Design Direction by The Future Laboratory
Polaroid The Campaign for Analog Life, US; Pastane Bakery, Azerbaijan; KFC and Fiesta by PS21, Spain; mudTM, UK; Slide Tackle Font, Columbia
Written by creative director Savannah Scott, Human by Design, uncovers how creatives are embracing a more kinetic, messy, nostalgic and tactile design language to counterbalance the flawless aesthetic popularised by the rise of generative tools. Clumsy compositions, crafted texture, wonky wording and visual scribbly cues mark human presence.
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Inside the Report
: Brand Identity
Alive
Moving on from sterile fonts and redundant brand identities, audiences now expect brands to breathe. Designers are responding by embedding stories into identities, replacing static logos and rigid guidelines with kinetic systems that morph and evolve.
: Brand Expression
Authentic
With major brands now publicly embracing AI in advertising, including Guess and Levi’s using AI-generated models, making the human touch more visible becomes a refreshing point of view.
: Brand Experience
Emotive
As explored in our Culture-coded Retail macrotrend report, brand experiences are shifting from transactional to emotional. Designers are creating spaces that feel alive and intimate to turn emotion into the interface.
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Pastane Bakery by Mubariz Yusifzade, Azerbaijan
KFC
'We live in a culture obsessed with control, curating, filtering, airbrushing every edge, but mess is proof of life.’
Karina Zhukovskaya and Angelina Pischikova, co-founders, Mud
From brand identities to marketing strategies and consumer experiences, design trends are the creative force behind any fundamental strategic decisions. As 2026 is right around the corner, dare to know the consumer trends shaping the year ahead, and turn them into actionable designs, colour palettes and materials. Take a look at our other design directions on LS:N Global.
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