12 trends for 2012
What are the hottest trends in branding, design and marketing this year? Here are some insights from the team at Big.
1. Mobile marketing is hot, hot, hot.
This prediction topped our trend report two years ago and continues to grow like gangbusters. To read more about the top trends in mobile, check out this article from Jichél Stewart, CEO, DigiStream Media.
2. Web design has a new trick up its sleeve.
Mobile has also given rise to our next trend: responsive web design (RWD). In the old days, if you wanted people to view your website on their phone, you'd have to create a separate, optimized mobile solution. Same for other gadgets. But with RWD, your website’s menu, fonts, photos, headlines and more magically adapt to the size of the user’s browser. That means content expands or shrinks as needed—whether users are on an old PC desktop or the newest iThing. The bottom line? Your website always looks great and is easy to navigate across multiple devices.
3. Let the content flow.
According to a MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute study, 60% of marketers plan to increase their content marketing budgets this year. Content marketing (aka brand journalism or thought leadership) is all about generating valuable, educational (and sales-free) content to attract customers and position yourself as an expert. To learn more, download our free e-book.
4. Advertising dollars move to digital.
Companies will continue to shift from traditional marketing to interactive tactics such as social media, email marketing and search marketing, a trend driven by digital marketing’s ability to track and deliver return on investment.
5. Printing is alive and well, thanks to digital printing.
For years, people have predicted print’s demise. However, digital printing is injecting new life into print. In addition to quality comparable to offset printing, digital offers lightning-fast turn times, lower costs for low-volume runs and new capabilities in terms of textures, binding and paper choices.
6. Custom fonts earn websites a second look.
Today, marketers have more Web font choices than our old friends Arial and Times. From free (Font Squirrel and Google) to subscription-based (Typekit), Web fonts significantly expand Web designers’ options. More important, they allow you to design sites that are searchable AND brand compliant (meaning the fonts complement the brand identity). In the past, you had to choose either searchability or good-looking fonts. Not anymore.
7. Slab serifs settle down.
Another font trend deals with slab-serif fonts, or fonts with squared-off serifs. They’ll continue to be popular in 2012—just lighter and thinner. To make up for their “weight loss,” type direction will call for larger point sizes in compositions. You can see a few examples here.
8. Mobile app and Web design dictate print design.
Ten years ago, websites tried to mimic the feel of the printed page. In 2012, the continued emergence of electronic media will force print to get in line. Look for print design to adopt the clean, simple, gridded design traits of their online counterparts.
9. Color is bright and playful.
After several years of economic turmoil, people are looking to better times, and 2012’s color trends will showcase that optimism with bright, festive colors. Pantone’s color experts say that Tangerine Tango (orange) will lead the way, flanked by counterparts Solar Power (yellow), Cockatoo (tropical aqua), Margarita (green) and Cabaret (hot fuchsia). Softer lavender and pink calm the palette a little, while traditional navy and tan keep everything grounded.
10. More fonts mean more fun.
Now that colors are loosening up, art directors will do the same, relaxing the reigns on type direction. Bucking the traditional “less-is-more” font philosophy, type direction in 2012 will encourage the chaotic use of multiple fonts, weights and sizes—all in the same piece.
11. Strategy = social media success
“We need a Facebook page!” is something we often hear. However, research shows that organizations achieving the most success with social media are ones who select devices LAST. Instead, they formulate and follow a strategic plan, complete with objectives, target audiences, success metrics and more. Being everywhere is not the goal. Being effective at what you do is.
12. YouTube delivers more than entertainment.
That’s right. A well-executed YouTube strategy can actually drive business to your company and boost search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. As the world’s second largest search engine, YouTube is a smart option for extending your reach through a branded channel or sponsored advertisements (the ones that precede videos). It’s even more important when you consider the results of the recent comScore report, showing online video viewing growing at a blistering pace.