Global Design Futures: Focus

The five key trends I will be focusing on come under the umbrella of Retail design. They are:-

1. Experience Design trends: Some areas worth observing are the rise of pop-ups, the slow living culture and creating multi-sensorial brand experiences.
2. Consumer Lifestyle trends
3. Package Design trends: Some key areas to observe are Synesthesia and Materials.
4. Graphic Design trends: Some key areas to observe are Colours, typography and Photography.
5. E-Commerce//Digital trends: Some key areas to observe are use of chatbots, Biometric retail, AR/VR/MR technologies.

In order to keep track of upcoming trends in the above mentioned categories, I will be mapping my evidence by maintaining a weekly trend journal (Research by Design). The trend forecasting (Research Into Design) websites I will be closely following are

1. Coolhunting
2. Dezeen
3. Gizmodo
4. Google Hot Trends
5. JapanConsuming
6. JWT Intelligence
7. PSFK
8. The Cool Hunter
9. The Next Big Thing
10. Trend Hunter
11. Trendland
12. WGSN
13. WGSN Insider
14. The Dieline
15. David Report
16. Trenburo
17. Trendwatching
18. Josh Spear

Over a period of 8 weeks I hope to achieve the following objectives:

1. Identify trend clusters
2. Identify and analyse the following groups:

• Trend Innovators
• Trend Drivers
• Trend Impact
• Trend Consequences
• Trend Futures

3. Conduct Interviews with Futurologists and Trend Forecasting Experts in the retail industry.