What does the future hold for the creative industries? Judging by the topics preoccupying us right now, it will contain seismic shifts and exciting new developments. In this regular edition of CR, we look at the trends and ideas that are most likely to impact the way we work, and the kinds of projects we make, in the years to come.

Last year, we were focused on NFTs, robots, and the metaverse. All of those ideas are still with us, of course, but they have now been joined by plenty of new ones.

Technology understandably plays a big part in the issue. You’ll find features looking at our obsession with AI and how it might change our world; how brands can keep up with a rapidly changing social media landscape; and what the evolution of live commerce means for our shopping habits.

We also explore the changes afoot in the design industry – from typography to notifications – while Nick Farnhill, Iain Tait, and Richard Turley talk to us about how their newly formed agency, Food, is taking on Web3.

Elsewhere, we hear from illustrators about how the past often fuels the way we depict our visions of the future, and speak with Fromm, the studio that designed this issue’s cover, about subverting ‘futuristic’ 3D imagery.

As the issue shows, there are countless innovations in the creative industry to make us excited about the future. What’s less clear is who ultimately gets to be involved in making and enjoying them, so we’ve examined how to involve young people’s voices in design conversations, and also looked at why marketers tend to overlook Gen X.

There are plenty of other features to get stuck into, too, from the rise of immersive experiences in the art world to the experts pushing for conscious commissioning.

It is hard to navigate change on the scale that the world is experiencing currently, which is why we devote a whole issue of Creative Review each year to addressing the trends we all need to know about.

Pick up the Future Issue now to visit new worlds, get the chance to reassess old ones, and find all the info you need to namedrop successfully at the next company drinks.

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