VisualGPS Creative Trends Technology Visualising Technology in 2025

Are tech brands doing enough to visualise sustainability? 

Staying silent on sustainability is no longer acceptable as consumers say they are turned off by brand advertising and communications that ignore environmental realities. This is not surprising given the eco‑anxiety Europeans feel around climate change. Nearly eight in 10 Europeans want to see visuals that show how the environment is improving because of peoples’, companies’ and policy actions. Honesty is quickly becoming a new visual expectation in brands’ sustainability communications. Where there is no positive action, 81% want to see visuals that show how the environment is being affected as a direct result of climate change, and how people have personally been impacted. 

How can tech brands expand beyond visuals like solar panels and wind turbines to represent sustainable innovation? With digital transformation visuals that show how tech meets nature. Consider organic, natural forms that transform or shapes that evolve and bloom to bring sustainability solutions to life, making it feel connected to the natural world. It’s a fresh way to tell the story of innovation while resonating emotionally with audiences.

What visuals can tech brands use to foster trust around security? 

In an era of deep‑fakes and misinformation, people are not sure who or what to believe anymore. We're living in a time where the idea of truth feels almost old‑fashioned. There is a deep distrust of social media with over eight in 10 European consumers believing that social media can't be trusted to be real or accurate and that tech platforms should do a better job at monitoring and moderating their content. Cybersecurity also continues to be a top priority for tech brands and consumers. On average, companies face more than 700 social engineering attacks annually, or about 2.7 attacks every day.¹ 

So, how can brands visually address digital security and protection? By breaking down complex technology to make it more accessible and less abstract. Cybersecurity has traditionally been symbolised by shields, padlocks and fingerprints, highlighting defence and personal protection. As online protection develops, consider how the future of data ownership is set to redefine personal privacy and how that can be better captured in visual storytelling to drive brand trust. For example, showing a person using a digital wallet in everyday scenarios can help humanise the biometric technology and emphasise the emotional benefits of security, such as peace of mind and convenience.  

How can tech brands check unconscious bias around visuals? 

Diverse teams bring a wealth of perspectives, leading to better decision‑making and more innovative solutions. It’s about showing who gets to imagine the future and whose lived experiences shape the products and systems that define our daily lives. Getty Images' VisualGPS research reveals that over five in 10 tech professionals say it is important to have content that is diverse and inclusive. However, looking at European tech customers’ downloads in the last 12 months, white people are nine times more likely to appear in tech visuals than Black or Asian people.

So how can tech brands check their unconscious bias around visuals? Getty Images’ and Citibank’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion imagery toolkits help brands across all industries better understand inclusion in visual storytelling. They provide marketers, communicators and creatives with country‑specific data and insights that capture cultural and regional nuances, as well as actionable insights to create authentic and multi‑faceted depictions of people in marketing and communications. Amplifying diverse voices, highlighting environmental actions and addressing cybersecurity in visuals are three great ways that tech brands can build better trust with today’s consumers.

Sources

[1] Barracuda