2026 Design Trends
It is only right for a creative team to survey the current landscape of trends and make an educated guess of what will continue to be popular, emerge supreme, or evolve into the next big thing. Last year, we made some predictions around bold minimalism, scrapbook aesthetic, and the persistence of the vertical video. Bold, hyper-minimalism (sometimes even leaning clean and sanitary) has definitely persisted across large tech companies, like Friend.com. Vertical video has also only continued to increase in popularity, expanding past short form content into television series and movies all viewable in a vertical aspect ratio.
Here are our predictions for 2026.
Muted Tones
Brands and trends will adopt a preference for muted tones versus bright or simple colors. Colors like sage, cement, and lavender (all rooted, earth tones) will all increase in popularity. This goes hand and hand with tech minimalism trends, but incorporates the personality and organic calm that younger generations resonate with. - Ilmaa, Project Manager
Minimal & Sculptural Packaging
In 2026, packaging design, particularly in the beauty space, is moving towards a cleaner and minimalistic look. Cécred sets a strong example with minimal, sculptural packaging branding that feels modern and premium without being overdone. On the conceptual side, Lyon & Lyon’s Fabricá explores a similar approach through muted colors and subtle textures. Together, these examples reflect a growing trend for beauty packaging that feels purposeful, refined, and confident in its simplicity. -Jada, Graphic Designer
Human Centered Stories
I predict a return to authentic content and human-based stories. In the past few years, we’ve seen an exponential growth in AI-generated content across social media. Amongst this saturation of artificial content, I believe that we’ll see more of an emphasis on and desire for real, human-centered stories as companies seek to ground their brand in what is authentic and real. An example of this could be seen in more of a documentary-esque style of storytelling, with companies creating campaigns that focus on telling the stories of their customers and clients. - Jon, Videographer
Mixed Media
Design in 2026 will feature mixed media elements that focus on combining photos, 3D objects, hand drawn illustrations, and textures that interact to create bold, attention grabbing designs. This allows for personality and creativity to shine in brands that seek to bring a human touch to their visuals. - Carly, Designer & Editor
Sarah Hanson, www.absolut.com
Transport for London: Liangliang Luo, xMx Design
Genuine & Inclusive Visuals
Audiences are gravitating toward imagery that feels real rather than overly polished. Diversity, imperfection, and honesty are becoming central to visual storytelling. Instead of glossy perfection, brands are embracing hand-rendered typography, character-driven layouts, and photography/videography that mirrors the true reflection of their audiences as well as the story being told. The result is work that feels approachable, human, and emotionally resonant. -CP Phan, Partner
Anti-Grid Web Design
Over the years, we’ve seen a resurgence of minimalist, grid-based website layouts. I predict that in 2026, there will be a desire to stray from this. We’ll likely see more free-flowing structures that lay the foundation for sites with greater personality while still maintaining ease of use. -Natalie, Web Designer
Via Etherealmag.com
