Adobe 2021 Digital Trends Report by Accurat

Every year since 2010, software provider Adobe has published its Digital Trends Report: results of an international survey taken by marketing, advertising, e–commerce, creative, and technology professionals.

The 2021 edition recorded major technological shifts, accelerated by the previous year’s pandemic. Creative Director Luca D'Ambrosio contacted us to design and develop a dynamic and innovative digital experience to convey momentous changes with ease and clarity. Additionally, we were tasked with creating a series of industry–specific print reports.

D’Ambrosio’s team worked with a Barcelona–based design studio to come up with a unique visual identity for the 2021 report. In initial meetings, we were presented with a collection of shapes to be used as the basis for a data visualization taxonomy. The designs — colorful and crystalline, with highlighted edges and degrees of transparency to convey overlap — would need to be simplified to facilitate the shape–shifting that interactivity entailed. Homing in on color, we reduced the number of aesthetic variables. As a result, both print and digital data visualizations are two–toned, for consistency.

A single, deceptively simple shape — a square partitioned by wavy lines — presented another challenge: How to calculate area without straight delineation? Our developers devised a complex formula to approximate area in proportion to percentage values.

The deployed web experience preserves the vibrancy of the partner design studio’s original designs and optimizes them for a dynamic interface. Simplified components facilitate faster load times and more fluid navigation, especially on mobile devices.

The Core Report and industry deep dives—color coded for easy identification —coexist in the consolidated webpage, obviating the need to access and sort through multiple papers.

Beyond sector, readers can customize the experience based on responses, which can be filtered by job seniority and region. Up to four topics can be chosen for analysis and comparison, giving readers the ability to fully customize the product.