Jennie’s finally here!
The birthday girl sashays in, and all eyes are on her!
She’s the “trend queen” of your crew, and tonight? She’s taking the 90s theme to a whole new level. Denim-on-denim-on-denim. Britney and Justin? Who?
Jennie’s got this uncanny ability to spot trends before they even hit.
Micro purses? She was rocking them months ago.
That burgundy coat she grabbed early? Yeah, she nailed fall fashion before anyone else.
Some people just get it—they spot what’s coming.
As a marketer, this skill is also something to master.
Being the first to jump on a trend can set your brand apart, keep you relevant, and give you a major competitive edge.
Let’s dive in and see how trendspotting for marketers can help you find and take advantage of design trends before they even become a thing.
Catching Trends From the Getgo Can Boost Your Brand
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Why chase trends in the first place?
The simple answer? It positions your brand as a trailblazer.
You’ll be like Jennie, the friend who’s always sporting the latest, coolest looks before anyone else. When a brand adopts trends early, it tells the audience, “We’re fresh, forward-thinking, and totally get what you’re into.”
Embracing trends can make your brand look innovative and aligned with what’s relevant, especially with design and technology evolving at an unprecedented pace. This move can echo with digital-savvy audiences who crave the new and now.
But here’s the catch – trends are fleeting. They’re inherently cyclical, meaning they come and go, and sometimes reappear, often in refreshed or nostalgic ways.
Banking your brand’s entire identity on a single trend is risky because, as soon as it fades, your brand can end up looking outdated.
So what do you do? It’s all about balance. Trends can be incredibly powerful in small doses, and they’re best used thoughtfully as part of a broader, more timeless strategy.
Think of trends as tools in your brand’s toolkit—worth reaching for when they support your long-term identity and goals, but not something to rely on exclusively.
So, now that we’ve covered why and how to approach trends thoughtfully, let’s dive into the big question: How do you know if a trend is worth embracing, or when it’s better to skip it?
How to Master The Art of Trendspotting for Marketers
Unlike fashion, trendspotting in design is a little tricky because the moment you see a trend everywhere, it likely means the trend is probably on the way out. So which places do you go and what do you look out for? Here are a few suggestions:
Keep Your Eyes Glued on Design Influencers and Thought Leaders
Creative influencers are great because they’re the ones who try out new styles and test wild ideas. You’ll find them testing and playing with new concepts whether it’s a new bold color or experimenting with font choices that aren’t mainstream yet.
Social design platforms like Dribbble, Behance, and even Instagram can help you catch what’s new in design.
Although not all experiments will be a hit, the idea is to capture patterns.
To find the right creative influencers for spotting trends, keep an eye on these types of creatives. Their work can reveal fresh styles, color schemes, and techniques that might soon be shaping the visual language of branding and marketing:
Brand Designers Rethinking Logos and Layouts
Look for brand designers who are experimenting with new concepts, layouts, and branding elements. They often pave the way for design trends by introducing colors, shapes, and compositions that feel fresh and innovative.
Are they favoring minimalist looks, bold candy colors, or geometric patterns? These choices can signal where visual preferences are heading and whether elements like clean lines or vibrant colors might catch on in the coming months. Watching brand designers can help you spot these patterns early and decide if they’re worth incorporating into your own campaigns.
Digital Artists Embracing Surrealism or Unique Styles
Digital artists pushing boundaries with surreal or hyper-realistic artwork are worth following, as even big brands are drawn to quirky, standout visuals. Pay close attention to how they use textures, colors, and digital effects to evoke emotions or tell a story.
As brands increasingly lean toward authentic, artistic content, these artists can offer insights into textures, layers, and color palettes that feel novel and engaging.
Illustrators and Graphic Designers with a Fresh Perspective
Illustrators and graphic designers often drive trends in visual storytelling through hand-drawn elements, unique typography, or narrative-focused visuals.
Keep an eye on those who are reviving vintage styles, experimenting with mixed media, or bringing back classic trends with a twist. Trends in illustration, like hand-drawn logos or story-based visuals, tend to ebb and flow, but knowing when they’re gaining popularity again can help you decide if these elements could make your brand feel more relatable or nostalgic.
Motion Graphic Artists Innovating with Animation and Interactive Content
Animation and interactive design have exploded in recent years, thanks to social media and advanced digital capabilities. Motion graphic artists experimenting with subtle animations, kinetic typography, or interactive content can inspire you to add dynamic elements to your brand’s visual identity.
By tracking these types of creatives, you’ll have a better sense of which design trends are on the rise and how they might serve your brand’s unique identity. Keep in mind that while trends can add a fresh touch to your brand, it’s important to adapt them in a way that feels genuine and relevant to your overall strategy.
Join Industry Events and Virtual Conferences
One of the best trend incubators is design conferences. It’s here where you’ll find some of the most brilliant developers, designers, and other creative minds test-driving their freshest ideas. Make it a point to join events like the AIGA Design Conference, Design Thinkers, or Adobe MAX. If showing up in person isn’t possible, go for virtual options instead.
Adobe Max is especially a good source for upcoming trends. They were one of the first to show off new AI design tools that could change the feel and look of a brand’s creative assets. Think interactive layouts, unique dynamic design, and AI-generated images.
Catching trends at these events not only puts you ahead of the pack, it also helps you understand the why behind the changes.
Steal From Other Trendy Industries
Certain industries spearhead trends sooner than the marketing world. So, keeping these industries on your radar is also important if you’re trying to spot design trends.
Fashion is one industry to watch out for. Look into how they experiment with color and what overall design aesthetic they’re highlighting. Is it retro-futuristic? Are they embracing pastels, muted reds, or lively neons?
Tech and entertainment brands are also industries to keep an eye on. Are they going for sleek designs, oversized typography, or maybe leaning toward maximalist looks?
Trendspotting in these three industries often trickles down into branding and marketing. Even if you don’t adopt the trend exactly, finding inspiration and adapting it to your field can inject a fresh touch into your brand.
Adopting Trends Without Losing Your Brand’s Style
Once you’ve spotted a possible trend you want to embrace for your brand, there’s one question you need to ask – is it right for your brand? Here are some things to keep in mind before diving in:
Stay True To Your Brand Style
Not every trend you spot or embrace will be good for your brand. Let’s say your brand promotes a peaceful, mindfulness product, you really don’t want to randomly slap on neon colors and busy layouts on your campaigns. It’s going to throw off your audience. Always think about how you can embrace elements of the trend without overpowering or distracting from your identity.
Apple is always known for its minimalist, clean style but they have managed to embrace bright, unexpected colors in their products and ads without straying too far from their core.
Inject Your Own Twist
Don’t be afraid to handpick parts of the trend instead of embracing it as a whole. Make the trend or the elements personal to who you are. Make sure to add a twist by infusing it with your brand personality.
For example, if you want to embrace a gradient trend, then try and see what it looks like in your brand colors first. Play with it and get creative without losing who you are.
Start Small and Test It Out
Starting small, testing on a smaller scale like embracing it on your social media graphics or maybe email header can be a good way of seeing how your audience will react. Think of this as a “soft launch” and base your next steps on the response.
A/B testing a design is another way to embrace a new trend. For instance, you want to embrace organic shapes, create one design asset incorporating them, and then create one without it and see which one fares better. The data won’t lie and it can guide how far you can embrace the trend.
Know When To Say Goodbye To a Trend
Trends may be fun. Spotting and starting ones are also exciting. But, these things have a shelf life and you need to know when their time is up. (You can’t keep wearing those leopard prints forever!) Here are key things to know when it’s time to show a trend the door:
You See It Everywhere
Once you spot the trend plastered everywhere, it’s probably reached its ceiling. This is the moment when a unique design element starts to feel generic. Those geometric sans-serif fonts once looked amazing, but after a while, it’s hard not to roll your eyes when you see yet another brand using them.
Audiences will also start tuning out as it signals that the brand is “outdated” or doesn’t really care to win new audiences.
Hit The Refresh Button
It’s never advisable to build a brand style around a single trend, let alone if that trend is slowly going out of style! But don’t panic just yet if in case you did, you can “refresh” the trend without completely ditching it or overhauling your entire brand visuals.
For example, if you’ve leaned into the big bold typography trend and your audience has associated you with it, try freshening it up by adding colors or a unique textured background. You can also get creative by blending it with fresh trends that match your brand.
Brands That Mastered Trendspotting
1. Glossier and the Minimalist Typography Trend
Glossier hopped onto minimalist typography with its clean, pared-down products and designs long before it was popular in their industry. They owned that look, and it quickly became synonymous with their brand. Now, everyone from banks to beverage companies is using it, but Glossier still feels like the original.
2. Spotify’s Bold Gradient Revival
Spotify took the trend of vibrant gradients and spun it into a nostalgic, yet fresh look. Their pastel gradients in ads felt like the ‘80s and ‘90s but in a modern, digital way. Other brands followed, but Spotify’s early adoption and personalized take made them the standout.
Wrapping Up
Spotting and adapting trends doesn’t have to feel like a frantic race. It’s more like a treasure hunt—keep an eye out, play around with what you find, and most importantly, have fun making trends of your own.
With a little confidence and creativity, your brand can set the pace instead of trying to keep up. And who knows? Maybe the next trend people are buzzing about is one you started.
—–
Ready for a refresh? Amp up your brand design by working with Nicole Steffen Design. Schedule a 30-minute call today and let’s elevate your brand to a whole new level!
