Visual Trends Guide for 2017

DepositPhotos.com - a stock photo site - have released their guesses / speculation / informed opinion about what the future trends for 2017 will be.

It is quite an interesting read. It is not complete speculation, but is based on the trends that they are seeing in their own sales data - so a genuinely informed opinion.

The children of the 90s have become a major target audience for brands and the use of social media has aided in helping them become brand ambassadors. This generation has started their families, launched businesses, created a culture of awareness and are educated; they are driving consumer demand and their purchasing power continues to increase. This means that 90s nostalgia will remain on trend in visual communications; it is another step towards more sincere, candid and close-to-life images. Polaroid-like snapshots, flash photos and a bold, colorful style will all emerge from this trend. Film filters associated with the 90s add a personal touch to photographs, delivering a storytelling effect that digital photos often lack.

So it looks like "hipsterism" is here to stay for a little while longer. This retro appeal has been running for several years now, personally I would really like us to move on. It seemed faddish when it started and seems even more so now. I think I first wrote about the "emerging" trend in 2010!

Emotions and movement

When everyone is somewhat of a photographer, the demand for original, candid and authentic images continues to grow. Highly visual consumers don't react the same way to polished photos with posed models; they want emotions, flaws, the grit of life, and real people in action. Relatable photos that personalize a story and capture a moment (like a Snapchat story) continue to trend heavily, these visuals have the power to catch attention and keep the consumer engaged.

Now this is something I can get on board with. Emotions are vital in (almost) any image and in particular the commercial arena. It is time that we broke the "smile into camera" look and developed something a little more sophisticated. The new style for candid imagery - which may be as fake as they come - is a way of trying to break that "posed" look.

The report continues and highlights the following themes: