Young at Heart
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Young At Heart
At a time of severe global and demographic shifts ‘Flat Age’ marks a substantial, new era. With the global population of elderly consumers set to reach 2 billion by 2050. We are embarking on a new economy that enriches life and it’s experiences. This is a society paramount to the future. Visually captivating and aiming to inspire, the creative and unconventional trend tribe of ‘Flat-Agers’ immerse themselves in explosive colour. In the revolution of longevity this phenomenon captures women of substance who crave to live and experience. The vibrancy of clashing colours injects youth in an empowering fashion, allowing those to flourish with age. Colour is sound, it speaks, it sings, it dances and screams out loud. It screams for empowerment and recognition. It communicates a story that words cannot converse. Colour reflects a lifetime. It is a celebration of age and youth juxtaposed into an innovation of aspiration and experience. Gone are the days of calming neutrals that traditionally appeal to sophisticated sensibilities and here’s to the vivacious and highly flavoured colour palette that frames youth and enjoyment. ‘Flat-Agers’ defy and rebel age and similarly flat colours push forward into a new trend exploring exuberant bounds. Incorporating a mixture of bright and hopeful hues to authentically harvest a fresh and optimistic lifestyle. Picture, Banana Yellow, Fabricated fuchsia and slithering silver. The adoption of flat colours in contingence with layered textures uncovers pioneering elements and tones. Stimulating the senses in nostalgic notions. Going off grid to indulge in new means and utilising digital tools to enhance everyday life. They vaccinate mundane tasks into a fluid of fun and excitement. Enriching and cherishing every last moment. This is a society that thrives off being. Being constantly switched on, being present, being young at heart.
OPPOSITE: ‘Flat-Agers’ with a fruity and playful twist
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Colour Exploration
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ABOVE: Close up images of heart showing elasticity and youth collaged onto floral print
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ABOVE: Heart layered with fuchsia tones to draw out elements and textures of the organ BELOW: Flowers growing out of heart to show flourishing accompanied with bright purple hues to draw out elasticity
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ABOVE: Lungs manipulated out of flowers to represent hope and prosperity
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ABOVE: Collage of images showing colour exploration of ‘Banana Yellow’
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ABOVE: Banana coming out of skin to show the rebirth of youth collaged to create 3D effect contrasting ‘Flat-Age’
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ABOVE: Keeping to the banana yellow colour palette representing new era of life ‘Flat-Agers’ are embarking upon
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ABOVE: Further colour exploration using collage
BELOW: Keeping to ‘Banana Yellow’ colour palette incorporating wrinkled and smooth textures
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ABOVE: Fun , childish background introducing fuchsia colour palette with bold image layered on top displaying self-expression and being unafraid to stand out
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ABOVE: Introducing youthful ‘baby pink’ colour while promoting a healthy lifestyle accompanied with plugs showing how technology can form connections
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Cheeky Gran (C) Unknown Great Gran (C) Unkown The Golden Years (C) Dean Bradshaw
ABOVE: Playful twist on an original portrait using fruit to add a citrus zest
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“ONE STARTS TO GET YOUNG AT THE AGE OF SIXTY” - Pablo Picasso
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ABOVE: Buenos Aires Street Tango (C) Chigirev Portrait
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ABOVE: Colour blocking ‘Fabricated Fuchsia’ with ‘Banana Yellow’
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Textures
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ABOVE: Collage of crinkled and wrinkled textures to work in juxtaposition of ‘Flat-Age’
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ABOVE: Image showing a ‘Flat-Ager’ being constantly switched on while playing to the ‘Fabricated Fuchsia’ colour palette
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ABOVE: Connection Of Age (C) Unknown Old Meets New (C) Unknown
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ABOVE: Old photographs injected with colour to represent the new era of life ‘Flat-Agers’ have brought. Placed on a structured background to contrast ‘Flat-Agers’ going off grid from traditional stereotypes
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ABOVE: Free textures with many layers representing freedom, hope and substance
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ABOVE: Cracked Texture (C) Unknown
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ABOVE: Felted Textures (C) Unknown
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ABOVE: Colour blocking ‘Banana Yellow’ and ‘Fabricated Fuchsia’ while incorporating an elephant’s trunk to capture the texture of wrinkles
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Moodboard keeping to ‘Fabricated Fuchisa’ colour palette with flaking texture representing ‘Flat-Agers’ breaking away from social norms
ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Glistening sequins to portray the ‘Flat-Agers’ reflective and shiny personality
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Life’s A Glitch
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Life’s A Glitch
In an overwhelming world of expectations, confusion and contradictions, consumers are losing touch with reality. Constantly immersed in social media it begs the question, are we starting to exist in a virtual world? As social media continues to evolve the concept of presenting our ideal selves versus our real selves is becoming more and more prevalent. It has become an obsession. The ‘Hyper-Connectors’ are so consumed it is toxic. A venomous poison that they cannot live without. Perception is ruling supreme. Epidemiological research has shown a consistent increase in levels of depression for each succeeding generation of teenagers, correlating to the growth of excessive use of social media. ‘Hyper-Connectors’ are screaming out for help. Their chaotic brains like ticking time bombs waiting for that explosive release. Trying to escape from the bubble they’re trapped in. The eternal cycle of pressure to be perfect and recognising their selfworth is over consuming. Rapidly and repeatedly pressing the esc key, trying to back track an online search feeling inadequate and experiencing a lack of self-identification. Stumbling into a melancholic and exhibitionistic world of selfloathing and the glorification of mental health. It’s rough not smooth, it’s weakened not strong, it’s cloudy not clear. It is an addiction. Think, muted blues, obnoxious oranges and fiery reds. Think, glitches, malfunctions, echoed through their thoughts. Perplexing everyday life. Consumers need the escape that allows them to stop obsessing over other peoples perceived happiness and instead experience it for themselves. They need the fun and carelessness injecting back into their lives. They need their senses stimulated, their taste buds tantalised. They need to be present again. They need to live.
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ABOVE: Glitch representing malfunction in our brains provoking the need to escape from the constraints of social media
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Colour Exploration
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ABOVE: Muted blue tones layered with the complexity of a glitch
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ABOVE: Minimal representation of being trapped and restricted by our own perceptions
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ABOVE: Fist trying breaking through the social media bubble
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ABOVE: Image representing people using holidays as an escape but still feeling trapped by the need to stay connected online
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ABOVE: Set of images representing the overconsumption of social media
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OPPOSITE: Set of images reflecting the repetition in social media for the need to be perfect while displaying the disconnect with self-identification
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Collage introducing ‘Obnoxious Orange’ colour palette while representing self-confinement
ABOVE: Collage of a phone filled with food to represent social media taking over the enjoyment of everyday activities such as eating
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ABOVE AND BELOW: Set of powerful images to represent ‘Hyper-Connectors’ screaming out for release but not being heard
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Collage sticking to the ‘Obnoxious Orange’ colour palette while showing the toxicity of overconsumption of social media on mental health
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Collage represneting that there is no escape from social media even in natural, calm places people feel the need to share the beauty of it with their online audience not realising that they are taking away from their own experience while doing so.
OPPOSITE: Collage introducing rough, 3D textures to convey the complexity of depression and social media, while keeping to a blue colour palette
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Texture
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ABOVE AND BELOW: Set of images using glitch art to reflect the notion of repeatedly pressing esc but being faced with a malfunction message
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ABOVE: Woman smoking to represent the addictive and venomous attributes of social media with overlay of glitches to further push that they are taking over our senses
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Pushing forward the blue colour palette and communicating weakness through cracking textures and rust
OPPOSITE: Image of robot with social media magnified on it’s ‘brain’ to show how it is controlling the way our mind works
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ABOVE: Collage to introduce technological colours and weaved layers representing how mental health issues and overconsumption can be connected
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ABOVE: Showing the cracks and complexities of our brains
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Image References
Pages 14-15 Cheeky Gran (C) Unknown – https://www.askideas.com/25-most-funny-woman-pictures/ Great Gran (C) Unknown - http://webelieveinthehype.tumblr.com/post/23412374354 The Golden Years (C) Dean Bradshaw - http://www.designboom.com/art/grandparents-sporty-elderlyathletics-for-the-golden-years-dean-bradshaw-11-28-2014/ Page 18 Buenos Aires Street Tango by Chigirev Portrait - https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/482166703835647758/ Page 23 Connection of age (C) Unknown - https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/444097213226452476/ Old Meets New (C) Unknown - https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/296533956685049444/ Pages 26-27 Cracked Texture (C) Unknown - https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/428616089516779515/ Felted Textures (C) Unknown - http://pintify.net/photo/73816881365958563
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