How’d We Do? Grading the 2022 Dieline Trend Report

“Don’t look back. You can never look back.”

As an obnoxious record collector with an inexplicable aversion to the Eagles, likely spurred by THAT scene from THAT movie, I regret to admit that I spend a lot of time—too much time—thinking about Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer.” The song is in the canon of a sentimental strain of 80s dad rock that starts to speak to you as you become a person of a certain age. I can only tell you that those sentiments you’re feeling when you first really experience the song are beyond your control and that Henley is talking about a lot more than just a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac—that much is incredibly obvious. But there’s a good nugget of advice tucked away in there, especially if you’re a person prone to looking back and relitigating the past.

That also applies to design in a lot of ways, too, and most other creative endeavors. Don’t get stuck in the past. Don’t linger on what you’ve already done. Be a shark, and keep going, dammit.