out and about :: trend spotting at 100% design

A very large and well-scribbled upon blackboard at 100% Design posed the question; “what is the future of design?”

So with that question in mind, at my last big LDF event for this year, I thought I’d try my hand at a little bit of trend spotting……both based on what I’d seen here and also thinking back to the other events I’ve attended. Here’s what I found:

There was a lot of grey about this year, reflecting a similar trend in fashion – which is great news, because grey is one of my two favourite colours!

Inspiration from nature featured across all disciplines from Kristine Bjaadal’s innovative Underfull Tablecloth that reveals a butterfly pattern only when something is split on it, to Camilla Meijer‘s beautiful hand-drawn wallpaper, above.

Another theme that was present across 100% Design and the wider LDF was fun; perhaps in response to gloomier times in the economy; from Sarah Blood‘s light-hearted Cariboo! (above), to bold, colourful, positively joyful textile designs from Corita Rose.

Perhaps also in response to uncertain times, there seems to have been a real retreat into natural materials and in particular; wood. People seem to be moving away from gimmicky, self-consciously modern design and towards good-quality, long-lasting products that keep their users in touch with the natural world.

Overall; a thoroughly enjoyable event with lots of great work – I’m counting down to next year’s event already!

Additional reading for the especially geeky:

• Best Invention Ever: The Underfull Tablecloth (thegloss.com)
• Corita Rose (design-milk.com)
• korea design at 100 percent design london (designboom.com)