Modern Consumer Insights

Quakespiration
China's May earthquake affected the people, as was reflected in various art
Implications - Generally disastrous phenomena like earthquakes are considered tragedies, but China’s earthquake managed to arouse compassion and creativity, as seen in the art forms below. With the use of the internet, natural disasters are helping to bring people together from around the world.
3.5
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Olympicreativity
Global events capable of inspiring a varied range of event-themed artwork
Implications - From home and product design to paintings and performing arts, the Beijing Olympics managed to inspire a lot of creativity. Both officially sponsored artwork, like dance performances to hype the games, and the works of Olympic fan designers, like themed home wash basins, were abundant.
2.5
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Skinoflouge
Art that stands out as the subjects blend in
Implications - Ironically, these works of art rely on camouflage to stand out. While camo is traditionally used to hide objects or people, these paintings have actually become viral for their visually deceptive qualities. Artists paint backgrounds directly onto the models to ‘merge’ them with their surroundings.
4.7
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Artible
Food, the new medium splashing across the art scene
Implications - The kitchen is the new hot spot in these artists’ lofts, as their creative passions are being explored in new pieces made entirely of food. No matter what the content ends up being, the juxtaposing of two passions leads to creative excitement and fresh interest.
4.7
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Unconventional Curation
Abnormally-themed exhibits claim attention over museum classics
Implications - Offbeat exhibits and collections have taken over prototypical museum displays as a result of the growing interest in eccentric, non-traditional topics. For museums and galleries, a unique opportunity is arising to display not only what has been classically relevant, such as history or science, but showcase more deviant themes to engage the audience.
3.3
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Quotastic Motivation
Proverbs and motivational quotes given aesthetic appeal through art
Implications - Gone are the days of the standard black-and-white motivational poster that centers on a black-and-white color scheme and a photograph. The modern iteration of this workplace inspiration takes an artistic turn, using graphic design to create maxims and mantras that are sure to attract--and maintain--attention.
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Reflexive Reflection
Mirrors emerge as a constantly-changing artistic canvas
Implications - Narcissists have long recognized the beauty of a good mirror, but now artists and designers are similarly exploring the theme of reflexive reflection by using mirrors as an artistic canvas. Outdoors, the beauty of Mother Nature is magnified; indoors, passersby become impromptu participants.
3.6
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Mirrored Forest Fashiontography
Mirrored Forest Fashiontography
Michal Martychowiec & Claudia Behnke Join Forces for Sublime Mag
These gorgeous images are the result of a creative collaboration between photographer Michal Martychowiec and stylist Claudia Behnke for Sublime Magazine. They’ve added a mirror to their forest fashiontography… MORE
Invisible Treehouses
Invisible Treehouses
Tree-Top Hotel Covered in Mirrors Is As Green As It Is Cool
What could be better than making your childhood dream of living in a treehouse a reality? Making it an invisible treehouse! Want to make it ever better? An eco-friendly invisible treehouse! No, this… MORE
Avant-Garde Twins
Avant-Garde Twins
Daniel Bolliger Creates a Mirror Effect for 'Creatures'
Models dressed in avant-garde fashion are enough eye candy on their own, but when they're doubled and combined with surreal HDR photography, as in Daniel Bolliger's 'Creatures,' the results are even more… MORE
Smoke & Mirror Art
Smoke & Mirror Art
Solenne Morigeaud's Smoke-Filled Glasswork Gives New Life to the Reflective
This cool twist on mirror work was done by Parisian surface designer Solenne Morigeaud. In her product line titled “Smoke and Mirror,” she laser cut, etched, and layered glass to achieve beautiful contortions.… MORE
Nature For Narcissism?
Nature For Narcissism?
The Largest Mirror In The World Is Made of Minerals In Bolivia
Located in Bolivia, Salar de Tunupa is the world’s largest salt flat containing the major minerals halite and gypsum. Amazing yes, but trendy? What is really cool about Salar de Tunpa is that is has massively… MORE
Juxtaposed Connection
Artists use the power of comparison to shock viewers into attention
Implications - To innovate, entrepreneurs and businesses must stand out from the crowd, especially in a recession. The featured juxtapositions take conventional comparisons of relationships and flip them in an unusual way. By defying the norm in eye-popping fashion, consumers are intrigued, shocked and compelled to explore more.
3.6
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Viral Photo-Swapping
Viral Photo-Swapping
ManBabies Exchanges the Heads of Father & Son for Fun
ManBabies is everything I want from a photoblog. It’s comprised of hilarious user-submitted photoshopped content that essentially takes the faces of a father and baby and swaps them. Brilliant! I’ve selected… MORE
Good & Evil Photo Shoots
Good & Evil Photo Shoots
Dmitry Kononchuk's 'Angel/Devil' Explores the Dichotomy
There's a lot of good and evil in this world, and Dmitry Kononchuk's 'Angel/Devil' photo shoot aims to explore the dichotomy between the two using the classic framework of devil vs. angel. Dmitry Kononchuk's… MORE
Quirky Humanimal Comparisons
Quirky Humanimal Comparisons
‘Fish and People' Photography Pairs Unusual Lookalikes
This photography set by Tasarim is called ‘Fish and People,’ and it depicts the hilarious similarities that occur between fish and humans. Just as other photographers have documented the uncanny resemblance… MORE
Time Travel Photography
Time Travel Photography
Chino Otsuka's 'Imagine Finding Me' Double Self-Portraits
Chino Otsuka's 'Imagine Finding Me' photo collection is a series of double self-portraits that fuse past and present into a single image. They're a stunning exploration of time travel and the possibility… MORE
Juxtaportraits
Juxtaportraits
Erika Soares' ‘Graduation 00' Features Split Personalities
Erika Soares’ ‘Graduation 00’ is a photo set comprised largely of opposites. In this collection, I observe a number of peculiar pairings like nurse and patient, stylist and client, and makeup artist… MORE
Wordvertising
Consumers are paying attention to crafty typography in ads
Implications - Capturing consumer attention may be more about ads that engage minds than explicitly simple presentations. As opposed to straightforward graphics, wordplay and typographical techniques draw viewer attention by having them participate through reading, considering and processing the meaning of words.
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Focal Kitchen or Bust
Traditional kitchens are replaced with modern kitchen concepts
Implications - Modern kitchen concepts have become so unique, you'll never order take-out again. Some concepts include pod designs, luxury-branded (Porsche) kitchens and funky design elements like aquariums. Design quality becomes integral in the search for originality in interior design, while some city dwellers are concerned with efficient use of space, bundling kitchens into compact, contained units or omitting kitchens entirely to maximize living space in small quarters.
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