I tend to liken design to fashion. The trends always change as such with preferred illustrations, ads, and even fonts. There are identifiable areas like Art Nouveau (my favorite), Bauhaus, the font Helvetica (designers would get a kick out of that…watch the movie kids), etc. Realizing this, it’s good to keep up with the trends.
Companies refresh their logos, start new ad campaigns, and try to keep up to date to maintain an image for the customer. Marketing is a form of manipulation. You want the consumer to think and feel a certain way when you see things. Right now for teen movies, a popular illustration style is the “sketchy school” drawings that can be found on movie cases like Juno and Napoleon Dynamite. So when a client asks you for certain styles, you need to make sure you know the trends!
Right now for the older generation, there are insurance companies marketing themselves as hip and full of energy. This is a direct reflection of how the masses feel or want to feel about themselves. People seek out products that they feel represent themselves or their interests best. They have snazzy, bright colors flashing across the screen while energetic music from the 60’s plays and tries to level with the consumer about know how they feel and what they need. Keep in mind this is a corporation. Corporations aren’t a person. They don’t think, feel, or know you. They are simply a mass of bodies working under one generalized idea for making money. The idea is to make these places seem more friendly and less intimidating. They hand out brochures with smiling teens of different ethnicities (so it can relate to anyone reading it). It seems friendly, but also clean, business-like, and no nonsense. This is the trend for the companies now. But who knows where it will turn in the future?
Graphic design magazines such as Print, How, Graphic Design USA, Communication Arts, CMYK Magazine, and ID Magazine offer some gorgeous pieces of design work done in a rainbow of styles. As a student, you may want to consider in investing in one of these subscriptions. They tend to be on the pricey side, but you have an advantage as a student. Usually extreme discounts are given if you can prove that you are currently enrolled in a school. This will get you in the habit of keeping up with market trends and seeing what others are producing (ie. your competition)! If you are enrolled this fall in college, inquire with one of your instructors about obtaining the magazines. Sometimes the school sends a mass of student subscriptions in at once and all you need to do is write that check.
Keep in mind that the more creative resources you have, the better you can keep up in the market.
