire to have more control over their lives (34.35%), to have a greater financial reward (22.58%), and to do something they are passionate about (22.01%).
Authenticity > Artificial
While AI achieved world dominance last year, how the software is used will change drastically. The excitement of creating entirely new (but fake) worlds will finally wear off. Instead, people will use the tool as a way to enhance their very real pictures. The advancements that have been made in this type of editing are very impressive, and the shift of focus to improving real-life imagery will showcase this greatly. There will also be a larger number of images created with AI that reflect this realistic aesthetic. Creating fake cartoon-like worlds will be out and instead, there will be more and more creations in a photo-realistic style.
Back to Basics
With all the buzz around technology and its advancements, we think that people will really gravitate toward the more traditional forms of things like photography. This going back-to-basics move will incorporate the use of old-school mediums like film, polaroids, photography, etc. In fact, the search for the term “vintage” on Picsart increased by 20% in the last few months. This desire to work with and create tangible things through analog methods will make a huge comeback this year.
Playful Visuals
Bright color palettes will continue to be embraced, and assets like fun stickers and font styles will continue to be used by many. Brands will also continue to create content in this chaotic and fun style. We also see the use of stickers booming on Picsart, with 35 stickers used every second! This aesthetic helps to serve as a distraction from the slightly eerie and negative world that exists right now. So it’s no wonder why it will continue to be at the forefront of design this year.
Subculture Trends
Aesthetics are moving from trends to real subcultures. Our very own Space platform has over 500 user-generated spaces where people create and connect through various subcultures. A great example of this right now is with Afrobeats. The eclectic mix of sounds has made a splash in the US on radio stations and social media. The VMAs added an Afrobeats category this year; “Calm Down” by Rema, featuring Selena Gomez, was one of the songs of the summer. Brands looking to music for marketing might want to pay attention.
And there you have it! As we dive into 2024, it’s clear that the design world is buzzing with fresh and exciting trends This year is all about making your unique mark, so let’s get creative and make 2024 the year of design.
Empowering the Creator in Everyone
Picsart is the world’s largest digital creation platform. Its AI-powered tools give creators of all levels the ability to design, edit, draw and share photo and video content anywhere. It’s used by consumers, marketers and content creators for both personal and professional design, and is available to businesses via API partnerships and integrations. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like Discord, PopSockets, Shopify, Taylor Swift and more. Download the app or visit picsart.com.
