Discover 10 trends shaping visual communication in 2018

Images resonate with us long after words disappear off the pages. What we shoot, the images we choose and how we use them influences our audience from year to year. It becomes important to keep track of new formats, emerging technologies and trends that determine how we communicate.

The key movements in visual communication are going to be the integration of these technologies that are now part of our reality, and a new aesthetic that is more open, honest and relatable.

We analyzed data from the Depositphotos search algorithms and collaborated with our top photographers to predict the main visual trends for 2018. Let's find out what's waiting for us in the coming year.

Perfect Strangers

The fact that we always have a smartphone with a high-quality camera at hand has also changed the way we approach street photography. Have you heard a story about a Nigerian woman who became a top model after she was accidentally photographed on the street? Stories of photographers finding their subjects in crowds are circulating around the web.

We're seeing a new approach to selecting models where ordinary people make for compelling subjects that are more relatable.

Gap, Eileen Fisher, and Modcloth have recently started using real people to promote their brands. It goes to show that we crave something more personal, and sometimes these perfect strangers are ideal examples of what we'd like to see reflected in the modeling industry.

 Artistic Expression Through Travels

 People remain the most popular subjects in stock photography. However, most of our customers are looking for the photos of people in context with nature rather than the images shot in a closed photo studio space. These types of images are among the bestsellers on stock photography websites.
More and more people are prioritizing travels. This led to a completely new way of living – «van life», when people escape their homes and return to their roots, looking for harmony with nature. It's becoming one of the most popular social media trends with more than 2 million mentions on Instagram.

When exploring remote places, people are documenting their travels and promoting a new lifestyle through their photography. Instead of dreaming about travels and indulging in adventures on holidays, people revolve their lives around travel, becoming the main heroes of their visual storytelling. These images narrow in on the importance of nature, a simple life and the much-needed getaways from busy city life.

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