Global Creative Trends in Digital Media (Infographic)

The digital world has grown increasingly visual and consumer video is expected to surpass 80 percent of internet traffic by 2019. The growth rise in visual media is a boon for both brands and digital creatives who enrich our world with stunning images, smart design, and compelling stories.

Shutterstock, a marketplace for stock photography, video footage and music analyzed the most popular searches and downloads to uncover some of the biggest creative trends to watch for 2016.

Culturally, we’re playing with the duality of being both plugged in and unplugged. The always plugged in trend includes smartwatches, virtual reality and mobile payments, while the unplugged trend includes adult coloring books and images that resonate with the wanderlust in us all.

When it comes to video, the classic elements of earth, air, fire and water are the most influential trends for 2016. Waterfalls, sunsets, the ebb and flow of the ocean, and captivating footage of animals in the wild, the video trend taps into the desire to connect with the beauty of nature.

The nature carried over into the visual trends on social media, in the form of color and human scale.

Check out the infographic below to explore more global creative trends for 2016.