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Max Kaplun and Sebastian Speier, designers on the Shop App team at Shopify, shared their knowledge of the e-commerce landscape to inform four collections for Unsplash+.

"Merchants and brands are turning to 3D for both functional and aesthetic reasons. The 3D trends in the e-commerce landscape are mostly a pragmatic result of intersecting constraints: Function of the creative, computing power, and the brand approach to realism."

As part of this collaboration, Max and Sebastion have identified four emerging 3D trends in the world of ecomm. Four Unsplash+ contributors have created their own collection of images interpreting each trend: Juicy 3.0, Other Worldly, Render-real and Omniverse.

Trend 1: Juicy 3.0

"With the groundswell emergence of Web3 (a future iteration of the World Wide Web), a slew of associated visual tropes and signifiers has arrived. This includes a hyper-positive, futuristic, bubbly 3D style that quickly became synonymous with blockchain technology.

The aesthetic consists of soft, fluid shapes, often using highly-reflective metallic materials or those resembling high-gloss Playdoh."

Luke Jones's work perfectly embodies this trend, with his willingness to play with colors, and his ability to create different shapes, textures and finishes.

To showcase Juicy 3.0, he created: A range of bright, organic, bubbly shapes held in stasis. Inflated and deflated shapes, stacked and colliding into each other - creating relaxing abstract renders. Rounded disks and crystal balls set against a colorful landscape.

Trend 2: Other Worldly

"This trend is all about diving fully into creative expression and the psychedelic qualities 3D can achieve.

At the most extreme end of the spectrum, artists and brands fully embrace the world-making possibilities of 3D, rendering maximalist dreamscapes that would be impossible to produce with the processing power of just a few years ago.

To achieve this style, go all out, and create hyper-detailed Baroque still-lifes, all in crisp focus. The lighting is extreme, and the materials are usually highly-reflective and fluid."

Mo Motorious brought colorful, supernatural 3D worlds to the Unsplash+ library with his interpretation of Other-Worldly.

His collection was inspired by: Dreamlike worlds that offer forms of escapism. Surrealist landscapes with a touch of architecture. Imaginary spaces and interiors that evoke a sense of calm with a clean minimal aesthetic.

Trend 3: Render-Real

"Is that a photo? This trend achieves indistinguishable photorealism showing products with hyper-precise detail unattainable with a physical camera lens.

In the current global supply chain environment, brands often manufacture goods after a successful unveiling or fundraising campaign. The imagery generated upfront is almost more important than the physical good. The trend elevates physical goods to perfect dust-free status without crossing the line into overt 3D."

To capture this trend, Unsplash+ 3D artist, Allison Saeng created a collection of realistic objects in a variety of settings using perfect lighting and real-world textures.

Her Render-real collection showcases 6 concepts: Staging, Airborne, Mirage Image, Water Play, Still Life and Zen.

Staging imitates real-world photoshoots set where we use elements and objects to stage a specific manmade scene. Airborne gives off a futuristic vibe with realistic current-day textures. Mirage Image plays with a reflective surface, reflection and bright colors. Still Life creates a sense of stillness that helps enhance the product's aesthetic. Water Play is a commercial-style scene using hyper-realistic water to complement the product. And Zen is known for its elegance and simplicity, focusing on the interconnectedness of the central visual and the surrounding area.

Trend 4: Omniverse

"Gaming as a medium is ubiquitous to our generation. Many brands use gaming aesthetics to speak the language of a younger audience. In contrast, others forgo the IRL experience entirely and branch out into virtual goods, skins, and connect a global community of true fans.

This trend will continue to dominate and proliferate our day-to-day as gaming merges deeper into the cultural discourse and game aesthetics and UX dominate our daily online existence."

Shubham Dhage created a collection of 3D images that heavily play on the world of online gaming. His final images celebrate multiple gaming tropes from VR headsets to mobile games to Tetris.

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Curious to partner with us on an Unsplash+ collection? Reach out, we’d love to make magic happen — plus@unsplash.com