25 Trends Transforming Architecture and Design

Look beyond the challenges of the current business landscape and you will find opportunities for success.

"While you can't afford to be in denial about the recession, you don't want to fully participate in it, either," reminds DesignIntelligence Founding Editor James P. Cramer. Cramer co-chairs the Design Futures Council, an interdisciplinary network of design, product, and construction leaders who explore global trends and challenges.

{trends,align=left}Look beyond the challenges of the current business landscape and you will find opportunities for success, he notes. This is one promise of the 2009 Trends Forecast of Architecture and Design published in the January/February issue of DesignIntelligence.

The annual trends forecast uses an approach that solicits the opinions of design's most eminent thought leaders as well as the wide-ranging experience of the Design Futures Council's think tank. A number of bright spots are revealed in the analysis. According to Cramer, these opportunities will be won by design firm leaders who resist the vortex of cynicism and doom, instead coaxing their energy to where it can make a difference. "You can get on top of today's opportunities. You can focus on the new and satisfying horizon, and you can get ahead of the curve," he says.

Of the 25 trends highlighted in the January/February issue of DesignIntelligence, some are surprising only by virtue of the current economic scene. For example, while green issues were once considered something of a luxury, sustainability has become a value-adding aspect to nearly every type of product and service. That won't change even in the face of current recession, predicts DesignIntelligence.

Non-traditional services and innovation are also trends cited at worth attending to in 2009 and beyond. This falls right in line with the need to be distinctive in a bland economic landscape.

"Leadership is defined during times when challenges are greatest," Cramer reminds readers. "In your firm you can be leading the way to a more hopeful future."

This is the most in-depth annual foresight published by DesignIntelligence, one that reveals actionable advice that design firm leaders can use today.

Insight that will inform and inspire:

* 25 Trends Transforming Architecture and Design Practice
* 16 Design Econometric Trends
* 10 Residential Design Trends
* Architecture and Design Services Forecast
* Forecasts by Project Type
* Trending of the Trends: What's Gaining Significance; What's Losing Significance

Plus penetrating feature articles from top architecture and design firm leaders.

Order DesignIntelligence January/February 2009