Adobe Stock looks to 2020 with trend forecasts in visual, motion and design

The team at Adobe Stock is armed with thousands of pages of imagery, reports, news and data and after viewing the cornucopia available to them, Adobe Stock has come up with its 2020 creative trends, this year including visual, motion and design trends.

Adobe Stock announces its 2020 trends

In a blog post by Brenda Milis, principal of creative services and visual trends at Adobe, she notes the “globalization of visual culture” is proceeding “alongside the emergence and evolution of new technologies at a breakneck pace.”

Milis states that the creative trends identified are connected to cultural, social and economic movements and that each is tied to something in the global culture, as well as online microcultures.

Aging is a main visual trend seen to be rising. In 2020, the number of people aged 60 or older will outnumber children five years and younger, according to the World Health Organization. Part of that trend is that, because of advances in healthcare, more older people are remaining healthy and active and participating in the workforce longer than previous generations, which gives them more spending power.

No longer will older people be represented as frail and needing help. Active seniors seeking more authentic representation of their lifestyles will be in demand.

Adobe trends 2020 aging

Emotions look to be more on display in 2020, as social media continues to show how public people are with their emotions and feelings, and they want to see more of that inclusivity of all facets of life experiences in the media.

Adobe Stock trends 2020 emotions

Reimagining beauty is another visual trend, so instead of seeing makeup as masking someone’s appearance, it will be used to celebrate “a person’s unique looks and style, and color appears in expressive, artistic, and inclusive ways,” according to the blog. Rather than hiding flaws, it will help people stand out as individuals.

Adobe Stock trends 2020 reimagining beauty

The final visual trend is titled ‘From Me to We’ by Adobe and it highlights the movement toward people coming together to support various causes. “The personal is now highly purposeful, and consumers of all ages – especially the millennial and four-through-24 Generation Z demographics – are exercising their increasing influence,” writes Milis.

A preview of design trends shows artists looking for a more natural, DIY touch to their digital art, as well as a rise in elegant Art Deco themes for brands.

Adobe Stock trends Art Deco

'Semi-surreal’ is another design trend for the new year, as artists continue to alter vision and “inspire curiosity,” and ‘Modern Goth,’ blends new and old-world elements.

A preview of motion trends for 2020 sees environmental documentary discussions of climate change, based in science, helping to mold real policy ideas.

‘Movement Response,’ which has risen through social media videos, will continue to gain strength as viewers now expect more graphics to respond to movement, according to the Adobe Stock blog.

Two other motion trends for 2020 are ‘Liquid Abstract,’ free-flowing shapes that “create dynamic and fluid compositions,” and ‘Neon Glow,’ that shows neon elements in motion.