Adobe’s creative trends for 2024 are all about joy, calm, and nostalgia

Adobe has shared its 2024 Creative Trends Report, and it seems fluid and flowing designs, a merging of 3D and 2D elements, and a reimagining of classic styles will dominate in the coming year – with a focus on social media and photography. The company identifies four key themes in design over the next year: Calming Rhythms, Wonder and Joy, Dynamic Dimensions, and The New Nostalgia. (For more forward thinking, check out Instagram's 2024 Gen Z trend predictions.)

With over three-quarters (78%) of consumers emphasising wellness when travelling, and hospitality providers putting a focus on mental wellbeing, soothing and rhythmic visuals are expected to increase in popularity in 2024. 

Simple abstract and repetitive backgrounds, sometimes set to relaxing sounds, look to be a popular choice for brands in the next year following the emergence of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos across social media platforms in recent years. 

We can expect 3D and 2D designs to merge next year, too, in part due to the increased popularity of augmented and virtual reality – and the continued popularity of gaming. Audio and visual elements will blend together to offer a more immersive experience to consumers. 

And, as it’s been such a testing time for many over the last few years with a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis to contend with, Adobe anticipates a focus on happiness and joy in designs – particularly as, according to the Happiness Report, four-fifths (80%) of people said they’re prioritising health to make themselves happy. Meanwhile, 79% and 53% are focusing on personal connections and experiences respectively. 

The difficulties of recent years may also be why we’re looking back to eras gone by, too. The Y2K aesthetic reigned supreme in 2023, while there’s been a resurgence of ‘80s and ‘90s styles of late too.

But now, Adobe says that we’re blending the past and the present together to reimagine the elements of the past we’re nostalgic for, in order to fit them in today’s tech-heavy landscape – with a heavy dose of AI. 

This merging of the past and present might be a way for younger consumers to hark back to a time when people were less reliant on technology in day-to-day life, too, with 50% of Gen Zs across the UK, US, Canada and Australia wanting to disconnect from their smartphones. Digital cameras are experiencing a resurgence among young people just as vinyl records and cassette tapes have in recent years. To read the full report, head over to Adobe's website.