The Bright Agency’s Jo Astles highlights her cultural drivers and a trio of trends for 2023.
Maximalism, bold colours, strong solidarity, thoughtfulness, dreamy nostalgia and calming nature are just some of the trends predicted by some leading artists agencies and picture libraries over the year.
LicensingSource.net serves up a smorgasbord of what these experienced aesthetic bellweathers cite as the cultural drivers of our creative tastes for 2023.
Today: Jo Astles, greetings and gift agent, The Bright Agency.
Drivers: “2022 was such a dynamic year and 2023 will most likely continue to be full of societal change. The war in Ukraine has made us more aware how we need to strive to understand our relationships with others on a larger scale. People are wanting to compensate for the anxieties of life caused by the cost-of-living crisis and our impact on the planet.
“The effect of the pandemic is still being felt, with a large part of the workforce now permanently hybrid working. Having a good balance between home life and career aspirations is key to mental wellness and feeling fulfilled in the workplace.”
Jo’s trio of design trends are…
Mental Health
“Mental wellbeing continues to be a focus; consumers are wanting to see this expressed in design and become normalised. Cards that include words of affirmations and peaceful scenes are increasingly popular. Spirituality takes front stage too with more and more people considering astrology and tarot cards as direction for their peace of mind.
The world is preparing for it to be a tight year ahead, rather than allowing the current affairs to bring us down we also have a huge opportunity for comedy within greeting cards to incorporate jokes regarding housing, cost-of-living, etc.”
(Pictured: A Claudine Rose design that taps into the spirituality trend, represented by Bright Art Agency).
Bold Maximalism
“Cards that have strong, bold designs and colour palettes reflect the challenges were facing each day, and the type of attitude we’ll need in the coming year. Bright and colourful patterns that invoke inclusivity and individuality are on the rise. Maximalism is what the people want, cards packed full showing aspirational large family gatherings and drinks overflowing, whether embellished or foiled, as long as it shines.”
(Pictured: This Christine Gore design packs a punch visually, represented by Bright Art Agency).
Small Occasions
“Although ‘big holidays’ are important, we are beginning to see a rise in ‘mini occasions’. Regardless of your love language, people love a reason to give and receive gifts. We’re constantly looking for ways to celebrate smaller moments in life such as Galentine’s, pet birthdays and more.”
(Pictured: This Bea Muller design lends itself to marking smaller life events.)
This feature originally appeared in the spring 2023 edition of Licensing Source Book. To read the full publication, click on this link.
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