With each new year comes much speculation about the future. Will we survive the political divide in the US? Will glaciers melt? Will Nick on The Bachelor finally find true love? For many of us designers, we often think about what’s next. We are curious about what trends will drive how people work and consume, as this affects the types of spaces that the A&D community creates. How will the design industry be affected by cultural shifts and changes in societal attitudes and behaviors? And what will everything look like?
Luckily, if you pay attention to what’s happening in the world, it is possible to see the near future. And if you’re good at understanding the context of why things happen the way they do, then many of today’s design trends should come as no surprise. However, we know that you are all busy designing fantastic spaces and watching the Bachelor, so here are some thoughts about 2017/2018 and what is happening in our world of design:
The Return to Tactility
We have shifted from one era to another, and now live in the Digital Age. We communicate with each other through glass screens on our computers, tablets, and smart phones. As our bodies morph through evolution, our thumbs will get longer and our eyes bigger. However, many people are lamenting this shift and are craving the primal creature comforts that are wired into our DNA. Touch is one of our main senses, and we may be losing our humanity because we are now always touching glossy flat surfaces. The antidote? Extreme texture. We are seeing this expressed in many ways: chunky knits, materials with deep surface relief, the prominence of textiles and fiber, and even the resurgence of beards and man buns. Feeling overwhelmed by technology? Walk barefoot on some grass. Or pet a fuzzy dog. Or put on your favorite cable knit sweater. These types of things help combat digital overload and provide a natural way to feel human again.
Sensory Experience
Related to the influx of technology is the rise of the sensory experience in the built environment. With 24/7 streaming commonplace, and our collective attention spans shrinking with distraction in the palm of our hand, physical space needs to up its game. As such, the A&D community now must integrate interactive spaces that compete with our digital devices. And so we will need consultants to help with lighting and sound effects, and we need manufacturers to create building materials that delight and engage the senses. Minimal white glossy spaces that represented the future a decade ago will now be replaced with elements that speak to sight, touch, sound, and smell – and most importantly, emotion. People want to connect to where they are, or we will lose them to the internet.
Authenticity
So how do we connect with people on an emotional level and bring them out of the cloud? The biggest buzzword today is authenticity, and there’s a good reason. Authenticity is about reclaiming what is genuine, dependable, and honest. It’s the difference between Grandma’s homemade apple pie and a Twinkie. People connect with authentic goods and experiences, as it favors the real over the fake. Since our world has been overrun with cheaply manufactured goods made in overseas factories, as well as the influx of digital life, many people are craving a more honest and slower approach to life. Hence the popularity of Farm to Table, the renewed interest in vinyl records, and of course the Maker Movement. Anything made by hand is desired, especially where the making process has been expressed; the more imperfect the better. And while many emerging designers are pushing the boundaries of design with new frontiers of technology, the hand is coming back into the process. The merging of craft and tech is forging a new design language, the likes we haven’t seen before with such magnitude.
Blurring of boundaries
All you have to do is watch the world news to see that we are living in a time of great transition. Humanitarian issues like the refugee crisis, equal rights for the LGBQT community, and intersectional feminism dominate the global discourse today. The more progressive the world becomes, the more backlash and resistance to change exists. And yet we keep fighting for social justice and what’s right. Built on these sixties ideals, we are also seeing a time where age is unimportant and youth culture is for everyone. We are also seeing a collage approach to art and design, no doubt due to the influence streaming of images has had on us. Today we see photos and graphics on our devices, popping up in no order, out of context, and appropriated with new meanings. Because of all this, design has become disconnected from history and a sense of place, and instead is forging a new universal culture.
Hypernature
We are living in a time of great uncertainly, where the limits of earth and the solar system are being tested by both nature and man. Man’s exploration for new frontiers and resources beyond our farms, suburbs, and cities is driving a new push into uncharted territory. Shifting planes of light and swirling forms connect us from earth to sky as well as new landscapes that inspire. A new visual language has emerged, influenced by intense colors from the deep seas and far reaches of the cosmos. Iridescence, dichroic shimmer, mirrored surfaces, holograms, biomorphic shapes, and earthly textures are prevalent.
Returning Home
The notion of ‘home’ is of the utmost interest today in discussion about culture. We mentioned the refugee crisis and the need for creature comforts in our chaotic times. We also are also global nomads, so this challenges the notion of home for many people. And with six generations alive today (Alphas through Post Boomers), each has their own sense of what home means. Millennials are moving back home, Gen X’r are taking care of elderly parents, and Boomers are retiring. We are seeing today a common desire to return home. This desire is leading a new design movement calling for Slow Living, resetting ourselves, and finding sanctuary. All of this is driven by nostalgia, where we search for that feeling of security and stability that most people associate with home and family.
Whatever you believe, 2017 will bring much change and perhaps vicissitude. What we can guarantee is that the future is coming, 2018 will be here before we know it. With a little insight, we can be prepared, engaged, and inspired.
Royce Epstein is the Director of the Design Segment for Mohawk Group. As the face to A&D, Royce shares her passion and vision for design, cultural trends, and the meaning of materials in a broad context. Her role is to evolve and share Mohawk Group’s Design Vision with the A&D community, and to leverage product design with what A&D desires in the field. Constantly on the watch for new trends in all aspects of design and culture, Royce feeds this insight to all of our industry’s touch points. A veteran materials and product specialist, Royce spent two decades working in A&D firms before working with Mohawk. Royce lives in Philadelphia where she is active in the design, art, and music scenes. She is a board member of Collab at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.