Trend Alert 2018

from Confetti Fair Party Trends Guide 2018

Party Trend Alert 2018

What are the biggest party trends of 2018? We did a little research to see what ideas, themes and colours would permeate across your soirées this year. Here's what we found during our discovery.

LIVING IN COLOUR

Our one main prediction of colour is that it will be dramatic, rich and bold. Whether moody or bright, subtle is out and it’s here to make a statement.

PURPLES, MAUVES AND LILACS

Pantone recently announced Ultra Violet (a striking shade of purple) as their colour of the year. This seems to be a huge departure from the earthy Greenery of 2017, but not so much. Nature still abounds. The colour reminds us of grapes and pretty lilacs and is definitely evocative of the space and geode themes that have been bubbling around for a few years (which we're told are on the cusp of exploding). We are heavily reminded of the deep sea, and lush mermaids - a theme that might just take over unicorns!

MOODY HUES

We’ve been seeing a lot of dark, rich romantic themed weddings recently, with perfectly styled twilight set-ups softened by candlelight. I think this will start to trickle down to other parties. Indeed, if we look at the rise of darker coloured cakes, the connection is obvious.

BIG AND BOLD

Another colour prediction is one of big, bright and loud colours (a phenomenon attributed to the rise of 80’s and 90’s patterns). Whether primary or neon, these colours are in your face and hard to miss.

COLOURFUL FONTS

Fonts are about to get more colourful and playful too, with some new graphic design developments allowing for fonts to be easily designed with gradients, patterns and multiple colours. This will definitely influence signage and party stationery.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG PARTY

Finally, we just want to touch on neon. We're already seeing a lot of neon come through in wedding party signage, it's only a matter of time before it becomes popular across all parties and neon type colours start being used in parties too - another 80's throwback.

SCHEMES AND THEMES

These two elements are together because both frame the direction of a party. However, a theme is based around an animal, an idea or movie, rather than a design element or colour.

FUNKY FAUNA

In terms of popular animals, we've heard from some crafting circles (where they tend to keep a close eye on fabric and stationery trends) that llamas, sloths and pandas will be top of the list. In the avian world, hummingbirds and pelicans seem to be gaining ground.

EXOTIC FLORA

Tropical will still linger, but the flowers will be more exotic and also appear with exotic birds (bye bye flamingo?) At Confetti HQ we would love to see some more birds of paradise here!

GO RETRO

In line with the bold colour schemes, 80’s and 90’s patterns will also be very popular.

THE NEW WOODLAND

With the popularity of unicorns and woodland themes, it may only be a matter of time before we see more magical enchanted forest themes, mythical elves, nymphs and wizards.

MAIN METALLICS

Despite their demise being predicted annually, we are not ready to let go of these yet. Rose gold is still in vogue, but it might be time to make way for the less popular tones such as yellowy brass, greyish pewter and silver.

TO THE CINEMA

Looking to the movies, Dr Seuss, Peter Rabbit and the recently released Paddington Bear will all have an influence. From Disney, we’ll also see Gigantic, a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, Toy Story and Captain Marvel.

AND THE REST

After having a look at what's bubbling up on Instagram, it looks like we'll l also be seeing lots of Mexican fiestas, Frida Kahlo, dinosaurs and fairies.

IT AIN’T A PARTY WITHOUT CAKE

DESSERTS FOR ALL

The biggest dessert (and party) trend to reach its climax this year will be the vegan, gluten-free and paleo cakes. Creators will love the challenge of creating new flavours and textures whilst paying attention to the dietary requirements of guests.

FRUITY AND PRETTY

As an extension of the vegan cake, and a slant toward health, Instagram seems to be awash in fruit covered cakes, typically with the added embellishment of flowers and other tasty treats. This trend is exploding right now, thanks to the number cookie cakes of Adi Klinghofer (@adikosh123). Given the we are also in a 80’s/90’s revival phase, could we soon be seeing the return of the humble fruit flan to dessert tables?

HELLO, RUBY!

Whilst it hasn't made a huge explosion yet, we've seen a lot about Ruby Chocolate. What’s so special about it? Well, its naturally pink and tastes of cocoa and berries! It's set to hit retail later this year.

**Donut wall by Coastal Living Cronulla**

CREATIVE DISPLAYS

Donuts will continue to stay popular, as have macarons and cupcakes before them, but what will change is that we'll be really pushing the envelope in display, as was seen with the origin of the donut wall. We'll be exploring DIY shelving, hooks and more (yay for more trips to Bunnings)!

3D AND ART

It addition to 3D effects created with layers of fondant and freehand cutting, we’ll also see 3D printing and architectural styles on cakes. Shards, essentially 3D brush strokes, will also be around, making for spectacular works of art that are unique and gravity defying. Classical art will also have an influence.

DO MORE WITH DECOR

It would be silly to assume that trends tidily go away year in and year out. We are still on a greenery wave, and this, along with the hoop backdrop trend of 2017 will pave the way for a something in 2018...

ENTER THE WREATH!

No longer just for Christmas, we’ll be seeing wreaths made of florals, foliage, paper, foam and you name it! They’ll come in all shapes and sizes, not just circles, and they’ll be embellished with balloons, streamers and even laser cut and neon signs.

NO TO OPACITY

Transparent and translucent items will also be huge. We’ve seen ghost chairs, but this will expand into crystalline platters, cutlery and tables. It's already being used in signage and it looks amazing. Translucence won't stop there - pink, black and lots of other clear coloured plastics will captivate us too.

SHINY IS STILL HANGING AROUND

Metallics are still reigning supreme. With the recent release of chrome balloons by Qualatex, it doesn't look like the trend will be dying anytime soon. The metallic obsession will also see the iridescent and holographic material trends reach a zenith too.

DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF WITH PAPER

A move away from paper decor is on the cards. Fringing, feathers, yarn tassels and laser cut acrylic props, can work overtime and be reused as interior items as well as for subsequent parties, whilst helping the environment.

FLOOR TO CEILING

It's forecast that we'll be making much more use of our surroundings including the ceilings, You can expect balloon art to continue to span the roofs (or reach them) and hanging gardens with floral art taking up all 3 planes of height, width and length!

SETTING THE SCENE

Let’s not forget invitations. Typography, geometry and abstract will still be popular, with a definite leaning towards cute Kawaii style illustrations or minimal, mid-century modern (think vintage travel posters). Foiling will give way to the other old printing arts such as blind embossing.

Do you agree with our 2018 trend predictions? Give us a shout on social, we'd love to hear from you! See the last page to check out the Trends 2018 social challenge.