What kind of themes are relevant for planning the near future? Five prominent themes are gaining traction across various industries in 2024 and beyond. They underscore the evolving landscape and are essential focal points for both creative problem solving and effective strategic planning.
5 THEMES
Last year, I discussed the increasing significance of Interdependence and the accompanying cohorts of Forces of the Future (REGENERATION, DIGITAL AUTOMATION, SOCIAL EQUITY, and ACTIVISM). As they continue to evolve, what additional themes are emerging that hold relevance in people’s lives for 2024 and beyond?
1. Collective Regeneration
Our initial theme delves into the transformative intersection of sustainability and the circular economy, steering towards regenerative betterment as a novel approach to growth, surpassing traditional economic models with an emphasis on ecology.
VISUAL & CULTURAL ANALYSIS
MAPPING REVEALS NEW DIRECTIONS
Design research across categories like Art & Culture, Retail & Interiors, and Stories & Communication reveals emerging signals of visual language and cultural cues for new directions.
Collective Regeneration embodies the dissolution of boundaries between the physical, technical, digital, and biological realms.
The interdependence of science and nature shapes the future mindset and behaviours of a collective consciousness.
CONTEXT ANALYSIS
What is the impact of drivers and signals of change across categories? Contextual analysis reveals new meanings of behaviour changes that explain how narrative is changing.
WHAT IS DRIVING CHANGE
The Collective Regeneration change is driven by both Social Equity and Regeneration directions.
LIFE CENTRED DESIGN & SOCIAL ECOLOGY drivers ->
Planetary design endeavours to realign human communities with the natural world, aiming for a harmonious coexistence.
STAKEHOLDER CAPITALISM & DECENTRALISATION drivers ->
Social Equity is fostered through the creation of holistic systems that operate with local autonomy, adapting to hyperlocal conditions.
REGENERATION and SOCIAL EQUITY IMPACT
- (Emerging) Resilience takes on a new dimension by shifting from linear time thinking to embracing nature’s nonlinear cyclical patterns and self-organizing systems.
- (Why it is important) The evolution from process-led stakeholders to relationship-led community collaborations fosters empathy.
- (Outcome) Consequently, a fresh narrative is unfolding, emphasizing collective experiences through post-human perspectives, such as that of a tree.
2. Healing Wellbeing
In the aftermath of the pandemic mental health crisis, self-healing has become a mainstream pursuit. This theme explores the shift in the Wellbeing narrative from external to internal focus, emphasising the calming of the mind.
VISUAL & CULTURAL ANALYSIS
MAPPING REVEALS NEW DIRECTIONS
Design research across categories like Art & Culture, Retail & Interiors, and Stories & Communication reveals emerging signals of visual language and cultural cues for new directions.
Healing Wellbeing embraces sensorial experiences and feelings, with a rising interest in mythic and spiritual realms.
The mindful mindset is shaped by interdependence and holistic nature-driven thinking, influencing future needs and behaviours.
CONTEXT ANALYSIS
What is the impact of drivers and signals of change across categories? Contextual analysis reveals new meanings of behaviour changes that explain how narrative is changing.
WHAT IS DRIVING CHANGE
The holistic Healing Wellness inward-looking change is driven by all cohorts from Regeneration, Digital Automation, and Social Equity to Activism.
LIFE CENTRED DESIGN & SOCIAL ECOLOGY drivers ->
Emotional wellbeing delves into exploring new ways of perceiving and embodying experiences with other intelligent beings.
GENERATIVE AI & WEB3 drivers ->
Emotional wellbeing management tools use AI to guide individual self-care experiences.
STAKEHOLDER CAPITALISM & DECENTRALISATION drivers ->
Creating new rituals and fresh practices like virtual gathering breakfasts.
DECOLONISATION & POST-CONSUMERISM drivers ->
Alternative reality experiences emerge as remedies for everyday trauma, carving out new forms of safe spaces.
DRIVERS IMPACT
- Discovering empathy for oneself and others is spurred by exploring innovative practices and technologies that deepen self-reflection.
- Shifting from static to conversational interfaces reduces anxiety, allowing the shared exchange of experiences and emotions.
- As a consequence, a new narrative is emerging around kindness and learning experiences to address stress, burnout, mental illness, and anxiety.
3. Dark
The Dark theme represents an anti-establishment stance, breaking free from mainstream mediocracies perpetuated by algorithms and big tech.
VISUAL & CULTURAL ANALYSIS
MAPPING REVEALS NEW DIRECTIONS
Design research across categories like Art & Culture, Retail & Interiors, and Stories & Communication reveals emerging signals of visual language and cultural cues for new directions.
Dark Dystopia serves as an outlet to navigate real-world horrors, offering a sense of agency amidst chaos.
Curiosity fuels the interdependence of a hyper-individualistic future, shaping the behaviours of an Anti-hero mindset.
CONTEXT ANALYSIS
What is the impact of drivers and signals of change across categories? Contextual analysis reveals new meanings of behaviour changes that explain how narrative is changing.
WHAT IS DRIVING CHANGE
Dark anti-direction is driven by both Activism and Digital Automation.
DECOLONISATION & POST-CONSUMERISM drivers ->
AI dominance can be seen as a new form of colonisation raising concerns (source Li Edelkoort, Dezeen 2024).
GENERATIVE AI & WEB3 drivers ->
Social media criticism is on the rise, steering social behaviours towards digital disconnection. The creation of anti-social algorithms serves as a response to the lack of trust, absurdity, and incomprehensibility of online life.
ACTIVISM and DIGITAL AUTOMATION IMPACT
- Counterculture is ascending, transitioning from folklore to Digital Lore, encompassing shared practices, memories, stories, and myths.
- Plurality and identity blurring prompt reflections on operating within a network on individual terms.
- This convergence creates imagined communities, bridging fake and real worlds, and giving rise to new identities and subcultures shaped by in-group knowledge.
4. Community Culture
The pandemic, a collective global trauma, has fuelled a post-pandemic desire for connection through communal experiences. Community Culture is the pursuit of being part of something larger than oneself, emphasising real-world, away-from-keyboard (AFK) interactions.
VISUAL & CULTURAL ANALYSIS
MAPPING REVEALS NEW DIRECTIONS
Design research across categories like Art & Culture, Retail & Interiors, and Stories & Communication reveals emerging signals of visual language and cultural cues for new directions.
Craft skills, repurposing, repairing and mending create expressions that allow imperfections and verify human-made processes.
Co-creation and interdependence drive future needs and behaviours, fostering a mindset akin to a caring gardener.
CONTEXT ANALYSIS
What is the impact of drivers and signals of change across categories? Contextual analysis reveals new meanings of behaviour changes that explain how narrative is changing.
WHAT IS DRIVING CHANGE
Community Culture is driven by both Social Equity and Regeneration.
STAKEHOLDER CAPITALISM & DECENTRALISATION drivers ->
Community Culture prioritises group harmony over individual interests. It embodies providing a voice and a safe space for shared attitudes and interests.
LIFE CENTRED DESIGN & SOCIAL ECOLOGY drivers ->
Nature is embraced by cyclical ways of life, fostering a harmonious and sustainable approach to community building.
REGENERATION and SOCIAL EQUITY IMPACT
- Communities adopt principles and practices like roundtable discussions to enhance representation for all, fostering a commitment to safeguarding.
- Practising allyships parallels the respect observed in our relationship with the natural world.
- This shift gives rise to a new narrative centred on compassion, cultivating trust and a sense of communal belonging.
5. Maximalism
The last theme is Maximalism. I recently wrote about how the new meaning of Maximalism is moving away from material excess to immaterial feelings of joy and wonderment, and how the expression of Maximalism is driven by GENERATIVE AI tools and CREATOR ECONOMY and WEB3.
WHAT’S next?
Selecting the right theme or combination of themes is a pivotal step in creative problem solving. Themes can serve as catalysts for innovation, offering a strategic starting point for concept development, brand content, and co-creation through targeted “How might we” questioning. This intentional choice not only makes distant risks, challenges, and opportunities more tangible but also charts a precise course toward a preferred future.
Trending Topics by Minna Takala 