Art & Design Consumer Insights

Trend - Ideal packaging solutions for e-commerce and products are made from limited materials, take up little space, and effectively protect their contents. Businesses looking to hit all these markers are turning to brands that offer customized solutions that are made, grown, or printed to order.

Insight - The growth of e-commerce has created demand for packaging solutions that are efficient, functional, and have a limited impact on the environment. While climate anxiety has made more consumers choose to reduce their environmental impact, they want to be able to do so while still maintaining their quality of life and routines. To achieve this balance, consumers turn to brands that reliably show their sustainability efforts, without sacrificing on quality.

Trend - Computer manufacturers are using open-source operating systems (OS) to create more curated experiences for consumers while simultaneously diversifying the OS market. These open-source systems offer benefits that range from streamlined processes and user interfaces to personalization.

Insight - Many consumers that use computers for either entertainment or professional purposes feel that traditional operating systems are difficult to navigate and are cumbersome. Companies are adapting to this pressure by equipping computers with operating systems that are tailored to the desired use case. This leads to developer-focused laptops with coding-focused home pages or gaming computers that launch directly into gaming platforms.

Trend - As artificial intelligence (AI)-based art generators become more mainstream, galleries and curators are adapting by showcasing notable AI artworks from prompt writers. These exhibitions showcase the potential of AI art while allowing galleries to gauge customer reception of generated works.

Insight - Consumers that attend art exhibitions and galleries consistently desire new, avant-garde artworks and technologies. Incorporation AI-generated works not only showcases the capabilities of modern technology, but also shows how artists and viewers alike can express themselves through AI as prompt writers. These galleries satiate desires for new forms of art while provoking thoughtful discussion regarding art production and the meaning of artworks.

Trend - 3D printer manufacturers and materials suppliers have begun using upcycled wood from excess materials gathered at sawmills and other processing plants. The companies use filament printing and binding to transform this byproduct into durable designs that resemble whole cuts of wood.

Insight - As 3D printing becomes more accessible for general consumers and small businesses, there is a rising demand for products that offer more material options and are more sustainable. Not every customer is satisfied printing designs in hard metal, plastic, or other polycarbonate compounds, leading to businesses introducing wood to the equation. This not only offers more options but also allows 3D printing companies to partner with sawmills to upcycle wood waste into usable products.

Trend - Numerous companies, especially those in the automotive, engineering, and architecture space, are using IoT and VR-based systems to create precise digital representations of their products and systems. These lifelike models are then tested virtually as a way to guide product development.

Insight - When it comes to large-scale buildings, automotive vehicles, and other complex infrastructure, visualizing and troubleshooting these products during their development phase can be incredibly costly. As a result, a wide range of businesses are turning to digital twin technology to create exact virtual replicas of their products -- whether these be jet fuel engines, electric cars, or sustainable condominiums -- which they can then test and assess digitally.

Trend - Borrowing from technology originally used on billboards, mobile phones, and in-store installations, companies are now creating bendable displays that do not use glass. This display technology is now being used in televisions and monitors, resulting in uncrackable, malleable displays.

Insight - One of the largest trends in the television and computer monitor spaces is curved displays. These displays offer customers improved levels of immersion due to the ability to surround themselves with their monitors, increasing the amount of eye space taken up by the display. However, curved displays have downsides such as image distortion, leading to consumer demands for more accurate displays. This led to the creation of monitors that can either be used as flat panels or curved panels.

Trend - Brands in the PC components industry are now releasing both dedicated standalone SSD coolers and those bundled with SSDs. The fifth generation of SSD technology has been released with speeds of up to 13,000mb/s, which comes at the cost of raising temperatures and requiring dedicated cooling.

Insight - Consumers using PC computers for professional workspaces or recreational hobbies continually seek more powerful components to get the job done faster. Companies have responded by continually releasing more powerful components that push compute speeds and temperatures to the limit. As a result, PC enthusiasts have begun seeking new ways to reduce their computers' operating temperatures to prolong the components' life cycles and ensure reliability.

Trend - As sustainability becomes more important for consumers, businesses are prioritizing eco-friendliness in their offices. The incorporation of sustainable furniture is what is currently most common, as these pieces are accessible and easy to implement.

Insight - For Gen Z and Millennials, working for employers that align with their values has become increasingly important. Now, employees want to know that businesses are doing their part in addressing the various social, political and environmental issues that are currently being experienced globally--and brands are having to respond in order to draw in and retain emerging talent.

Trend - Accessible packaging and branding has become a priority for some brands in the food industry. Now, more businesses are designing food packaging that's easily accessed by people with disabilities--with everything from the incorporation of braille to easier-to-open lids.

Insight - Modern activism is taken more seriously by brands as consumers increasingly demand that businesses address the various social, environmental, and political factors that create barriers for underserved communities. Disability activists and their allies have been advocating for inclusion in a range of industries and institutions, and some brands are responding by prioritizing accessibility.

Trend - The metaverse welcomes more developments as architectural studios begin constructing buildings and other infrastructure to mimic the physical world. These structures are able to push the limits of traditional architecture with physics-bending designs.

Insight - The metaverse is a space where the imagination can run wild and concoct structures that are otherwise impossible in the physical world. Consumers are turning to the digital space for content that fulfills their desire for the fantastical. Digital infrastructure is, therefore, being built using cutting-edge technology to provide visual stimulation and appease the consumer's need for escapism.