News

12 months ago, we had our team members make predictions about what trends and practices would be prominent in 2022 in the worlds of design, marketing, PR, and web development. As we reach the end of the year and the start of 2023, we’re checking in on how these predictions played out. 

Design: 

January: A clearer, more creative headspace. 2022 will be a year where hopefully, we’ve gotten back into our more normal but new headspace to create. 2020-2021 was a beat down on creatives and the creative industry as a whole because of the isolation element. We predict that 2022 will be the year of returning to growth, creative risk-taking, teamwork, and collaboration, whether in person or virtually.

 6-Month Check-In: Adjusting to a new normal is something we are all still adapting to. Working in an office space alongside peers is an experience that was taken for granted, and our creative team appreciates the time we’ve been given in person to collaborate and work together this year.

End of Year Check-In: This year our team came together to foster a more creative headspace. Our design department is producing their best work yet. Our clients are excited and taking creative risks while truly allowing us to create graphics, websites, banners, rack cards, billboards, bus ads, and so much more that push the envelope. We’re excited to keep this energy going into 2023! 

In the creative industry, there has been an influx of design trends that we believe will really take a front-row spot in 2023. From minimal vintage to thinking outside the box, there is so much to unpack. Minimal vintage encompasses a huge range of styles, which span multiple decades. The feeling of nostalgia can be a powerful tool for drawing viewers/users into designs and encouraging engagement and exploration. Our team has realized the power of this feeling and has implemented it into the work we’re producing. In addition, we’ve had an increased focus on typography and pushing boundaries when it comes to type-heavy design. From selecting more statement fonts and typefaces to creating elaborate typographical designs, we have been able to establish a strong visual hierarchy within the collateral we create for our clients. 

Marketing 

From altering the minds of consumers to upending marketing strategies, a lot has shifted in 2022. One year ago, we predicted that the industry was going to operate under a primarily virtual model. While this still rings true for many, a hybrid model has also risen in popularity. In addition, social media has remained a powerful force in the industry and has become a huge focus for our team and our clients. We believe that these, along with other exciting trends, will continue to emerge come 2023. 

Maintaining customer loyalty is huge, and it’s a big reason why brand experience and brand equity are so important when it comes to your marketing, no matter if it’s a B2B, B2C, or E2E brand. The increasing competition in the current environment has compelled businesses to focus on customer and brand interaction to ensure their audiences have a unique and positive brand experience, which in turn helps to strengthen their brand equity. In addition,  we’re seeing that brands are using customer experience as a focal point to differentiate themselves from others (a great intersection of marketing + PR). Also, ease in digital customer experience is key – and so within all of our projects, we ensure to relay a customer-centric approach. 

Staying true to our initial predictions, social commerce and social marketing has erupted over the past few years. Social commerce takes eCommerce to the next level by widening audience and customer reach in a method that prioritizes engagement. That’s why we’ve continued to take a mobile-first approach when it comes to all things content. Turning all of our ethically gathered analytics into actionable insights is huge for authenticity. We believe that brands leaning into an empathetic and authentic marketing approach will take the stage in 2023, as we’ve seen the momentum this approach has gained throughout 2022. 

Public Relations 

6 months ago, we shared that HARO was a huge help in forming relationships. With tools and platforms such as HARO, PRSA, and Propel, our PR team has seen the huge benefit that resources such as these continue to play when it comes to focusing on the importance of building personal relationships while also maintaining the relationships which we’ve already built in the media space. 

We have seen some amazing pieces go live this year and we’re excited to continue with this momentum in 2023. From diversifying media lists to implementing a multi-faceted communications approach, we have been able to better understand and segment our audiences based on our client’s goals. Taking the time to remain intentional when curating media outlets and contacts has worked incredibly well in supporting this philosophy. In addition, being considerate and cognizant of an editor’s time has been important, especially during the holidays.  In 2023, we see PR professionals saying bye to mass pitching and having a more quality-over-quantity approach. 

Over the past few years, diversity and inclusion have been leveraged as a part of PR tactics + campaigns. Rightfully so, the implementation of diversity and inclusion has received a ton of attention and press. As more consumers become informed, this will serve as a make-it-or-break-it for brands. So, moving forward we’ll be seeing DE&I as a recurring theme within PR campaigns. 

With new platforms and skills constantly being added to our PR toolkit, it’s still important to focus on the foundational skill of writing and effective communication. Whether it’s authoring a press release or a pitch, solid writing skills are key to attracting consumers and editors, especially when there’s an influx of content being pushed out. However, it’s also important to broaden your skillset, especially as social media enters a new era. With so many social media platforms out there, it’s hard to predict what the next big thing will be. For now, it’s important to focus on adaptability. From relationship-building networks to media-sharing networks, a PR pro needs to understand each platform’s purpose and audience. Social platforms have also aided in obtaining media placements, and we’re seeing this becoming an increasingly effective and popular trend. This year, Twitter has served as a great place to reach the media, especially for breaking news. In addition, editors have also been utilizing Twitter to share when they need a source for an upcoming story. Twitter is a great place to start when building relationships with an editor. After adapting and evolving in 2022, our team is excited to move into 2023 with fresh ideas, solid foundations, and growing relationships.

Web Development

January: Web apps just become apps. More and more “apps” will be web apps that run inside native shells on your phone, desktop, and more. Think Spotify, Slack, or even Discord. Modern apps will be built on the web, then ported back to devices. Some may even run better in your browser than on some of your devices as a native app. This may mean that the line between website and app will further blur (outside of high-demand apps like gaming or video editing).

 6-Month Check-In: Our prediction has proven to be accurate thus far. We are certainly seeing more consolidation of code across devices thanks to cross-platform languages and frameworks like React/React Native and Kotlin. As the popularity of these integrated platforms continues to rise, we expect to see this prediction remain constant in the web development community for the rest of the year and beyond.

End-of-Year Check-In: As the year comes to a close, the consolidation of code across devices is still prevalent. With continued growth in the app development department, there will be a surge in the adoption of cross-platform frameworks and the line between websites and apps will further blur. 

With so many cross-platform app development frameworks, we believe that frameworks such as Kotlin will decrease in popularity while more economic-friendly frameworks will be in high demand. 

Stay tuned for our 2023 predictions!