Design Trends 2026: Less polish, more feeling

The shiny new toys of the digital age have had their moment, but this year, we’re craving something a little more… human. In a landscape overflowing with AI-generated perfection and shrinking attention spans, designers are getting their hands dirty again, quite literally. The trends ahead reflect a longing for authenticity, for work that feels handmade, heartfelt, and a little bit raw around the edges. It’s not about discarding anything AI; it’s about bringing soul back into it.

1. Neo-Gothic

The Middle Ages have been quietly brewing their dark magic in pop culture for a while now, and it doesn’t look like the spell will break anytime soon. From cinema to music, fashion to graphic design, this somber, romantic aesthetic is spreading like wildfire.

It draws heavily on medieval symbolism and craftsmanship: highly stylised typefaces with ornate lettering, sharp pointed edges, and decorative swirls. Paired with dark, dramatic colour palettes, sacred ornaments, mysterious iconography, and distressed textures, it’s a visual language that pulls you in with magnetic charm.

Why is it so effective? Because Neo-Gothic offers the opposite of sleek and soulless: it’s rich, layered, and emotional. In a time when optimism about the future fades, our imagination tends to turn to a simpler (but overly romanticised) past. Just look at Florence + The Machine’s latest album branding or or the attention-grabbing Vampons branding, they’re proof that darkness can be deeply seductive.

2. Mixed-Media Collages

Here, we’re rewinding to a more familiar past, the ’90s. Welcome back to your typical millennial teenage bedroom covered in magazine cutouts, stickers, and DIY zines. Nothing groundbreaking, sure, but the way it’s resurfacing feels fresh. It’s about taking those tangible memories and giving them a digital makeover.

Burned out on digital perfection, creatives are turning back to scissors and glue, chasing lo-fi sincerity and a touch of nostalgia. Think gritty scrapbooking, but all grown up.

Visually, it’s a beautiful mess: asymmetry, overlapping elements, and a sense of controlled chaos. Expect distressed fonts, oversized or layered typography, and the occasional handwritten note. Rough textures are everywhere, mixing lo-fi scans, jagged photocopy edges, and masking tape. Grayscale palettes pair with high-contrast pops of color for a hint of grunge revival. Check out how the Penley Estate rebrand and Olivia Rodrigo’s site both nail that perfectly imperfect vibe.

3. Stop motion animations

Scrapbooking isn’t the only old-school art form making a comeback, animation is seriously slowing down too. In an age of hyper-slick 3D motion and instant rendering, stop motion quietly distilles raw, emotive and captivating images. You don’t need flashy effects to grab attention; stop motion transforms the ordinary into something extraordinary. There’s a poetic power in watching everyday objects come to life, one painstaking frame at a time.

Here again, the return to slowness celebrates the human touch behind the screen. Each movement, each tiny adjustment, carries the warmth and grain of imperfection, the kind of charm no algorithm can reproduce.

Why does it work? Nostalgia, for one. But also a craving for authenticity and tactility. No high tech here, just hands doing quiet magic. Paper, textiles, clay, crochet, risograph prints, the possibilities are endless. From Laura Venditti’s Medieval Cats for AdultSwim to Julia Schimautz’s dreamy visuals for the Deftones, stop motion proves that patience and a little rebellion can achieve what fancy effects just can’t.

4. Naive Design

The inner child has officially taken over the creative studio. Designers are breaking the rules and embracing the raw charm of childlike creativity. Think simple, playful doodles, shaky handwriting, uneven shapes, rough textures, and those little smiley faces that instantly lift your mood. Compositions are often minimal and structured, letting the wonky letters and freehand drawings steal the show, creating a contrast that feels alive and intentional. Colour palettes are bold, unfiltered, and as fearless as a kid let loose with finger paint.

What once looked unpolished is now shaping brand identities, streetwear lines, packaging, and digital aesthetics everywhere. Why does it work? Because it feels human and connects through emotion. It’s spontaneous, approachable, and full of warmth. Jolene Bakery’s charming identity and Harriet Richardson’s collaboration with F37 Foundry, drawing from her own teenage notebooks, playfully prove that growing up is a bit overrated.

5. Playful boldness

After a decade of minimalism and muted palettes ruling the scene, designers are finally breaking free from the beige. The neutral, samey look is out, and bold colours are in. From food to tech, brands are ditching restraint and going loud, saturated, and unapologetically fun.

And honestly? It makes sense. In a pretty gloomy, chaotic era, people are craving positivity, warmth, and anything that sparks a little joy. Consumers want work that feels alive, something colourful, human, and emotionally uplifting.

This trend embraces absurdity with a wink: emojis, quirky illustrations, and pop-culture nods. Mix in daring colour palettes, vibrant gradients, saturated imagery, clashing patterns, and bold fonts that shouldn’t work together (but somehow do), and you get a visual mood booster that’s impossible to ignore.

It’s messy, daring, a celebration of “too much” in the best possible way. Because in a world of beige, the future belongs to those who show up in colour. Just look at Fluz by Koto, a brand identity that turns saturation, playfulness, and graphic chaos into a full-blown statement of joy.