t

his year, social trends have been interpreted into inspiration themes by choosing a single flower to communicate the message for each season of the year. Using this “leading flower” in every bouquet and arrangement is an effective way of making the transition to floral arrangements and illustrating the product’s versatility.

The “leading flower” takes the spotlight like a diva, but a diva also requires a supporting cast, a fact that emphasises the need for other flowers in an arrangement.

CLARIFICATION - SIMPLIFICATION
The vast amount of possibilities is clouding the consumer’s range of vision, creating a need for clarity, openness and simplicity. The latest technological products have a clean look - no fancy frills, few if any buttons – and are easy to use. Transparent communication is becoming more and more important, honesty and clarity are valued.

SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT
In our increasingly individual world we have even more need for making contact. People are choosing their own relevant mix of media to accomplish this, whether it’s networking websites, text messaging or second life. We are looking for greater depth, we want to express our feelings and we spend more time contemplating the meaning of life. Somethingism is the fastest growing religion today. Social involvement is increasing, and charitable causes are again a popular phenomenon. Normalities and values are important once again. The morals of society have become a reality.

NEW ECO - WELLBEING
The environment and climate change have our full attention these days. We are worried about the future and our health therefore anything related to preserving our natural environment is important to us. We are surrounding ourselves with natural products, we want to have flowers and plants around us and we believe in the tension-reducing, restorative powers of Mother Nature. Authenticity and origins are important but, unlike the eco movements of previous decades, not at the cost of luxury and convenience. And this is precisely what makes today’s eco movement unlike the eco movements of previous decades when hedonistic values were unimportant.

IMAGINATION - CREATIVITY
We look at life more positively than we did a few years ago, and this is letting us make greater use of our creative capacities. Besides all the awareness and tension-reducing movements, there also has to be more scope for imagination. The process of product design is taking advantage of using humour and imagination. We have a need for products that come with (or suggest) a story. We don’t want to live in a world of fantasy, instead we want to integrate imaginative elements into our everyday lives.