Google Trends
Google is finding strong evidence in search engine and Youtube results from Gen Z, how important aesthetics are for this generation. The massive volume of content created and consumed on YouTube, that is centered around specific aesthetics, is showing a trend that is persistent.
Aesthetics in Digital Marketing
Nowadays, many websites are visuallly pleasing and include a great amoutn of beautiful, lseek images. From website design, to social media accounts, brand present full identities that people can recognize and connect with.
From rustic and idyllic themes, chollarly and educational, to a pink Y2K explosion. In modern marketing, how you present your brand has become more important than ever before.
Modern design has driven trends to become more simplistic since the invention of the internet, and the popularity of online marketing. And with the popularity of aesthetics, people are finding new ways of trying to catch the attention of potential clients by standing out through presenting identities people recognize.
People have little time, everything moves faster, and with that the importance of making people pause has become a must for online business, and here’s where the power of strong aesthetics comes in.
Examples of popular aesthetics
There are hundreds of aesthetics, and wikis dedicated to them. Google highlighted some of the more popular aesthetics, which Gen Z used to find content they were interested in, during the 2020 pandemic. Which all seem to fit the themes of optimism, nostalgia and slowing down.
Cottagecore
Cottagecore aesthetics embodies a simpler way of living, visualized in in homespun-looking fashion, candles, florals, and earth tones. It reached 50 million views on Youtube in 2020. A famous example of Cottagecore, is Taylor Swift’s 2020 album ‘Folklore’, which embodies this countryside aesthetic.
Dark Academia
The dark academia aesthetic is like a secret societies for scholars. It’s a fashion style which mixes gothic, prep school fashion and Victorian academic aesthetics. Think Harry Potter’s Hogwarts meets secret societies. They may at all times either be investigating or solving crimes or discussing JK Rowling.
Royaltycore
The royaltycore aesthetic, resembles lavish European monarchies, ranging from Arthurian times (5th and 6th centuries) to the Belle Époque period (late 19th century). Such as Kirsten Dunst’s performance in the 2006 film ‘Marie Antoinette’, with a slight gothic twist, and an accent on decadence.
Y2K
The Y2K aesthetic in short nostalgia for the start of the millennium, also for people who were too young to experience it for themselves. It’s optimism and fashion of the late 1999s and early 2000s. Where much of tech was new, Paris Hilton was the ‘it’ girl, and sweatpants were acceptable fashion.
Harmonious Color Palettes
One example from recent years where the strength of aesthetic is very immediate, is in K-pop, and especially in their music videos. They often have multiple outfit and hair changes, multiple elaborate and custom made sets and very distinct color use.
Such harmonious color palettes, are a combination of a base color, an accent color, and complimentary neutrals. The colors are chosen by how colors match or contrast each other, and the type of message they should aim to convey.
Different aesthetics will have very different color palettes that match. For example, Y2K aesthetics have a lot of bring pink, but dark academia are often more neutral colors.
Images and Visuals
These aesthetics are visualized on social media; in tiktoks, instagram posts, discord avatars, and the kinds of gifs and emojis people use. This could present as in intro to a video for a cottagecore video may be a lot more minimalistic, than a Y2K intro, which could include early 3d models and blinking lights.
For brands with is a way of connecting with their audience or customers. In how elaborate or simple logos are, the words used on your website, different social media presence and how you talk to people, all come together in the identity of your brand, and how you are perceived.
Aesthetics are a way of saying “You and me are not that different”.
Brand Identity
In essence, aesthetics are a part of a brand identity. Surely not every business needs one, but it can be useful to know which group of people identifies with your brand, how they talk, what they do, what they look like, and how they interact.
Ultimately it can make it easier to intersect and interact with your community, and that is what is going to make your brand identity authentic feel.
