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04 Unbounded optimism
Unbounded optimism
Brands are projecting a progressive and positive outlook for 2022, encouraging playfulness and creativity.
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Pantone created a completely new color inspired by and encouraging creativity for its Color of the Year 2022. Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri, a unique blend of blues, violets and reds, “displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression,” the brand states.
British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori and Lego unveiled a colorful installation celebrating play and community. “Launderette of Dreams” was an interactive and colorful presence in East London that encouraged children to create, play, and share ideas.
Adobe Stock’s 2022 Creative Trends include “powerfully playful” themes for the year. “There is a primal need for play,” Brenda Milis, Adobe’s principal of consumer and creative insights, tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence.
“A year ago you kept hearing the word ‘resilience’ but how do you remain resilient when the pandemic is so long term and everything is so uncertain?”
In anticipation of the next year, Milis says that “brands are using playfulness and optimism—there’s an incredible consumer appetite for it. It has an underlying strength to it. There’s a sense of awe, wonder, inspiration and creativity there—it really grounds it. The playfulness really comes from longterm consumer exhaustion—needing a touch of relief, a touch of entertainment.” Paint company Dulux announced Bright Skies as its Color of the Year for 2022. The airy and refreshing shade “perfectly captures the optimism and desire for a fresh start that is the mood of the moment.”
Why it’s interesting After an unpredictable two years, 2022 is channeling a creative playfulness that symbolizes growth and freedom. Colors and design directions are solidifying this energizing spirit that will undoubtedly trickle into ads and marketing.
