Designing the Future
Designing for an upcoming season, whether it’s the holidays, back-to-school, a particular sport’s season or any other season, is a little tricky and sometimes nerve-racking. The cool thing about designers, though, is that we have the power to determine how the future looks.
Figuring out what the upcoming season will look like is a combination of observing the past, then combining or modifying those ideas and concepts, given current and other forecasted trends. Back in 2008 you may have thought it was strange to see mushrooms on that back-to-school header, but in 2009, you’ve seen them everywhere; those mushrooms are hot, hot, hot! (In furniture design, too!)
Businesses spend millions — probably billions — of dollars and countless hours researching and forecasting trends. At Go East, we take that information, put it in the context of a client’s brand and let the two bounce around in our heads for awhile before creating our concepts.
The process should start as early as possible: six months to a year before the targeted season. We want an early start so that we have time to research what’s going to be “hot,” develop our concepts and have time to execute them well before they’re needed. I’ll admit that it is little strange going to work in June humming carols and dreaming of sugarplums when it’s 90 degrees outside, but it’s worth it in the end.
Remember, design is a process that takes time, sometimes more than you might think. In the meantime, take a break from the present and see what’s happening in the future at these sites:
What current trends are you crazy about? Which ones could you do without?
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