The most expensive painting ever sold cost over $142 million in May 2014. The high prices of art often overshadow the artworks, while preventing most people from ever owning them. In July 2014, Swedish gallery Kosta Boda instead let people bid on works with their emotions.

From minimalist apps to the work of digital artists like Rafaël Rozendaal, there’s a growing focus on clarity and dynamism. Abstract and beautifully simplistic, this new aesthetic has the power to reach outside the screen and into our minds.

In the digital age where complacency is fatal and innovation is paramount, Polaroid are demonstrating their ability to remain relevant with the Fotobar – a concept store hoping to persuade America to print photos directly from their smartphones.

Online platform Imgur is rapidly evolving from a simple image host to a huge and highly sociable user community – and brands are taking notice. But how will Imgurians respond to brands engaging with them on their own turf?