Introduction

This textbook was created by faculty at two universities and is tailored to their classes. At the University of Minnesota College of Design, the class is ADES 3217, Fashion Trends and Communication. At the University of California, the class is DES 148, Trend Research and Forecasting in Design.  These classes are required for product and apparel designers, but are also taken by students in other topical areas such as journalism, retail, marketing, and business. The book is accessible through the link, and free to use in part or whole for classes taught on these and related topics.

Thank you to the Imagine funding at the University of Minnesota, which allowed completion of the book by providing funds to hire students:  Rachel Bodine, a Senior in Product Design, contributed sketches to illustrate concepts throughout chapters authored by DeLong. Graduate students on assistantships, Nancy Martin and Shiman Li, helped edit the chapters, especially the material on Trend Challenges.

The Table of Contents is as follows:

1. Trend Research & Fingertip Dictionary, by DeLong
2. Understanding Your Aesthetic Response, by DeLong
3. Developing a Collective Perspective, by DeLong
4. Trend Industry and Forecasting, by DeLong
5. Trend Drivers and Mega Trends, by Berk
6. Trend Lifecycles and Adopter Categories, by Berk
7. Trend Research Toolkit, by Berk
8. Innovations and Trend Forecasting, by Berk
9. The Form of the Trend: Design and the Body, by DeLong
10. Recognizing Trend Patterns, by DeLong

–Marilyn DeLong