Pinterest Predicts’ Trends for 2023 Look Good on Paper

For the fourth year in a row, Pinterest Business has produced their “not-yet-trending”  Pinterest Predicts 2023 report, detailing what they believe may be the hottest new trends for 2023. Over 500k trending search terms were analyzed to make this year’s list. The 27 trends fit into categories like beauty, fashion, home and well-being, but they also represent stylistic approaches that can be incorporated into print design for the new year. Over the past three years, 80% of the predictions became full-on trends and they also tended to take off 20% faster, last 20% longer and inspired across a larger audience on Pinterest versus other platforms. 

Impact on design

There are a few stand-out themes that span multiple audiences and categories. Color trends like Gemini hair, rust married and wildflours highlight a new mixture of bright colors with natural tones. While these are not graphic design specific, yearbook staffs can look to these color inspirations when creating their color palette. Hipstoric  home search terms like “eclectic interior design vintage” and “mixing modern and antique furniture” are up by 850% and 530%, respectively. This home décor trend represents the many people finding vintage décor as a sustainable option, choosing to honor family heirlooms and blending the things they love without following someone else’s style guidelines. It’s a trend that can impact your yearbook design as well as your coverage of students who have embraced this aesthetic choice. 

This lean toward a creative mix of vintage and modern styles can also be seen in Team Jukebox’s graphic design trends for 2023. If you’re looking to add more character to your text, maximalist designs like expressive, “rule-breaking”  typography will be popular this year, while minimal vintage style “hearkens back to a  simpler time when everything was made by hand with an eye for detail.” Not sure if to go minimalist or maximalist? Brutalism is a mix of both, incorporating functional design with the rawness and bright colors of Y2K. 

Putting pen to paper

A prominent thread in these trends is a desire for authenticity and breaking barriers – going back to basics while intentionally breaking tradition. This matches the seemingly contradicting attitudes that fueled the trends in Pinterest Predicts 2023 – a  dark optimism, bright creativity and a dystopian sense of humor. Think Wednesday Addams meets Enid Sinclair from the Netflix show “Wednesday”.  

These trends should be considered as you plan your yearbook ladder. As the conversation over mental health has been normalized in recent years, many are taking digging deeper into self-improvement and self-care as a worthwhile journey toward holistic well-being. Trends like primal movement, now processing and good on paper place a focus on the analog side of creative expression and self-improvement.  While primal movement concentrates on anti-tech exercises to improve posture and combat “tech neck,” now processing emphasizes alternatives to talk therapy like expressive art, art journaling and writing therapy. In fact, searches for “writing therapy” have increased by 1840% and “art journal therapy” has increased by a  whopping 3755%. The date different trend might impact your student dating coverage, showcasing the desire for unique date ideas. Survey your student body to see which of these are most relevant and popular at your school.  

Behind the trends

If this year brings opportunities to rethink tradition or repurpose the old to mix it with the new, celebrate those moments! For print, this means it is a great year to try out a  new, bold style – think bright colors mixed with neutrals, repurposed vintage and artistic representation of the mundane. You can pare down and go back to basics with a refreshing twist or go all-in on weirdcore chic. 

The gradual relaxation of restrictions in the wake of the pandemic has led to more introspection and empowerment in the midst of turbulent times. Most audiences will be looking for ways to be the main character of their stories this year as they bring moments into focus and add value to their lives in personal ways. 

If your publication can provide an inclusive and freeing space where your readers feel empowered to express their creativity, that’s going to look good on paper.