Shutterstock reveals design trends

Stock photo agency Shutterstock has composed an infographic that showcases design trends during the past year. According to CEO Jon Oringer, there's been a "global emergence of vintage-inspired imagery, an increase in the use of vectors and huge demand for texture-based photography". He told .net that many of these trends appear to be global: "Just like any art form, there are conditions around image creators that shape and influence the work they produce, and there are factors that influence what image buyers are seeking and downloading. The stories they are telling are not independent of their social, economic, or even physical locations. And thanks to technology, and the global economy, we do find that trends are often widespread, emerging from the ground up in each local area."

Oringer suggested that the sharp increase in vintage imagery could well be fuelled by a "widespread nostalgia for simpler times, before social media, Wi-Fi and constant digital connections," and .net wonders if pining for more stable economic eras is another factor in the usage of such imagery.

As for vectors, Shutterstock has seen that type of content leap from five per cent to 32 per cent of its downloads over the past six years. "For illustrators, vector artists, and graphic designers, there's great opportunity in the increasing demand for unique, personal imagery that can be customised and scaled to meet very specific needs," said Oringer. "Illustrations also have the ability to convey ideas without specificity of time and place. Add to this the fact that technology-themed imagery is in high demand, and a great way to demonstrate something such as social media, or cloud-based technology, for example, is through computer graphics and illustrations."

Click here to view the full infographic.