Just like that, another year has passed by so quickly that we almost missed it! With a new year and a new decade, we thought we would give you all our top 20 ideas for product and design trends and products that we think are going to be hot this year! Let’s begin with what trends we think will be big this year!
Trends:
1. Custom Socks Still on the Rise
One of the big trends of 2019 was that custom socks were everywhere! With 2020, we don’t expect that trend to stop rising! Custom socks are still one of the most fun trends we’ve seen recently, and the possibilities are endless!
2. Pantone Classic Blue
Something interesting to watch every year is how Pantone’s Color of the Year influences color trends. Last year we saw Living Coral and how that vibrance influenced a year full of colors. This year’s color is Classic Blue, a much calmer color going into a new decade with a lot of uncertainty in the world. Try to incorporate that calm, classic blue into your marketing!
3. New Decoration Methods: Emboss on Sweaters
Printing has long been the same with screen printing, embroidery or digital printing leading the charge. We believe in 2020 that some new printing methods, especially more subtle ones such as emboss on sweaters will take off. This simple and clean printing method is a great way to make your logo look more like a lifestyle brand.
4. The Typography Craze!
Companies are using all sorts of different fonts for their graphics. Remember those groovy, curvy, smooth typefaces from the 60s and 70s? Those are making a huge comeback! Long gone are the days of minimalist fonts and aesthetics, it’s time to move on (or move back) to the bold and exuberant fonts for the new decade!
5. Custom Packaging
Receiving custom branded products is cool and all but receiving products in an even further customized package is even better! Custom packaging not only makes your brand seem like a more premium brand, but it adds more value to your products! In 2020, try to pair your promotional products with a custom package!
6. Shiny Metals
We’ve been noticing that many designers are using shiny metals such as gold for their logos or on their products (and we decided to join them!) These shiny metals convey luxury, class, and good taste.
7. Leather
Another classic look, leather. Leather has been around for a long time now, but all these classic looks are making a comeback for 2020! Printing on leather also ties in with those subtle but effective printing methods we talked about earlier and it’s another material that gives your brand a luxurious feel. Leather products make for great corporate gifts as leather improves over time! Try to pair leather with journals, wallets, or luggage tags!
8. Focus on Video Content
Communicating through text these days just is not enough. The best way to communicate to your clients is through video! There is a lot more space to be creative in a video, and it’s much easier to get your points across without worrying about posting a wall of text. Videos are more engaging, convenient, and emotional!
Products:
9. Straws
With the straw ban last year, reusable straws rose rapidly as a great promotional item. It’s expected that reusable straws will still be big in 2020 as not everybody has gotten fully on-board with it. Reusable straws are a great gift that can be used for a long time, adding tons of value for the product!
10. Eco-friendly items
Continuing with the reusables trend, eco-friendly items are still climbing! As climate change affects us more and more each year, many companies are moving towards more eco-friendly options for all sorts of products! Coasters, coffee sleeves, bookmarks, business cards, notepads and more!
11. Canvas tote bags
Canvas tote bags can be used for so many things, and that’s what makes them a great promotional product! They’re functional, effective, and they have a large imprint area to showcase your brand! On average, consumers hold on to promotional products for 6.6 months. With the portability of tote bags, that means consumers will be carrying around your brand and logo for nearly 7 months everywhere they go! It’s a great promotional item that you can get a ton of value out of in 2020.
12. Wearable Technology
Activity trackers, heart rate monitors, step counters. These are all great choices for promoting health and wellness! Wearable technology has been advancing at a great pace over the last few years and that won’t stop in 2020! Stay in shape for the new decade with help from wearable technology!
13. Retail-like Drinkware
Drinkware aesthetics and quality has started to take off, and more and more retail-like drinkware is now appearing. There are so many options for nice, high-quality, retail-looking bottles now. We expect 2020 to bring more of this trend!
14. Experiential Products (products made into chocolate bars – Spector)
Providing an experience rather than just a product is something that is starting to see a lot of success. Experiential marketing has seen a lot of success in recent years because people want more than just a networking event, they want that experience. The same works for products! Spector & Co did just that for International Chocolate Day where they transformed power banks and journals to look like chocolate bars!
15. Sling Bags
A huge trend of Summer 2019 was the introduction (or reintroduction) of sling bags. When Summer and festival season comes around, don’t miss your chance to get on the sling bag trend! These bags are incredibly stylish, functional, and easily customizable; a great promotional item that will see tons of value in 2020!
16. Gift Sets
Gift sets are another way to boost the value of your promotional value offer. Looking to provide your customers with a gift they won’t forget? Sometimes you need more than one item to provide that, and that’s where gift sets come in! Gift sets with similar items or themes can sometimes provide much more value than just a single item! Wine kits, tech kits, bag and journal combos, so many possibilities!
17. Bento Boxes / Portable Lunch Boxes
We started seeing this trend rise in 2019, but it is continuing in 2020 with even more options! These fun lunch boxes have a large imprint area and due to how much use you can get out of them! Use them to bring your lunches to work, or even on weekends when you go hiking or on a road trip! They are extremely portable and some even come with their own utensil kit. It’s also another win for eco-friendly!
18. Camping and Outdoor Gear
With brands such as CamelBak and YETI making their rise within the promotional industry, it’s no surprise that outdoor living is also making huge strides. A study by LinkedIn found that 70 percent of professionals don’t fully unplug from work, and 70% of professionals have a side hustle outside of their primary job. With statistics like that, it’s becoming more and more important to learn how to unplug from work and maybe enjoy the beautiful outdoors!
19. Wireless Phone Chargers (Qi Chargers)
As smartphones continue to advance, we’ll soon be saying goodbye to wires and saying hello to wireless! While this technology might not be new, every major smartphone released in the last few years have been Qi-ready. Convenience is and functionality are the main themes of this year, and what’s more convenient than putting your phone down on top of a mouse pad that charges your phone, or a regular customizable phone charger?
20. Candy and Snacks with Your Logo
Food is being used as a promotional product more and more, and for good reason! You get to customize the packaging, choose what type of candy you want to represent your brand, and it’s an extremely memorable thing to give (and enjoyable too!) There’s nothing sweeter than spreading your brand through the use of candy or other food items!
And there you have it! Our top 20 list of items and trends that we think will be huge in 2020! Remember, these are just our own predictions and we’re sure many different trends are going to pop up throughout the year. We’ll make sure we’re ready for whatever comes, but for now, we think these ideas should be safe! Happy New Year and new decade everyone! #ThinkLink