Hello Futurist,
We can all agree that while dystopian, hyper-digital, and machine-dominated futures tend to dominate popular culture, they’re far from the only possibilities. Some visions are mystical and centered on spirituality, some are communal and regenerative, others are driven by cultural reawakening.
All of them live within future genres: narrative worlds (think Cyberpunk or Afrofuturism) that stretch our imagination and challenge default futures. This week, we’re exploring how these genres can be used as foresight tools, helping us uncover alternative paths and reimagine what’s possible.
Here’s what’s inside this issue:
The Tool: we’ll look at future genres as foresight frameworks to help us stretch our thinking and surface alternative futures.
Step Into the Future: we’ll play with one of these genres and apply its values to reimagine what beauty and wellness might look like through its lens.
Back to the Present: we’ll extract practical insights and ideas brands can start exploring today.
Let’s jump right in.
THE TOOL
✦ What Are We Talking About? ✦
Future genres originate from speculative fiction, art, and cultural movements. They are imaginative portrayals of the future, often driven by communities historically marginalised in mainstream futurism. While not developed as formal foresight tools, they’ve been increasingly used by designers, strategists, and futurists (like Monika Bielskyte or Stuart Candy) to inspire worldbuilding, scenario creation, and strategic visioning.
✦ How It Works ✦
To use future genres as a foresight tool, think of them as frameworks for exploration. Here’s how to work with them step by step:
Selecting a future genre: start by choosing a genre that captures a specific vision of the future.
Unpacking its values & aesthetics: look at what norms, ethics, technologies, and social structures define this genre?
Worldbuilding from this lens: imagine your industry within the rules of this genre.
Identifying strategic implications: what changes in consumer values, product development, or brand storytelling?
Prototyping and building: create narratives, concepts, or campaigns based on this genre-driven future.
✦ Why It Matters ✦
For professionals, future genres are a creative way to challenge mainstream trends and surface emergent values, aesthetics, and identities. They foster inclusive innovation and help build strategies around desirable, pluralistic futures, which are especially valuable in industries intertwined with identity, culture, and aspiration.
STEP INTO THE FUTURE
Future genres reflect deeper cultural desires, fears, and values. To better understand how they differ from one another, I’ve mapped a selection of popular genres across a simple 2-axis matrix:
From Utopian (hopeful, idealistic futures) to Dystopian (bleak, cautionary futures).
From Human-Centered (community, emotion, spirituality) to Tech-Centered (innovation, AI, systems).
