Trend Following Tools and Tips for Designers

Keep Up With Trends to Make Your Designs Current and Relevant

•Take note of what is currently trending in design, fashion, and culture. Pay attention to the look, feel and visual elements of popular designs.

•Check out up and coming design styles. Explore fashion, art, music and other cultural industries. Look through enthusiast and professional websites to find out what is currently fashionable.

•Regularly search for new tools, techniques and trends in design blogs, trade publications and websites like Pinterest, Behance, Mashable, and DesignTAXI.

•Keep up with software and digital tools. As technological advances, so does design. Familiarizing yourself with the latest software and tools can keep your work up to date and provide added interest to your design.

•Follow opinion-makers and influencers in the design industry. Social media is a great way to track what the latest design trends are.

•Subscribe to collective design genres or trends. Here you can see how the latest trends in physical design and digital media come together to create an overall trend. Examples includes wedding design trends, architectural design, and UX design.

•Sign up to newsletters. Staying abreast of new design trends and tools helps you to stay ahead of the game. Many software companies and other businesses provide detailed newsletters and special offers on their products and related services.

•Learn from other designers. Even if you are proficient in your own work, try to learn from the work of other designers who have achieved good results with their designs and have been able to gain recognition from their peers.

•Participate in conferences and seminars related to design. This is a great way to meet other professionals in the design industry and get new ideas and insights.

•Always experiment with your own design. Take risks and don’t be afraid to explore different styles and techniques to create something new. After all, this is what being a designer is all about.