Thinkubate Design Trends 2014 Report

THINKUBATE PUBLISHING TEAM Co-Author, Editor/Özlem Tuskan Researcher, Author/Benjamin Buist Contributing Researcher/Burçak Önen Design/Elif Ergür

© BrandSeers, Published December 2013

ABOUT THIS REPORT

Design, Art, Crafts AND Creativity are channels through which we can identify where society is coming from and or where it is moving. By being involved, seeing, not just looking, by analyzing the world around us we can anticipate the trends that will see us into the next year and beyond. In this Thinkubate report we bring to you our observations on what we think will be the key six design trends that will emerge in 2014.

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Macro trends alone however do not give us the deep dive into the complexity of change we are experiencing. For this reason we have decide to concentrate in this report on micro trends.

This report is the result and culmination of the Thinkubate insight teams immersion in every project BrandSeers conducts and ongoing trend analysis of brand, consumer behaviour and design. Through qualitative, primary and secondary desk research, our team has experienced many sectors in 2013 including Design (Brand, product, industrial), Architecture, Technology, Health and Wellness, Retail, E-Commerce, Energy, Media and Academia. It is with this foundation with which we make our observations.

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TREND NO.1

Craft as the deconstruction of tradition

Richard Brendon Meets Patternity Collection

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The rise and rise of connected societies and attention grabbing devices is no new news. Our senses have never been so overloaded. The appetite for and resistance of change never so paradoxical. Whilst we embrace tomorrow, we fear how we will capture the digital life of the present? How we will recall our traditions? We are questioning who we really are, exploring our past and trying to understand what it means for our future. Traditional craft from processes to materials are being broken down into singular aspects.

Objects offer new traditions. There is a true democratization of object. Where craft is formerly seen as tradition itself, today we see craft as the breaking down of traditions to create new traditions.

There are many examples of this trend - one very good example we have seen are Delft colours being used with contemporary patterns to 1960s geometric shapes on surfaces from cushions, rugs to stools.

Flux Stoke-On-Trent

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Origami Lamps by Foldability

Stone Angels Wallpaper by Mineheart

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King Edison Chandelier Bulb by Mineheart

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28.280 by Omer Arbel

Crystal Chandelier by Lee Broom

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Portuguese Roots Chair by Around the Tree

TREND NO.2

RE-BOOTING THE SENSES

EPFL+ECAL Lab Lazy Bones Remote Control

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We are nurturing a need to remember the connection to ourselves, and the wider world around us. We have been surrounding ourselves with man-made materials and technology, increasingly losing our connection with nature as a result. Design is stepping in to fill the void. We are seeing raw natural materials being accentuated in our everyday objects in order to bring nature back into our lives. Technology is advancing so that we can do this - sensors can now make materials communicate in a way they couldn’t before. Art, nature, material and design are being used to reconnect us with our natural world, to our essence. Returning to the basics of natural sensuality means we are redeveloping the basics of our senses.

Blooming Branches

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Dewar Glassware by David-Derksen

Crack Vase by Jacky Wu

Orée Wooden Keyboard

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Bio Mass Lights by Jay Watson

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Vase by Utopia & Utility

Natural Speakers by Ada Teicu

Ripple by Poetic Lab

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Saji Chair by Laura Kishimoto

TREND NO.3

Provenance provides narrative

Cherchbi British Leather Goods

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No longer can you just make a product and put it out to the world without a narrative. The provenance of the products we consume and surround ourselves with is ever more important.

We care about how, where and why something was made. We care about the economic and social implications of our consumption. A more astute and aware society is breathing life into the very values of business.

We can see this through the prominence of the ‘made in’ label. The communications of designers, narrative of brand is leaning on the foundations for the design, often intrinsically the designer’s own stories. This authentic narrative is giving weight to the piece and added value to the work and the brand. The warning here is that we are also seeing a commodification of narrative, inflation of story for story sake. This is a dangerous path to take as the consumer can instantly tell the authentic from the fake.

Imperfect Stool by Galvin Brothers

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Endless Stair, American Hardwood

Liam Treanor

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Coral Light by David Trubridge

Melanie Porter

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Violeta Galan Straw Marquetry

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The Macallan Whisky

Wire Mesh Furniture Collection by Bowles & Bowles

TREND NO.4

Power of play

Moustache Mug by Peter Ibruegger

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It is now more important than ever to foster creativity wherever and however we can. We are seeing play being used more in all environments. Play is used to put people in a relaxed state of mind almost to regress them to an innocence more often forgotten. We see this happening as a reaction to our content full minds and ever attention seeking devices.

This trend materialises itself not alone but perfectly within product design, such as the swing chair tables. Spatial design of offices is becoming more and more childlike. Colour and form are being employed as techniques to trigger the mental states that are most required for creativity.

Sensory Sky by Sieger Design for Dornbracht

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Swing Table by Duffy

Soda Stream Play by Yves Behar

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Peppermill by Yormii

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Venus of Cupertino by Scott Eaton

Sound Pegs by Nick Brennan

The Flying Skirt by Patrick Laing

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Upholstered Milk Stools by Jane Crisp

Starry Light Lamp by Anagraphic

TREND NO.5

The Morphing of Science and Design 48

There is a shift happening – an increasing need of cross-disciplinary understanding. Scientists need to understand principals of creativity and design, and vise versa for designers.

These ‘designtists’, futurologists are creating new ideas and new paths for both disciplines - respectively changing the technical and theoretical avenues of design and science.

We are seeing the general hobbyist come designer, using their love of the cosmos to inspire their designs on an aesthetic level, to patterns and prints coming straight from cellular structure.

The designer is going deeper into the research and applying what they see and learn from the laboratory to our everyday objects.

Lookoon

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Growing Flowerpot by Join & Create

Hue LED Lighting System by Phillips

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TREND NO.6

Designers as manufacturers

Shotton’s Kickstarter video

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We are seeing a rise of the unknown brands, designers, who have been enabled by the Internet, sites such as Kickstarter, technology such as iZettle.

By selling direct online, designers are able to bypass the corporation that would have once owned them. To be a freelance designer is now to be an entrepreneur. 2014 is begging to be a landscape of this niche. As they start to sell direct, cutting out the retailer they start to see a large shift in their returns, motivating them even further.

With consumers seeking authenticity, transparency a designer’s personal story is one that provides this added value.

The designer concentration on one product or a small collection of products creates perception of skill and expertise associated with quality. Retailers will need to take the rise of these vertical brands seriously into consideration.

Duffy London Online Shop

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iZettle Payment Systems

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Playn Eyewear Showbox

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