Picture libraries and artist agencies are not just a great source of imagery for greeting card publishers, but due to their wide reach into other fields are also quick to gauge design trends and influences on the aesthetic.
Here, Luci Gosling, head of sales & research for Mary Evans Picture Library shares what she feels will be driving our design tastes and reveals a trio of trends.
Movers & Shakers 2020
“I think we’re all pretty certain that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be a major highlight of the year, meaning Japanese style is going to be everywhere.
In terms of art exhibitions, the Aubrey Beardsley show at the Tate Britain will, I think, reignite interest more generally in the art nouveau style of that period – it feels very much in-tune with the increasing vogue for maximalism in fashion and interiors.
Finally, environmental awareness will continue, quite rightly, to be at the forefront of people’s minds, along with the spread of the mantra ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. Anything that fits with that principle, whether it’s wildlife illustration, WWII home front posters or even world maps, we think will have a resonance.”
A trio of art and design trends 2020
Japanese gallery: “Japanese art has always been popular for cards, but with the Tokyo Olympics it has a new relevance. And although we think the Games will have impact, it’s also a trend that never really dates and has real longevity.
We have a wide range of Japanese imagery at Mary Evans Picture Library, including some beautiful hand-colour photographs of Japanese life around the turn of the last century. But the exquisite nature illustrations of Watanabe Seitei from a rare 1917 portfolio are a gorgeously artistic choice for cards.”
Twenties zing: “If we’re looking at anniversaries, then 2020 marks the beginning of the decade known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, as well as the beginning of Prohibition in America. Illustration and designs that sum up the Jazz Age feel like they’re due for a revival. We’ve even chosen to feature some of the dazzling covers designed for magazines such as The Tatler and The Bystander in our own calendar for 2020.”
Luna landings: “Finally, stars, astrology and the heavens have all been featuring heavily in the fashion world recently. We’ve also licensed a series of star-strewn zodiac illustrations for a range of cushions, which have worked brilliantly. With everything on planet earth looking rather dismal, we think the lunar and celestial theme may well be worth exploring over the next year or so.”
