Keep Up with the Top Back to School Design Trends for 2014
Last year, parents with school-age children spent an average of $635 on back-to-school shopping, while parents of college students spent $837, according to the National Retail Federation Federation. No matter how you did in math class, you know that adds up to a lot of pencils, paper, backpacks and more.
You want to make sure your back-to-school spending counts, but helping your kids choose their supplies can be a next-to-impossible task: One year they're into pink, the next year, not so much. To help you avoid having to buy (and rebuy) school supplies based on your children’s interests, we asked Chad Kendall, Staples’s manager of design and innovation, and Riann Hinkel, trend forecaster with consumer, design and retail trend consulting firm Sphere Trending, to offer some insights on what all the cool kids will be carrying, using and wearing this fall.
What are some of the biggest style trends parents and students can expect to see when doing their back-to-school shopping this year?
Look for a fresh update on youthful designs, inspired by the colors and patterns of Brazil. Thanks to the 2014 World Cup in Rio, we expect bold, bright colors and over-the-top patterns to really be significant — and to continue to be popular because of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.
We are also seeing strong influences from the world of Instagram and photo app filters. Keep an eye out for imagery depicting a laid-back lifestyle influenced by festival culture, sun-washed days and a slightly bohemian vibe. You’ll notice a lot of photos capturing landscapes, juxtaposed with layers of muted colors and simple graphics.
A third trend that will be popular for the upcoming year will involve the study of science. The worlds of botany, astronomy, geometry and entomology will collide for a colorful look at the natural world. These patterns and graphics are best represented with cooler and natural colors, but with pops of silver and gold that really make the graphics dynamic.
What’s interesting is that we tend to see trends that fall into the back-to-college category one year evolve and trickle down into back-to-school trends the next year as the younger set tends to draw inspiration from and also aspires to be like older students. And now, because almost all kids have the tools at their fingertips to research trends and fashion, we see these evolutions happen faster and more often.
How are students' lives contributing to these style trends?
One thing that’s so important to kids is their ability to keep their fingers on the pulse — actually, to even set the pulse — for design and inspiration, rather than be told by their parents what the top trends are. They are more involved with back-to-school shopping and purchases than ever before, and because they have so much design savvy, they usually know exactly what it is they want before they even set foot in a store.
If parents want their kids to be excited about school and their new gear, what should they look for when buying back-to-school supplies?
These kids are the smartest generation ever. They get global inspiration 24/7 via social media. Back-to-school used to mean looking like everyone else. Now it’s cool to stand out. Students have raised the bar for what excites them, looking for color, design and interactive products that are totally unique.
School supplies with surprise details — such as ones that combine with tech accessories — will really wow students. And licensees are seeing a big surge in popularity for products that have kids’ favorite characters on them.
Any specific examples of those licensees?
Well, we’re excited about the partnerships we’ve established with Nickelodeon and Teen Vogue. Our team worked really hard to produce products exclusive to Staples that feature patterns developed by the Nickelodeon and Teen Vogue teams. Our assortment of products will have characters from Nickelodeon, such as SpongeBob Squarepants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while Teen Vogue has identified fashions from the runway, placed onto product