Presentation

This course trains students to see, interpret, and apply cultural signals to drive creative innovation. Students explore art, design, fashion, media, technology, social behavior, subcultures, and everyday life, identifying patterns, emerging practices, and cultural shifts that can inspire future design, branding, and communication strategies.

Through hands-on observation, research, and conceptual experimentation, students transform intuition into structured, actionable insights. They develop a personal, signature methodology for trend research, building confidence in creative decisions and learning to connect cultural awareness to real-world professional challenges. Reflection, peer critique, and experimentation are embedded throughout, empowering students to continue independent cultural exploration beyond the course.

Aimed at

This course is designed for creatives in design, fashion, communication, branding, and innovation who want to ground their work in cultural insight, strengthen intuition, and develop a disciplined, research-driven approach to concept development and creative problem-solving.

Students must bring a laptop.

Objectives

Spot cultural signals: Identify emerging patterns, behaviors, and narratives across art, design, media, social practices, subcultures, and global, underground, and experimental cultural movements.
Transform observation into insight: Connect intuition with research to make confident, evidence-based, and professionally relevant creative choices.
Structure and curate research: Build and maintain a personal, dynamic trend library to support ongoing creative practice.
Generate conceptual directions: Use cultural insights to inform design, branding, and innovative creative projects that are portfolio-ready and industry applicable.
Communicate effectively: Present research and concepts clearly, showing how observation informs creative strategy, professional outcomes, and design execution.

Structure and content

1/ Observing Culture

Focus: Developing acute cultural awareness through active exploration.

Activities:

Explore art, design, media, technology, social spaces, subcultures, and everyday life, including global and underground cultural signals.
Collect and document signals that reveal patterns, cultural shifts, and new aesthetic directions.
Begin a personal trend library with images, notes, and reflections.
Participate in peer discussion and reflective exercises.

Key Outputs: Personal trend library, observation notes.

Key Skills & Themes: Curiosity, perceptive seeing, cultural literacy, intuition, translating observation into actionable insight.

Signature Methodology: Begin translating observation into structured, professional insights.

2/ Defining Research Focus

Focus: Choosing a research focus and curating relevant references.

Activities:

Select a specific area of interest (e.g., design, beauty, lifestyle, social behavior, creative subcultures).
Curate and organize references into a focused, structured trend library.
Connect observations to emerging ideas to identify potential conceptual directions.
Engage in peer critique to refine discernment and interdisciplinary thinking.

Key Outputs: Curated trend library, research focus statement.

Key Skills & Themes: Focus, strategic curation, insight-driven creative thinking, personal methodology development.

Signature Methodology: Structuring research to support conceptual clarity and professional application.

3/ Analyzing Observations

Focus: Transforming observations into actionable insights.

Activities:

Interpret references to uncover patterns, cultural narratives, and opportunities for innovation.
Transform observations into insights that guide concept generation.
Link research to professional conceptual directions in design, branding, and creative projects.
Participate in group reflection and critique to refine methodology and creative confidence.

Key Outputs: Analytical summary, insight maps.

Key Skills & Themes: Analytical thinking, pattern recognition, insight synthesis, informed creative decision-making.

Signature Methodology: Translating observation into structured, actionable insights with professional relevance.

4/ From Insight to Concept

Focus: Synthesizing research into professional concepts.

Activities:

Convert insights into conceptual propositions rooted in cultural observation.
Experiment with multiple conceptual directions, bridging insight with portfolio-ready creative solutions.
Refine concepts through peer review and critique for clarity, coherence, and professional presentation.

Key Outputs: Conceptual proposition, preliminary project concept.

Key Skills & Themes: Synthesis, creative articulation, translating insight into ideas, professional relevance, experimentation.

Signature Methodology: Bridging research insights to portfolio-ready, industry-applicable creative solutions.

5/ Presenting and Reflecting

Focus: Communicating research-driven concepts and reflecting on methodology.

Activities:

Present a research-driven concept, demonstrating how observation and analysis informed creative decisions.
Reflect on methodology, intuition, and personal approach to trend research.
Guidance on maintaining a dynamic trend library for ongoing creative practice.

Key Outputs: Final presentation, reflective summary, updated trend library.

Key Skills & Themes: Communication, reflection, independent practice, research-informed creativity, portfolio readiness.

Signature Methodology: Consolidating a personal, professional trend research practice.

Faculty

Laura Pedrol

My journey began after graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where I spent six years as a trend analyst and strategist at Fashion Snoops, refining my approach to cultural insights and brand strategy. I then spent three years as a Concept Strategist at Urban Outfitters in Philadelphia, exploring trends, youth culture, and creative strategy. Now based in Barcelona, I work as a freelance, helping brands stay relevant and build genuine connections with their audiences by understanding culture.

In addition to my freelance work, I teach at LCI Barcelona and Elisava, sharing my passion for trends, branding, and cultural strategy through courses like Trends, Brands & Culture and Brand Experience.