So first things first, what do I mean by motif trends? I'm talking about iconic images, subject matter and overarching concepts that can be applied visually some examples of motif trends that really took off in the past few years, pineapples, succulents and cactus motifs, jungle scapes and tropical foliage, rainbows sup, Lisa Frank throwback, other 90s nostalgia like boom boxes, mixtapes and vaporwave aesthetics would lend to animals like owls and foxes, and specific social activism movements like girl power and environmental awareness. I mentioned alpacas before and they're a great example of a popular motif as our social movements. One is simple and straightforward. The other represents social disruption and protests for change. But one thing I'll pack and activism do have in common is that they can both be woven into visual representations and then commercialized If you shop at anthropology, you can buy both alpaca lamps and feminist playing cards.

I don't mean to sound crass or dismissive of social movements. I'm just trying to paint a picture of how any concept can be turned around into a popular trends. Whether it's a cute animal or a significant social movements, they can both be highly relevant and commercially lucrative and today's culture. So how do you track motif trends? I know I've mentioned this, but I really want to hammer it in. One of the best ways to understand and predict trends is to pay attention to what's out there right now.

Take it all in look for repetition and then connect to the dots. For example, remember, when the internet became obsessed with avocado toast, it was more than just a tasty snack. It represented the downfall of millennial budgeting capabilities across the nation. It all started with the interview of Australian billionaire Tim Garner, you made an offhand reflection of the younger generation stating when I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn't trying to buy smash avocado for $19 and four coffees at four bucks a pop. His quote went viral and the sarcastic stereotype was born. Millennials should stop spending money on trivial things and start budgeting practically everyone was polarized and the results.

You started seeing avocado motifs everywhere. It was a great opportunity to mine in on a pop culture phenomenon that either triggered you or made you roll your eyes or burst out laughing. Whatever your reaction avocados were relevant and retailers influencers and trendsetters cashed in on this movement. You could find avocado socks, avocado dish towels, avocado face serums, avocado mugs, tape, key chains, jewelry, even USPS and novelty throw pillows. And yes, I was right there with them. I hand painted a series of avocado slices and offer them up to all of my retail partners.

They got snatched up and sales spikes, my avocado art prints Even wound up in Target stores. How's that for Susanna rising trends? So back to tracking potentially lucrative motifs and trends. The avocado toast thing went viral overnight, but so have a lot of other trends. Remember what I was saying earlier about micro trends. avocado toast is a perfect example.

And so are a lot of other topics that go viral. they explode seemingly overnight and they kind of start to disappear afterwards. In the same context as viral trends. Phrases also seem to jump out from time to time and gain a lot of exposure. There's okay Boomer the catchphrase and internet meme they gained popularity by millennials to mock the baby boomer generation. If you get on Amazon and search Ok, Boomer, you're going to see a lot of products all created by individuals and companies that are attempting to capitalize on this surely short lived statements.

Other catchphrases that similarly took off Bichon, thanks to Stranger Things, not today, Satan from the show. recalls drag race that's so fetch from Mean Girls. And an older throwback. Oh my god, Becky, thanks to Sir mix a lot Baby Got Back. These phrases all come from pop culture, movies, television news, and the internet's careful here, if you're planning on commercializing off of this, a lot of these phrases come back with copyright protection. So the point is, things that go viral have the potential to be leveraged commercially.

And we've seen it with all of the above. But what else I also gather trending motif inspiration from fashion and lifestyle brands. If I'm trend striking, I'm specifically looking at brands that have a lot of motifs or icons in their product selection made well is a lovely brand and it has great denim, but their clothing is fairly minimal and simple. So not a lot of good opportunities for finding rising motif trends. However, then there's modcloth. It's another retail clothing brands also aimed at that same audience, but their products are loaded with patterns, playful illustrations, bright color palettes, and relatable quotes and phrases.

In other words, modcloth is a great inspiration for me when I'm looking for motif trends. They even have a selection called now trending. Not all of these categories are relevant to me as a surface designer and illustrator. But I can still scrape up some inspiration in terms of color palettes, overall themes and pattern mixing ideas. Here's a good tip. If you're specifically searching for motif inspiration, check out the gifts section of retail brands.

This will give you the most hits on physical motif trends. For example, we're already on modcloth. So let's take a look at their gifts section. It's loaded with literal motifs, sloths, dinosaurs, tortoise shell surfaces, jungle cats, animal prints, unicorns, cats. Basically all these motifs are really strong sellers and they wouldn't be up there if they weren't so many exercise time. Check out Your favorite brand for fashion clothes, accessories or whatever and look for patterns within their products.

For example, I'm going to pull up modcloth. Again, as I showed you earlier, I'm going to scroll down on modcloth. And I saw all of those repeat motifs, dinosaurs, cats, sloths, bumblebees, unicorns, you get the gist. These are all cues into popular motifs. And I consider gathering inspiration from one or more of these to start incorporating into my own artwork. Actually, I already have and surprise surprise, this Bumblebee has brought in a lot of strong sales for me.

Alright, now that we've got a good handle on motif trends, let's dive into trends tracking tools that will help you pinpoint the next big thing