There is a saying among trend forecasters; those who can't do, and those who can, forecast. Working with clients on a global basis, I am aware of this again and again. Always concerned about the here and now, they forever fail to see the new and next. They 'do' without thinking, and what thinking they do is done without imagination. Part of the forecaster's job is to challenge this process, and the job of this book is to provide you with the tools,techniques and methodologies to become the kind of forecaster that makes these challenges profitable, innovative and professionally accurate.

Sharp, in-depth and highly visual, this is the textbook and teaching aid for students and tutors keen to know more about the world of trends, trend forecasting and consumer-insight techniques.

Trends are a fundamental part of our emotional,physical and psychological landscape, and by forecasting trends, or using them to anticipate what is new and next in the world, we can begin to understand what drives and motivates consumers.This can help to make the difference between a product or design that sells and one that languishes on the shelf.

This 'how to' book provides design students with skills to understand and track trends and use them to inform their research, design and product development. The book takes us through the world of trend forecasting and consumer insight in a step-by-step way, with quotes, interviews and case studies of the field's key players.

Martin Raymond is the co-founder of The Future Laboratory, a consumer-insight, trend-forecasting and brand-strategy agency whose clients include American Express, Louis Vuitton, Laurent-Perrier,Absolut, BMW, Lamborghini and Conde Nast. He is a regular media commentator on trends and business for the BBC, and maintains a busy schedule of lecturing at colleges and universities. He is also a contributing editor for Wired UK and a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. Martin has written several books including The Tomorrow People: Future Consumers and How to Read Them (2003) and was co-author of CrEATe (2008).

Foreword

Timeline

Chapter One The Anatomy of a Trend

Chapter Two The Trend Forecaster's Toolkit

Chapter Three Intuitive Forecasting

Chapter Four Network Forecasting

Chapter Five Cultural Triangulation

Chapter Six Scenario Planning

Chapter Seven Insight, Strategy and Innovation

Notes

Glossary

Index

Picture Credits

Acknowledgements