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January 12th, 2010 by Mat Dolphin

2010

So, where did Christmas go? It seems that a few days ago I was drunkenly slipping into a turkey induced coma and all of a sudden I’m discussing our plans for 2010.

With this in mind, I’ve started thinking about what we’ve seen in 2009, what we’re likely to see in the new year and if these trend predictions are actually worth paying attention to. Does following trends help you develop as a designer or simply make you another pack animal churning out the same ideas as every other creative with an eye on what’s hot?


Ask many designers about this and you’ll probably hear ‘I don’t really pay attention to what’s happening in the design industry. I just do what’s right for the brief…’. A good philosophy from a creative point of view but is it actually true? With so many external influences surrounding us and working in an sector that is in many ways based on taking inspiration from outside our own little self referential world, surely it’s impossible to not be swayed – consciously or otherwise – by wider fads and fashions? Where is the line between inspiration and ripping off ideas? Do people even care?

That said, there are a number of ‘Best Of 2009′ lists floating around on various blogs for a while now and while some of them are interesting and informative, should designers pay any attention to them? Logo Design Love author David Airey has listed his picks for most notable logo efforts of last year and while the quality of design is by no means consistent, the one thing they all share in common is that they aren’t particularly ‘trendy’ (and I mean this in a good way).

Whatever happens, 2010 is going to see a marked change in the way we work and the way we produce, consume and talk about design. Although I’m not really one for new years resolutions, maybe this is the year to check out what other designers are doing a little less and start taking inspiration from further afield…

Mat

2 Comments »

  1. I think it is very difficult to be totally ‘original’. All ideas have been done before in some way or other, but it’s the designers/creative interpretation that makes them unique.

    Comment by Lilp — January 12, 2010 @ 3:55 pm

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    Pingback by Tweets that mention Trendy | Mat Dolphin -- Topsy.com — January 14, 2010 @ 2:02 am

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