Design & Brand Trends for 2025–2026
Here’s what I’m watching in design + brand for 2025–2026 — and how to turn the noise into momentum:
1: Culture > Campaign
The brands winning aren’t chasing trends—they’re shaping them. TikTok’s latest report shows: participation-first creative beats polished broadcast spots. If your brief doesn’t ask “what cultural energy are we convening?”, it’s already late.
2: Creator-led brands are the new playbook
SKIMS, Momentum Shake, Stanley, Woof—distribution now is audience. These brands prove creators aren’t media placements; they’re co-architects of product and story.
3: Maximalism makes a comeback
We’ve swung from sterile minimalism to confident expression—oversized type, texture, bold palettes. Adobe’s 2025 roundup calls it “bold minimalism.” Little Spoon has bright and vibrant packaging while having the need they solve up front and center. Translation: turn the volume up on meaning, not on mess.
4: Anti-category as a category
Liquid Death shows the power of coherence through contradiction: metal cans for water, dark humor for wellness. It’s not shock—it’s consistency of POV.
5: Social = Search = Storefront
People discover, validate, and buy without leaving the feed. Design implications: assets built natively for each platform; thumb-stopping over brand-book-perfect.
6: Packaging as media
Shelf used to be destination—now it’s content. QR as ritual, limited drops, tactile finishes that look good on camera. Packaging is your first impression and your shareable moment.
7: AI as accelerant, not author
The edge isn’t the tool—it’s taste. Use AI to widen exploration, not water down the brand. Distinctive direction still wins.
8: Heritage reimagined
Nostalgia stays hot, but the wins remix heritage into modern values—like Coach blending legacy with cultural access.
9: Community as conversion design
FOMO funnels are fading. “Belonging loops” win: loyalty programs that reward participation, not just purchase.
10: Principles worth stealing
• Design for participation > perfection.
• Ship variation, then measure distinctiveness.
• Let packaging perform on camera.
• Protect an ownable POV.
• Build a system that metabolizes culture without losing its center.
Brands I’m watching: SKIMS, Momentum Shake, Woof, Liquid Death, Little Spoon, Coach, and the wave of indie CPGs using maximalism to punch above their spend. In the end, the job isn’t predicting the next trend—it’s designing the conditions to adapt fast, stay human, and stand for something real.