For industrial designers, product developers or manufacturers who simply wish to discover the latest design trends, several methods can be applied toward the attainment of this aim. These individuals may be interested in the analysis of the latest design trends due to several factors that may be determined by their occupation. For instance, the product developer may interested in knowing what the latest design trends are so as to keep up with the current taste of consumers in the development of new concepts for products. The manufacturer may be interested in the latest design trends in order to strategically channel its production of goods to reflect the current products, which will lead to both a maximization of sales and an increase in market leadership profile. Accordingly, the methods for the analysis of the latest design trends will be dictated by the particular use and the person conducting the analysis.
In the case of the product developer and the industrial designer, two related fields in the sense that product development is derived from the wider field of industrial design, the reason for the interest in the latest design trends is usually the desire to keep up with the tastes of customers so as to design products according to such tastes. For example, something that may be the current craze among a certain demographic might be analyzed and improved upon. This can be seen in situation where pre-teen develop a trend for wearing bracelets or a certain type of sneakers. In this case, the job of the product designer will be to come up with a competitive concept regarding the product with the aim of capitalizing on the trending design. Other areas for the analysis of the latest design trends may be a style of building, a style of designing homes, or a style of constructing furniture.
For manufacturers, an interest in the latest design trends is usually with an eye toward their financial bottom line. As such, businesses usually have a more involved and expansive manner for the determination of trends, which is usually included in their budget for market analysis. Such a process involves a concerted study of a defined market segment with the aim of finding out their preferences. For instance, the company could study the trend among middle-aged women and men with a view to focusing their efforts toward that area.