The constant growth of hipster culture popularity opened the art world towards new / old ideas. The newfound nostalgia of modern generations is somewhat a result of rapid technological changes and development. In the time of frequent and careless urbanization, there is an emerging trend to resist to these new trends and robotizing.

This rebellion is marked with love and care for the planet, the environment, people and social encounters, as well as the cultures of 60’s and 70’s. Alternative urbanization movements inspire a different aesthetics than the futurism would imply. They remind us of the beauty of the nature while trying to plant green surfaces in our boring gray metropolis. This urge to save the planet made us dedicate more of our funding to ecological and social causes, while our lifestyle is often depending on technology.

What new trends have these alternative movements brought to design and the general observation of beautiful?

The upcoming generations of intellectuals are led by new values, appreciating old school tech and vintage furniture, retro fashion and industrial design. This has led to the mass popularity of antique shops and old fashioned looking coffee shops and hairdressers. Emotions associated with these appearances are the feeling of warmth, personal contact, intimacy and customer care.

Furthermore, things like old-looking photographs are getting more interesting to the audience, where the use of vintage filters on social media are on the rise. The user wants to reflect on the culture from the past and at the same time upgrade it with new and fresh content. A lot of well situated brands discover ways of using this trend by remaking their old designs and giving the same product that retro glow to attract young customers (for example Coca Cola’s vintage bottle design).

In the depth of this philosophy is the idea of recycling and reusing materials, but even so brand new products can sell better if they are designed in a nostalgic manner, with retro fonts and patterns. An important lesson can be learned from fashion and interior designers, which is that this new age is not about replicating old school ideas, but remaking them into something new and practical in the 21st.

Visual content which will be in the focus of the following couple of years is exactly the perfect balance between old and new, vintage and futuristic; the beautiful harmony of flavors to reach the upcoming generation of users.

About the author:

Nina Petrov is an activist, poet, performer and mathematician. She communicates with the world mostly through words, movement and equations, but sometimes also by speaking very loudly. The only truth she could say about herself is that she keeps changing every day, never stops learning and interacting with her surroundings.