Crystal ball: Transform readers’ predictions for 2026

We asked brand design leaders worldwide for their biggest predictions for 2026. Many foresee a backlash against AI-generated output, while others predict a year of maximalist design and the rise of sonic branding. Here’s what they said…

Almas Ahmed, strategy director, Conran Design Group 

The end of visual identity as the ‘main event’

In 2026, strong brands will stop focusing on the consistency of their brand identities and start creating brand worlds that audiences can engage with and participate in. It's been proven that recognition without participation doesn't build value; people remember what they do, not what they're shown.

As consumers become more passive, brands need to stop doubling down on visual consistency and start designing brand worlds that people can live in and remember. This doesn't mean the death of the logo, but it does mean the end of visual identity as the ‘main event.’

Strong brand worlds must be designed for real change: habits formed, feelings shifted, behaviours learned. Visual systems can be easily replicated; lived experiences take years to build and coordinate. The strongest brands will design brand world experiences as stories that people live, rather than just observe. 

Andrew Vucko, founder and executive creative director, Vucko 

Motion design will become strategic

Motion has become essential for brands, and 2026 is when they’ll double down. As culture and technology move at hyper-speed, motion systems will become the anchor that lets brands flex without losing themselves. From large-scale activations at the Sphere to the pace of the feed to the next cultural spark, brands need motion that knows when to push and when to pause. In 2026, motion will become strategic: the year brands create the rules so they can recognise exactly which ones to break. 

Anja Bauer, director brand strategy and creative director, Fabular Agency 

Brands with meaning will resonate with consumers

In the world of everything, we need meaning. Meaningful brands will be the only ones that will create an impact in the marketplace because consumers want something that’s real. No fakes, just real stuff, whether emotions or services, or images. In the world of AI, craftsmanship will be key in offering differentiation. People hunger for something they can relate to, something like Seinfeld in branding.

Well, that is our prediction: real brands, real experiences that invite others to first live vicariously via social media and later to partake in the real experience. Meaningful brands are also believable brands; they are more trustworthy. Agencies’ roles will be to give meaning to brands, no matter what industry it is. 

Anna Tugetam, director of brand, Luminous 

Marketing leaders will turn to branding

We’re excited to see that branding is back! According to McKinsey’s 'State of Marketing Europe 2026’ report, the area where marketing leaders feel the most urgent need to act, is brand building and authenticity. This makes sense to us. Getting back to the basics of what a strong brand is about: clarity, differentiation, creativity and uniqueness. In crowded B2B sectors specifically, where brands are working hard to build trust, we are already seeing more clients come to us to gain a clear understanding of who they are and how they show up. Brand building is about creating long-term trust, and in the era of AI, trust is a top asset. 

Porcsalmi Balázs, founder and creative director, Rubikom 

A good year for Eastern European agencies...?

Creative studios from Eastern Europe could gain relevance by leading with strategy, not just execution. 

Eastern Europe hasn’t traditionally shaped global brand strategy. A shorter history of formal education in branding and advertising meant many creative studios focused on adapting Western models and excelling at craft rather than originating strategy. That path also shaped a pragmatic mindset: working with constraints, imperfect briefs and real business needs. As AI flattens aesthetics and makes surface-level design easier to replicate, value shifts toward clarity, problem-solving and honest positioning. In 2026, studios that combine strong craft with authentic, culture-aware thinking could move from execution led roles to trusted strategic partners.

Becky King, executive creative director, Dragon Rouge

More emotional design will win

Harsh times call for human kindness and emotional intelligence in our design and branding.

Design that’s less about robots and cold facts, more about people, their real everyday challenges and passionate desires.

Design that’s less constrained by data, more wide-eyed and open-hearted, demanding attention and intrigue.

Design that’s less about perfection and shallow immediacy, more about curiosity and a tactility you can’t ignore.

Design that’s less targeted and more open to diverse audiences, accessible design as standard and considerate to a range of needs and viewpoints.

Less political, more emotional.

Ben Wynn-Owen, creative director, Together Agency 

A shift in what is seen as valuable, but not how people expect. 

Re-creation will become faster and cheaper as AI rolls out design effortlessly. This can be good or bad. It depends on the quality of thinking at the start: whether we raise the floor or the ceiling. In that world, the greatest value will lie in original creation, not the following re-creation. 

Those who offer real value will be the ones who can imagine exciting new solutions that don’t yet exist, then use modern tools to bring them to life and scale them quickly. AI will change how we work, but it won’t decide what’s worth creating. For true creativity, the future is bright. 

Cinzia Malerba, chief of strategy, CBA Italy 

A shift toward culture strategy

Until now, brand strategy has focused on relevance, mapping existing cultures so brands can join and ideally lead current conversations. What is taking shape today is a shift towards culture strategy, where the focus moves from participating in culture to shaping what comes next. 

Modern branding will be increasingly concerned with identifying deep societal tensions and translating them into visions that guide behaviour. This reflects a transition from consumer insight to cultural foresight. Brands might become infrastructures for new behaviours. 

In an era of fluid, cross-digital subcultures, AI reaches its limit. It can process patterns, but it cannot grasp the nuance of human rituals or the inner logic of emerging movements. The strategist as anthropologist navigates the fringe to build the future. 

Claire Hodgson, senior designer and consultant, Brand Potential 

Nina Goli, head of digital strategy, Brand Potential 

The rise of curated maximalism

Brand design is shifting from ultra-minimalism to curated maximalism. Minimalism is neutral simplicity, while demand grows for layered, emotionally resonant systems that feel human. Brands are moving toward ultra-human, flexible identities excavating deeper traits and curating meaningful touchpoints that foster connection and trust. Brand design will be judged less by controlled aesthetics and more by fragmented performance. With 60% of searches ending without clicks, brands are experienced through AI summaries, recommendations and micro-moments rather than owned platforms. Static identities yield to adaptive systems; linear journeys to moment-led experiences; consistency to coherence. Success requires designing for context, intent and trust through modular identities, clear language, evidence-rich content and calm interfaces. In AI-mediated worlds, great design doesn’t chase attention, it earns belief. 

Claudia Mark, partner and head of creative, Agenda

The brands that survive M&A won’t be the most consistent – they’ll be the most resilient

M&A isn’t new. What’s new is how often brands are asked to stretch without snapping. As companies combine, separate and recombine, fixed, rigid brand systems won't keep up. The strongest brands will be purpose-designed to flex – clear about what must remain non-negotiable and what can evolve without confusion. This will accelerate the move toward completely modular brand identity systems that allow integration without dilution. So, in moments of upheaval, branding won’t just signal stability – it will be what holds meaning together while everything else is in motion.

Dan Green, head of creative, ZAG 

The brand design industry may become a more creative space again

For years people have been saying the big, old, slow traditional agency is dead. Yet time and again, the ‘big’ jobs still land in familiar hands. Clients unable to break the habit of a lifetime and trust smaller outfits when the pressure is on. 2025 feels like the year that changed. Smaller studios started to grab increasingly big scalps. With the market strapped for cash and increasingly cost-conscious, the lean appeal is now met with newfound trust. Still, everyone’s lunch is at risk. The pool has never been more competitive. My hope is it drives the industry to a more ambitious, more creative space and we start to see a wave of new and exciting work in ’26. 

Dimitri Jeurissen, executive creative director and partner, Base Design Brussels (BaseBRU) 

Designers will become exhausted by AI

A pushback against AI is already happening, and it’s not about rejecting technology. It’s about exhaustion. Everything is getting faster and more optimised, and people are starting to realise they don’t actually benefit from most of it.

As AI takes over more thinking, there’s a growing refusal to hand over the rest. Slowing down, staying involved and doing things yourself becomes a choice, not a luxury. Craft matters more than efficiency. Privacy matters more than convenience. Real presence matters more than flawless output.

When machines can produce endless content, being human, imperfect and fully present stops being sentimental and starts being necessary. This isn’t a fight against AI. It’s a question of who it serves and what we’re willing to give up. 

Ed Trotter, EU head of business development, Enchant Group 

The embracing of sonic branding

2026 will be the year brands embrace a more open-minded view of sonic branding. Brands have never been more aware of the power of sound, yet many remain stuck in rigid preconceptions of what sonic branding can be. A wave of high-profile identities is challenging that thinking: from the meme-ready chirpiness of the Jet2 Holidays voiceover, to the cultural cut-through of new Just Eat collaborations and the enduring, catchy consistency of Domino’s famous yodel. These examples show that effective sonic branding meets consumers where they already are. In 2026, brands will increasingly recognise that how a sonic idea is executed matters just as much as the notes themselves. 

Emma Overeem, creative director, Living Group, London

Personality will become a powerful differentiator for brands

Going into 2026, I’m hoping for a renewed sense of optimism and growth… not glossy positivity, but confidence and momentum. As AI accelerates sameness, personality will become one of the most valuable differentiators a brand can have. The next phase of branding isn’t louder or faster; it’s more felt, inviting audiences into a brand’s world and the personality that defines who they are.

Towards the end of 2025, clients leaned into the power of their people, commissioning reportage-style photography, brand films and messaging that opened the door on their businesses. This kind of honest, human storytelling builds connection and trust, and in 2026, it won’t be a ‘nice to have,’ it will be essential.

Greg Beauchamp, founder and CEO, Bindery 

An end to ‘brand truths’ and ‘product truths’

2026 is the year that we’ll finally stop building around ‘brand truths’ and ‘product truths.’ Customers aren’t asking what’s true about you, they’re asking “what could be true about me.” And that’s where a new truth lies – the ‘decision truth.’ Once you know the ‘decision truth,’ everything in the funnel gains coherence. It becomes the through-line that connects brand storytelling with performance marketing, the bridge between emotional resonance and commercial intent. The result: campaigns that don’t just drive awareness or conversion but clarity, where every asset, from film to feed, centres all your work around the moment and reason a customer chooses to buy. 

Hamish Shand, founder and executive creative director, Boundless 

Brands that build coherent worlds of belonging will own their space

As categories grow noisier and traditional engagement loses impact, brands will no longer win by broadcasting more content or chasing attention. The brands that succeed will be those that build recognisable worlds with clear logic across product, design, language and experience where people feel a genuine sense of belonging. These worlds will not be decorative or abstract. They will be intentional, structured and clearly defined by what belongs and what does not. In 2026, community will not be a tactic or a channel. It will be the brand playground, a space people choose to enter, return to and identify with. 

Hugh Stevenson, co-founder, Anatomy 

Human Connection becomes the ultimate currency 

As an agency that specialises in place and the built environment, Anatomy’s belief is that human connection is the most valuable currency because brands that are perceived as more human are preferred. In 2026, we’ll see just how vital this is. AI is accelerating life to a pace beyond the brain’s evolutionary limits and making us reconsider what is real. People are overwhelmed and alienated. 

We’ll see a greater desire to slow down and return to our deepest needs: connection and belonging. To seek out what is meaningful, reassuring, and most importantly, real. Places and brands that understand this, that are rooted in human emotion, will be successful. 

Jacquelien Brussee, managing partner, Jibe

The movement towards orchestration

2026 cements the shift from messaging to orchestration. The brands that break through aren’t just running better campaigns. They build brand gravity by creating systems people actively choose to belong to, spanning community, commerce, conversation and collaboration. 

This requires an operational-model reset: most brands still lead with messaging layering ‘culture’ on top, but this logic is backward. Cultural salience is earned when brands change behaviour, not just perception. Value now comes from what brands enable, not what they claim.  

This extends to brand design as well, becoming more human, textured and participatory, as a counterweight to AI-driven polish. 

In China, this shines through community-led commerce, where brands embed into daily rituals, via utility and participation, creating pull that outperforms rivals. In 2026, we see this approach become non-negotiable. 

Jeff DeGeorgia, creative director, Living Group, New York

AI-driven variability versus human imperfection

In 2026, brand design will split into two opposing forces. A bit of a yin and yang. On one side is AI-driven variability. Not masterful in the least, but fast, scalable, and endlessly iterative. Brands will optimise in real-time, testing more variables in weeks than they used to in years. On the other side is a deliberate return to the handmade, human and imperfect. As audiences grow numb to AI output, the brand stories that cut through will be unmistakably human. Over time, AI's role in brand design and storytelling will narrow to be more about speed and scale, rather than craft and soul.

John Smeddle, creative head, WithFeeling  

Reassurance and revolution

The immediate path ahead for brand design appears to be both reassurance and revolution. This is not a fence-sitting observation, far from it. I’m looking forward to seeing how brands in the traditional main markets defend their high ground against innovative challenger brands from not just China, but the subcontinent, Saudi Arabia and the ex-Soviet satellite states. Wow, there is some fantastic brand thinking emerging from these communities, who’ve finally found their voice in the global marketplace. Not only are their brands marketable, but for the near future they hold the advantage of cultural mystique. I’m seeing a particular battle royale in the automotive and hospitality sectors, and a new trend gaining traction that cross-pollinates cultures whilst preserving identity.  

Juliana Barreto, strategy director, Tátil Design

The year of ‘cloud dancer’ – a take on Latin maximalism

We’ve all seen the repercussions on the Pantone Color of the Year – especially how people connected the political meaning underlying the choice (it being deliberate or otherwise).

Some may see it as a tension, we see it as an opportunity to show a more bright side of the Brazilian positivity that is in our core. Latin America is filled with a very bold-maximimalist-colourful range of inspirations that are more than ready to be showcased around the world as a new go-to reference, acting as a fresh take on contemporary semiotics. A most needed boost of colour and cheer in times we are living in.

Luke Manning, founder and creative director, Pencil Studio 

Technology will not replace human emotion

As I step into 2026, I’m making a conscious effort to keep my values firmly grounded. In a world where every post, article or story seems to warn that AI is killing our industry, I remain deeply committed to human-minded creativity. Yes, AI is here, and yes, we’re seeing it implemented in powerful ways, but technology cannot replace human emotion or the instinct that shapes meaningful ideas. Creativity is born from lived experience, intuition and connection. The narrative behind a craft; the why, the struggle, the soul, cannot be replicated by algorithms or machines. Tools may evolve, workflows may change, but the heart of creative work will always belong to people. That belief is what I’m carrying forward into the year ahead. 

Maria Hardenberger Sverka, marketing director, Copenhagen Capacity 

A shift towards authenticity

We’re clearly moving beyond one-size-fits-all campaigns toward branding that is more personal, collaborative and, above all, authentic. At Copenhagen Capacity, platforms like A State of Denmark and Greater Copenhagen enable us to connect with international talents, businesses and local communities in ways that genuinely feel relevant to them.  

AI is becoming an invaluable tool for insight and scale, helping us understand audiences and tailor stories more precisely, but it doesn’t replace the stories themselves – and real stories are where the real magic happens. Trust, transparency and community participation matter more than ever, especially as branding becomes more contextual and hyper-local. 

In the end, the place brands people, and even algorithms, trust most are the ones that feel most authentic. 

Matt Baxter, founder, Baxter & Bailey 

Presence – evidence of humanity in design thinking 

Given that AI and its growing influence is likely to feature – understandably – in other responses to this question, I decided to embrace the future. I asked AI what it thought. 

And AI's response? Gemini told me that we can expect “tactility, authenticity and sensory appeal' in 2026's design landscape. ChatGPT concurred, adding that we can also expect 'hand-drawn, imperfect layouts that favour authenticity over perfection.”

So here's my fallible human summary. The aesthetic landscape of design now moves and evolves so incredibly rapidly, that the very idea of trends – certainly aesthetic trends – becomes somewhat meaningless, I think. Micro trends whizz past almost daily. But the bigger macro trend identified above – the intentional, visible presence of a creative, unpredictable, unique, innovative human hand and mind within design – will be significant this year and beyond. 

Matthew Gillman, design director, Designhouse

The end of the rigid guideline era

In 2026, brand design flips the script from policing to deliberately designing for misuse. Cultural relevance requires letting communities play. Designers build flexible systems with clear purpose and strong DNA, then [gasp] release control. In the AI future, designers focus on creating frameworks robust enough for remix culture, becoming architect rather than gatekeeper. Fearlessly authentic brands require structures communities can inhabit, reinterpret and make their own, without flinching. The era of intentional interactive brand engagement has begun, the rigid guideline era ends.

Michael Guerin, senior partner, design, Lippincott 

Brands will be more thoughtful about how they evolve

Brands won’t take their recognisable brand elements for granted. While we’ve seen a broad push to shed anything that feels “old” in the name of “modernisation,” recent backlash to identity changes will make brands increasingly thoughtful about how they evolve. Customers have strong, often unknown emotional ties to brands. This means consumer insight must be matched with creative intuition to define a path forward. It will also mean finding new, fresh and unexpected ways to keep classic brand visual cues relevant. This will allow brands to broaden their definition of “modern” by blending the comfort of heritage with the intrigue of tech-forward experiences, creating a bold revival that meets consumer desire for both familiarity and innovation. 

Mike Perry, founder and chief creative officer, Tavern Agency 

The demise of retro rebranding

Retro rebrands and throwback aesthetics will continue to show up, but they’ll deliver diminishing returns. Nostalgia on its own isn’t a strategy; it’s a novelty. Recreating the past may drive short-term attention, but it rarely builds a meaningful connection to what a brand stands for today. The opportunity isn’t copying history, it’s evolving it by shifting from nostalgia to ‘modern heritage.’

At the same time, world-building will be increasingly overlooked and increasingly powerful. The brands that grow strongest communities won’t just market products; they’ll create immersive worlds people want to belong to. Through layered storytelling and discoverable experiences, brands can invite audiences into something bigger than a transaction. Vacation sunscreen already does this well, and more brands will follow. In 2026, the brands that matter most won’t just sell, they’ll build worlds people return to. 

Mike Smith, creative director, Clout Branding 

The importance of differentiation

With brand identities converging, differentiation will become an increasingly important priority. Even as visual systems grow more refined in a digital-first era, clear points of separation appear to be diminishing, with many brands in some markets beginning to feel visually indistinct. This convergence may be driven in part by the widespread exposure to, and rapid circulation of, visual trends that strongly influence contemporary design practice. My instinct is that we’ll see more brands built around big, defining ideas – not just identities shaped primarily by the latest type trends, illustration styles or the push for simplification – allowing them to stand apart from competitors that continue to align with prevailing aesthetics.

Mo Saad, head of design and creative impact, Brand Lounge 

AI scepticism and usage will grow

In 2026, I see two opposing forces shaping brand design at the same time. AI-driven design will continue to help brands scale faster than ever. In parallel, a strong anti-AI movement will emerge, marked by a return to raw, crafted identities that feel intentionally imperfect. 

As AI becomes more dominant, human imperfection will be used more deliberately to create emotional connection and signal honesty and authenticity. Textures, irregularities, and craft will become tools for building trust in an increasingly synthetic world. Digital fatigue and visual sameness will set in quickly, pushing many designers to rebel by embracing more analogue ways of thinking. This may show up through candid, unpolished photography, typography that feels human rather than sterile, and even brand systems that feel made, not generated. 

Nicky Parker, co-founder, Collaboration Nation 

The human psyche will power design output

Recent years have seen our industry leaning into AI tools much more, but as we adapt to a new norm in AI assisted design, human interaction is more important than ever, and brands need to ensure they have that personal connection within their visual landscape.   

So while the future of the design process will be supported by technological advances, true understanding of the human psyche will power the design output this year. Emotional and authentic creative that lets personality shine through, such as hand drawn elements, bespoke typography and ‘real life’ application, will help to drive forward a more human centred approach that is relatable and raw, weird and wonderful, bold and brave – and importantly, have the confidence to be slightly imperfect. 

Paul Drake, co-founder, JDO Global 

AI versus human creativity…

2026 will continue to raise the stakes on the collision of AI with human creativity. 

It’s the ‘Age of Uncertainty.’ Consumers are spending less, and AI is faster and cheaper. Clients are understandably intrigued. But this is where strong agencies earn their keep. 

AI recognises patterns, but creativity exists to break them. The more automated and predictable things become, the more human judgement and the perfectly imperfect matter. 

I’m not being sentimental. It’s biology. We’re wired to value effort and we instinctively recognise it. Audiences are calling out AI and the response is it feels false and lazy. When effort disappears, belief erodes. 

In 2026, belief may prove to be the one thing brands can’t afford to lose. 

PJ Braaksma, co-founder, Brandology Amsterdam

2026 will mark the age of clarity

As more people interact with brands through a handheld screen, design is adapting. The shift to mobile means clarity comes first. Logos, layouts and identities must now work at small scale, where complexity becomes noise.

The same applies to packaging. With faster product launches and consumers eager to explore, brands rely on templated systems to stay consistent. Clear hierarchy and simple design win out over decorative or emotional storytelling.

This simplification may feel less visually exciting, but it reflects how people choose today. In a world of endless options and limited attention, strong design does not just look good. It helps you find, trust and engage instantly.

Richard Hurst, creative director, WPA Pinfold 

Revolution vs Evolution…

2026 will see brands reflecting on some of the most talked about rebrands of 2025. Think Cracker Barrel and its modernisation attempt, Jaguar with its style-led approach and then abrdn with its about turn name change. 

This will see more brands taking an evolutionary approach, which in this fast-paced world might mean repurposing brand assets in new and creative ways (think Coca Cola). However, there will still be a role for revolution, if there has been a significant change that needs to be reflected. An approach that will need to be built on insight with a strong brand story and relevance to the market. A symbol of change not a change of symbol. 

Rupali Steinmeyer, chief growth officer, MetaDesign

Creative intelligence will redefine brand-building

In 2026, Creative intelligence will redefine brand-building – marking a shift where human creativity and intelligent systems fuse to drive impact and growth. Brands will be pushed to move faster, read cultural shifts earlier and communicate with greater honesty. Creative intelligence will power a continuous loop of insight, imagination and real‑time feedback. Creativity, underpinned by strategy, will be amplified, becoming a business accelerator.

Brands that adopt this mindset will solve real-world business challenges. They will deliver sharper stories, bolder expressions and systems that evolve at the pace of people. These brands won’t just reflect the business – they will accelerate it, opening markets sooner, strengthening customer relationships and driving organisational momentum.

Samantha Temple Neukom, principal, Northbound

A renewed focus on brand

Trust is down, AI creation is here and the pendulum is once again swinging toward brand. Why? Because a strong brand equates to resiliency. And resiliency is needed for uncertainty and volatility. I’m predicting a renewed focus on brand, but this time with a commitment to demonstrating brand’s value to the C-suite through revenue attribution and metrics, like distinctiveness. The rise of AI has indeed created a content tsunami of same-same messaging. But it’s also created the ability for brands to use their data lakes to demonstrate how brand contributes to value and why distinction, coherence and perceived brand value matter.

I see brand teams focusing on how to create systems of governance that can sustain brand value. Not just one-off design projects or brand sprints, but a way of working. The focus will be not on projects, but on establishing a company-wide practice. Brand councils, longitudinal tracking and whole-system reviews will be on the rise.

Shelby Georgis, partner and chief creative officer, HLK

Bravery over restraint

My hope for branding this year is simple: more bravery. Consolidation is accelerating and brands are getting bigger, broader and more alike. The result is a growing sea of sameness. This is the moment for brands to push in the opposite direction. To commit to bold choices in colour, form, tone and movement – even if they aren’t initially universally loved. Differentiation doesn’t come from hedging. It comes from clarity, conviction and a willingness to stand for something.

Sophie Roux, strategy director, Brandsilver 

Claude Gottlieb, strategy director, Brandsilver 

Successful brands will build social connection

In 2026, the most decisive shift will not be technological but relational: the brands that matter will no longer be those that drive consumption, but those that rebuild social connection. 

In a context of mistrust, identity retreat and short-term political thinking, branding can become a gentle form of counter‑power: a space to imagine a more desirable way of living together. 

It is up to us, designers and strategists, to bring conscious brands to life – brands that shape inclusive communities, shared rituals and concrete commitments.  Not rainbows and unicorns, but lucid, mobilising brands, capable of offering an optimistic – yet not naive – present and shared future. 

Stanley Vaganov, founder, BeCurious Studio

Design will become a human discipline once again

In 2026, design will either reclaim its role as a human discipline or fully collapse into surface level output. I am optimistic because I see designers and brands alike, pushing back, caring again about meaning, ethics and consequence, not just speed.

The best work will be slower, more intentional and deeply human, grounded in lived experience rather than prompts. But if we ignore this moment, design risks becoming disposable, automated decoration that optimises for engagement while eroding trust and culture. The future depends on whether designers choose authorship and responsibility over convenience. I hope we choose to stay grounded humans at the end of it all.

Tyler Berry, creative director, YeahNice 

Human craft will be seen as superior to AI

Everyone’s seeing and feeling fatigue with obvious, low-effort AI work. It’s a discussion that’s moved well beyond our industry, with audiences quick to condemn ‘AI slop’. 

In response, brands will place renewed value on human craft, with a spotlight on intention and artistry. 

The most compelling creative work will feel more handmade, more tactile and more honest, with AI used quietly behind the scenes as a tool like Photoshop. It will support ideation, prototyping and technical execution such as creative coding, rather than replacing judgement or authorship. 

In 2026, expect audiences to connect with work that doesn’t look like it was made with AI at all. They’ll choose campaigns that are considered, human and well made. 

2026 is set to be a monumental year for the world of brand design. You can keep up to date with all the latest news by signing up to the Transform magazine newsletter.