Decoding the Gen-Z design aesthetic, Marketing & Advertising News, ET BrandEquity
Every generation pushes against the established norms of their times. Growing up, millennials were surrounded by maximalist fashion and spaces, which made them rebel against the ornate pursuits of their predecessors. They, instead, embraced the principles of minimalism — clean lines, muted colours, abundant negative space and tidying-up — with open arms.
In response, Gen Z is challenging the minimalist trend and bringing back maximalism — albeit with a contemporary twist.
What Gen Z relates to
Through our work, we seek to understand the lives of people, nuances of their behaviour and the cultural shifts they lead. Research suggests that Gen Z celebrates comfort, creativity, community and authentic expression over traditional sophistication or ‘perfect luxury’.
For a generation that missed in-person socialisation due to the pandemic, online spaces have become their sanctuaries for self-expression. Gen Z’s constant presence on the internet has shaped an aesthetic that can be called ‘everything, everywhere, all at once’ (to borrow the title of one of my favourite movies).
The way to interpret this would be to acknowledge the multiple layers that are informed by thoughtful, conscious choices. It’s important for Gen Z that a brand or a product shares their belief systems and speaks authentically. They value being real and unfiltered, over being fake, or trying to be perfect, genuine creators over airbrushed celebrities, and having conversations around mental health, climate change, geopolitics and social justice over preachy monologues.
How brands can be Gen Z, by design
When we see these reflected in design, we find a lot of rule-breaking of ‘picture perfect’ design cues — messy yet stylish imagery (cue flash photography, exaggerated angles), true diversity that goes beyond ticking boxes, fonts that change curves and shapes, colours that go outside the lines and humour that just about manages to stay within it. Young beauty, fashion and accessories brands, and even some food and beverage brands have been able to leverage this understanding to create products and content that resonate with this audience.
A lot of brands and new businesses want to appeal to Gen Z or evolve their aesthetic to include this cohort. For that, you need to gain insight into their changing motivations and interests, and avoid seeing it as just a ‘visual revamp.’ There is merit in seeing aesthetics in terms of values and interests that an audience might prefer over others. Good design should incorporate some of the values that a consumer not only connects with, but also celebrates and pursues in their own lives.
No generation can be boiled down to having a particular kind of aesthetic, especially when you are consuming a never-ending stream of current events and content.
In the past decade, brand design has seen a positive evolution as entrepreneurs and investors have seen huge opportunities to build in India and for India. There’s more confidence in designers now to enable these businesses with tools — be it the brand identity, design language or online presence that helps brands be distinct.
I, too, am learning from my much younger colleagues. And I have to admit, there’s never a dull moment when half your team is a decade or more younger than you are.
link
.png&h=630&w=1200&q=75&v=20170226&c=1 "Woolley Marketing: To ban or not to ban advertising? | Opinions")
