Creative Trends of 2023 According to DepositPhotos

In the world of visual content creation, staying updated with the latest trends is essential.

DepositPhotos, a leading stock photo service, has revealed its predictions for the creative trends of 2023.

This article will give an overview of these creative trends and how they will impact the visual content industry.

Anime Thrill – Japanese Animation and Y2K Nostalgia

Japanese animation has steadily increased in popularity in the West since the 1980s, beginning with the early works from Studio Ghibli and hitting the mainstream with Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira.

With anime more popular today than ever before, DepositPhotos has selected it to inform their first predicted creative trend of 2023, Anime Thrill.

Movies such as Akira epitomize anime’s core appeal, blending mind-bending plots about characters with incredible powers and vibrant, dynamic visual effects.

These aesthetics can be seen in marketing campaigns from leading brands such as Adidas and Acura, which capture the essence of the format’s stylized and eye-catching ethos.

With the rise of the metaverse and virtual worlds as a new frontier for content creators and marketers, anime has never been more relevant when it comes to informing how these worlds are represented.

Back to the Wild – Travel and Outdoors

DepositPhotos’ second creative trend for 2023 is, in many ways, the inevitable counterpoint to their Anime Thrill trend, with Back to the Wild focusing on the desire to escape the modern metropolis.

With this trend, the growing sense of wanderlust and an instinct to get back to nature takes center stage, reflecting a growing interest in outdoor adventures and rewilding.

Back to the Wild’s aesthetic sensibility combines a naturalistic vision that pairs with a global outlook and eco-minded sense of responsibility in the face of rising concerns about environmental issues.

This means visual content that emphasizes warm and earthy tones and nature-inspired colors, with projects that utilize high-quality photography that captures the beauty of the natural world.

As backpacking and international travel that focuses on retreating from cities and off the beaten track continues to rise in popularity, this creative trend will play an increasing role in the visual content industry.

A Wonderful Age – Age-Friendly Visuals

One of the most significant demographic trends of the current age is that of an aging population, with the elderly comprising an ever-larger percentage of the population in many of the world’s developed countries.

The DepositPhoto trend, A Wonderful Age, sees this demographic shift playing a greater role in how designers seek to represent this age group in their campaigns, moving beyond stock photos of cheerful seniors.

Attitudes towards old age and retirement have shifted considerably over the previous few generations, with many people in the older age categories defying stereotypes around their post-work lives.

This sense of freedom and possibilities that the boomer generation has fully embraced will lead to a reimagining of their representation in creative media and how brands strive to reach this audience.

As DepositPhotos suggests, marketing departments from all types of brands will increasingly focus on age-friendly content that more accurately reflects the changing experiences and lifestyles of the elderly.

Ethereal World – Dream-Like Aesthetics

DepositPhotos’ creative trend Ethereal World complements some of the core elements found in their Back to the Wild trend, where natural light and dreamy landscapes are used to set a soothing tone.

It’s a trend that seeks to counteract the violent upheaval and uncertainty created as a result of world events that drive anxiety and depression, instead bringing into question what is real and what isn’t.

This escapist aesthetic philosophy, while capturing the atmosphere of a moonlit night or shimmering landscape, is also one that embraces new technologies that help with the creative process.

The imagery might be inspired by the magical realism of the 20th century, but the post-processing and digital manipulation tools used to create these images is very much a modern-day phenomenon.

The end result is a visual style that effortlessly marries the past and present to create something familiar yet exciting, inspired by nature while experimenting with deep shadows and hazy effects.

Eye on Sustainability – Zero-Impact Ideas

Sustainability as both a business practice and a personal way of life has also gained traction over recent years, with DepositPhotos predicting this trend to continue as climate change remains a pressing concern in 2023.

In their trend Eye on Sustainability, they foresee the extended use of design aesthetics that reflect the growing desire for a green and zero-carbon impact lifestyle that undoes environmental destruction.

On a fundamental level, this means more visibly, including recycling logos, energy-saving icons, and other environmentally-conscious signifiers on branding and throughout marketing campaigns.

A minimalist approach to textures, as well as classic fonts and deep, monochromatic colors, are likely to be dominant on the style guides used to drive projects oriented towards a sustainable future.

The ethics underpinning this 2023 trend will extend to the materials used for creating these designs, from minimizing the weight of paper and using recycled paper to switching to water-based or vegetable oil inks.

Wellness Upgrade – Immersive Technology

We’ve seen how many of DepositPhotos’ trends for 2023 are responses to the changing dynamics of life in the modern world, and it’s a theme that underpins the next trend called Wellness Upgrade.

Approaches to mindfulness, mental health and wellbeing, and meditation have morphed over a relatively short space of time, integrating into technological phenomena such as the emerging metaverse.

In 2023, these approaches to health-centered practices are becoming increasingly integrated into the kinds of life perspectives that inform the Back to the Wild creative trend, away from the home and into the real world.

At the same time, there’s a contradictory trend emerging in which virtual reality and augmented reality both play a role in allowing people to access a calm and meditative space that is “away” from home in an abstract sense.

Ultimately, this trend is one that will deliver immersive experiences in a broad range of contexts, where AI technologies form a greater understanding of biological and psychological structures that lead to more immersive technology.

A Blast of Joy – Maximalist Colours

The final creative trend outlined by DepositPhotos for 2023 is A Blast of Joy, flipping the minimalism of the Sustainability trend on its head and aiming for a visual style that provokes a rush of dopamine in the audience.

Bold and vibrant colors, combined with an undercurrent of energy and vitality, will sit at the heart of this creative trend, which seeks maximalist variety and an emphasis on cutting-edge chic.

It’s a design trend and ethos that encourages authenticity and spontaneity, giving open-minded creative professionals considerable leeway to go all out with their designs and create a unique vision.

While this aesthetic approach has been a staple of high fashion, in 2023 it will likely continue to expand into new territories and be used for audiences of a more diverse and eclectic nature.

For visual artists, content creators, and designers who see their craft as a means for unbridled and passionate expression, the Blast of Joy trend will give them a green light to show off their full potential.

Final Words

The DepositPhotos creative trends report highlights the shifts in consumer preferences and what they expect to see in the world of visual content creation.

By staying up-to-date with these trends, businesses and creative professionals can create more impactful and memorable visuals that resonate with their target audience.