Signs From the Future: What Is To Come

As we continue moving forward technologically, what will the near future look like in comparison to how we see it today? One designer from Argentina, Fernando Barbella, has set himself out to try and answer that very question. Using his digital mashup designing skills, Barbella presented several different images all within a single topic – “Signs from the near future“!

Each design incorporates futuristic signs and symbols into a scene we’d see everyday. While the future is likely to be much more spectacular than our minds are able to comprehend, Barbella’s designs certainly force the viewers to question what exactly is coming and what they’re to prepare for.

Shown in each image are slight tweaks of what first appears to be your everyday photos of the early 21st century. These tweaks include A.I. elevators, human biotech augmentation, drones and driverless cars—all of which are huge topics of interest lately in the fields of science and technology. What these image designs do is present a somewhat realistic look into how emerging technologies will reshape modern society and how modern society will respond as a result.

In some cases the designer sees the near future in too pessimistic an outlook, given the clear bureaucratic regulations of some of these technologies presented, but overall I find the designs quite refreshing insofar that they force my mind to keep racing with ideas and imaginations of what all possibilities there are for our future as information technologies continue to grow exponentially. Perhaps, with such power, these designs will spark greater interest in the future and ensure that it’ll be a positive one.

For more of Barbella’s designs, be sure to check out and subscribe to his Tumblr page.

PC: Fernando Barbella