When it comes to trends, it’s usually nostalgia that shapes the cyclical patterns we see cropping up again and again. Just as the ’90s and the year 2000 had a massive impact on current design trends through kitschy color palettes and retro ’90s-inspired web design, the 2010s seem to be the next decade in which branding is making a comeback.
Although it wasn’t that long ago, the 2010s were a decade of diverse and evolving aesthetics, from indie sleaze and gritty grunge revival to kitschy indie and hipster trends inspired by the ’60s and ’70s. These were the years when the internet completely changed pop culture thanks to the rising popularity of platforms like Tumblr and Instagram. Tumblr in particular laid the foundation for social media as we know it today, bringing subcultures and fandoms into the mainstream in new, globally accessible ways that celebrated community and shared creativity.
What has become recognizable as the “Tumblr aesthetic” is a deliberately unique collage of different styles that highlight individualism and personal expression in a way that is ideal for new generations to revitalize with a new twist.
While there is no consistent “look” this decade, it’s not surprising that the nostalgic, eclectic aesthetic of these platforms is making a resurgence as 2010s teens become more influential decision-makers in the workplace. These are just a few examples of how visual trends from 2010s online culture are influencing brands today:
01. Grainy Lo-Fi Photography
(Image credit: Domino Records/XL Recordings)
The power of 2010s nostalgia lies in its ability to transport people back to an often somewhat indeterminate era. For example, at the beginning of the decade, artists and bands like The Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend popularized a grainy style of photography that was intentionally blurry and nostalgic, romanticizing ’90s grunge in a way that made it almost timeless. A similar aesthetic approach permeated campaigns from brands like All Saints and Comme des Garçons throughout the decade, with an emphasis on capturing natural rather than staged moments.
(Image credit: Commes des Garçons)
Lo-fi digital images and Polaroid-like filters dominated Instagram in the early 2010s, capturing the raw, unadulterated imagery that originally defined the platform before a cleaner and more professional influencer culture took over. Today, as consumers grow tired of the ultra-curated and retouched social content that has become ubiquitous across various platforms, we’re seeing a resurgence of this rougher, faded aesthetic in branded content.
Brands like Urban Outfitters, Free People, and Youthforia have continued to embrace this quasi-underground, raw aesthetic in their photography more than a decade later, and the style seems to resonate particularly well with Gen Z audiences, for whom authenticity is paramount.
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(Image credit: Pentagram)
In the early 2010s, creatives on both Tumblr and Instagram gravitated toward a burgeoning DIY ethos, sharing unpolished, often unfinished work on their grids. One of this year’s biggest design trends, cluttercore can trace its roots to the eclectic Tumblr aesthetic of the 2010s and embraces creative experimentation and imperfection in sometimes chaotic ways.
Much like the platform’s content and community building, this trend is all about identity and passion. At its core is a core principle of self-expression and celebration of individuality, where overlapping graphics, torn edges, textures and chaotic, collage-like effects combine with bright and often clashing colors to great effect.
Another backlash against pristine, digitally manipulated images, this current design trend is reminiscent of the digital scrapbooking that marked the height of Tumblr’s success, with its overlapping graphics and chaotic, collage-like effects.
03. Soft grunge and moody palettes
(Image credit: All Saints)
While 2010s indie sleaze had its roots in grunge, it tended toward a spare, saturated color palette captured with flash photography. But around the same time, a grunge-inspired aesthetic was also rampant online, combining darker, moodier tones with softer pastels and more feminine elements—and it seems that this trend is resurfacing today in trends like “grunge coquette” in interior design.
Similarly, we can see other integral elements of the Tumblr girl grunge aesthetic that this trend represents, which can now be found in a number of popular brands such as Dr. Martens and All Saints. While All Saints has taken the trend in its packaging and store design, some brands have gone even further, launching an entire soft grunge collection of Faber-Castell Cosmetics, for example.
It remains to be seen whether these trends will have a lasting impact on branding in the future. However, the 2010s were a decade of significant digital disruption: visual culture was forever changed by online platforms that fundamentally altered our social fabric. It’s no surprise that we’re seeing trends from that era resurface in a time of even faster technological change: a time that now seems much simpler in retrospect.
