Ondřej Zita and Michal Sloboda started Trend List in Prague, Czech Republic a decade ago to document and pinpoint visual trends that dominate graphic design scene. Ondřej also runs designer furniture company Master & Master in Prague, Michal works as UX Designer in San Francisco.
About
Graphic design, like fashion or music, is influenced by contemporary tendencies. This is intensified in a world where digital information is transmitted at speed of light. Trend List’s task is to search, name and sorts these graphic design tendencies. Trend List tries to spot where and when they rise, which countries they’re popular in and how they evolve over time.
Trend List showcases posters, books, catalogs, magazines, album covers, and invitations for the cultural sphere. This work is often the space of experiments and the “most current” graphic design.
It is interesting to observe how many of today’s “professional” designers create “conceptual” design, custommade for client, that values content over formal appearance (which nowadays seems quite unimportant). However they use recurring graphic languages and motifs, and these can be characterized as a trend.
Trend List explores graphic design from an opposing angle. It ignores the content of the work and analyzes just its appearance. Based on the formal attributes of the site, it then sorts and catalogs the work.
But is it possible to separate the content from the visual? Is it possible to present graphic design without further explanation?
It seems so. It happens at every exhibition of graphic design, where the works are taken out of context and the audience is often unable to go under the surface of the work. They do not examine the content. They perceive design only visually.
Trend List is not a criticism of contemporary graphic design. It just points to the fact that graphic design (like everything else) is affected by certain trends, and today is no exception. But a lot of designers do not agree and still insist on the originality of their work that is based on pure concept.
Wim Crouwel says: “You are always a child of your time, you can not step out of that!” So why close our eyes to the rules and styles around us? Are we always looking for something unique and new, even at the cost of comprehension? After all, if someone is able to create a modern design it just means that they are able to express the spirit of our time!
Explore graphic design, inspire yourself and stay trendy!
