Trends don’t exist to be blindly followed but they do give us a glimpse into where branding is heading (and how to make sure your brand doesn’t get left behind).

2025 has brought in bold shifts and as brand and packaging designers, we’re not just watching and waiting for these changes to happen. We’re working with them daily. We’ve been tracking where brand design has been heading through 2025 and are already making predictions for what 2026 has in store for us 👀.

Here’s what we’re seeing, what we’re loving, and what you should definitely keep on your brand design radar this year.

1. AI‑Assisted Creativity (That Still Needs Humans)

AI is changing the way we work, there’s no doubt about it. It’s speeding up tasks that used to take hours: generating layouts, testing colour palettes, even building quick brand mock-ups. Tools like Adobe and Figma are already embracing AI in a huge way, and by 2026, they’ll be even more capable of helping to streamline the creative process.

But the thing to keep in mind is that AI doesn’t know your brand. It doesn’t understand your values, your tone of voice, or what makes your story worth telling. You can try to tell AI exactly what it needs to know, but it’s still not going to have the same impact. That’s where real brand designers come in to shape, refine, and apply strategy to every decision. AI might offer options, but only humans can bring true meaning and emotion to your brand.

Quick tip: Let AI help with ideas and variations, but keep your brand strategy, voice, and emotional impact in human hands 🤲.

2. Community First, Brand Second

Everyone’s talking about community right now and in 2026, it’s going to be all about creating a brand people can really connect with. People want to feel like they’re part of something bigger. They want brands that see them and involve them in any way possible.

As brand designers, this shift towards community-first branding changes how we think about visual identity. We have to design in a way that reflects shared values and creates space for people to feel naturally involved. This means we need to build design systems that talk directly to your audience. So what does that really entail?

Designing with community in mind means leaving room for interaction and collaboration, letting your audience be part of how the brand shows up in the world. That could be customer-led campaigns, user-generated content, or even packaging that invites personalisation.

When people see themselves reflected in your brand, they back it.

Look at what Molly-Mae is doing with Maebe – she’s building an entire brand world. That coffee truck pop-up in Manchester for International Women’s Day handed out free coffee and cookies. It was the perfect excuse for her community to connect with the brand offline. It was an experiential moment. And she didn’t miss a detail: fully branded coffee cups, straws, and packaging. It felt intentional, on-brand, and totally shareable.

And yes, on paper it sounds random…. a coffee truck for a fashion brand??? But when you actually think about it, it makes perfect sense. Her audience are the girls who post their morning coffees on Instagram like it’s a daily ritual. She gave them something they already love but tied to her brand world.

She’s giving back with no strings attached, bringing Maebe offline and into her audience’s everyday routines. And for someone who built her career online, creating a tangible, real-world moment hits even harder. The result? Maebe stays top-of-mind without a single “shop now” in sight.

Quick win: Build ‘hero visuals’ that work across both brand channels and user‑generated spaces. Make your community part of the aesthetic system.

3. Typography That Moves (And Speaks)

Typography used to just sit there and serve a purpose of being safe, neat, static, and obedient. It told a story, sure, but only when someone read it. Fast forward to 2025, and the words themselves are stepping into the spotlight. They move, adapt, and react.

Type is now more about being a performance. It bends and breathes with motion, interaction, and responsive sizing. Picture a headline that subtly shifts as you scroll, or lettering that comes alive in an AR experience. This is typography that speaks before you even start reading.

4. The Return of ‘Human’ (And Screen‑Free Moments)

We’re saturated with screens. In 2025, we’re seeing a soft push back to offline, tactile, human‑centred brand experiences. “Screens off” moments are opportunities for brands to engage differently.

For us designers, it’s about taking the brand off-screen into packaging you can touch, spaces you can walk through, and experiences you can feel. Every detail should still look and sound unmistakably on brand. That could be through things like humanised photography, real faces, imperfect textures, and instinctive design that make that connection real.

Pro tip: When designing physical assets, ask: Would this still feel on‑brand if someone looked at it without using a phone? If yes, you’re on the right track.

5. Brand Responsibility Is Non‑Negotiable

Social and environmental issues are the bare minimum now – building a brand that’s both green and seen isn’t optional anymore. Yes, these issues have always mattered, but in 2025 (and heading into 2026), they’re a defining factor in how your brand is judged. And it’s not just by what you say, but how you act too.

Consumers hold more power than ever. They’re asking questions, reading labels, digging into how your brand operates behind the scenes. If your values aren’t reflected in your supply chain, your packaging, your people, or your tone – it shows – right down to the materials and substrates you use for packaging.

Today, brand responsibility is expected because your reputation depends on it. Design now has to physically show action, not just speak about it – think biodegradable and eco-friendly packaging options that prove you mean it. Anything less feels hollow.

Communities expect (and deserve) honesty, transparency, and proof of purpose.

Design angle: Build “purpose visuals” into your identity system that reflect your mission in design and action.

6. High Contrast = High Impact

Minimalism still has its place, and when it’s done well, it’s timeless. But throughout 2025, we’ve seen more brands take a bolder stance with their visual identity. High-contrast design is having a moment, and for good reason – it naturally grabs attention and quietly impacts how well you sell.

So what do we mean by “high contrast”? In brand design, it’s all about using strong visual opposites. That could be bold colour pairings (like black and neon yellow), striking type against clean backgrounds, sharp shapes, dramatic light and dark. It’s a visual style that naturally demands attention and creates instant recognition. Perfect for crowded shelves and scroll-heavy feeds.

But most importantly, it only works if it fits your brand. Don’t force a bold look just because it’s trending. If your identity is rooted in calm, neutral minimalism, there’s no need to follow suit. The key is finding contrast within your own tone.

Heads‑up: Make sure your contrast still respects readability and accessibility.

7. Immersive and Multi‑Sensory Brand Worlds

Brand design can be more than just visual if you do it right. The trend is moving towards immersive, sensory experiences. In 2026, we’ll see more brands creating immersive moments that engage touch, sound, motion, and mood.

For packaging designers especially, that means thinking beyond the wrap: What does the unboxing experience feel like? What’s the texture of the packaging label? Does the box open with a soft pull or a satisfying snap? Is there a scent, a sound, a tactile detail that leaves an impression?

This kind of experience doesn’t just stop offline, either; it can absolutely translate online, too. In fact, the richest brand worlds are built to move seamlessly between physical and digital. Unboxing's filmed with crisp audio, close-up shots that highlight texture, ASMR-style product reveals, user-generated videos capturing the “moment,” and interactive digital elements (like motion-led product pages or subtle sound cues) all help recreate the sensory feel of the brand through a screen.

Creative challenge: Design identity elements that adapt across senses (online motion, offline texture, audio cues) and still feel coherent.

From Screen to Store: Nike’s Offline Brand World

Nike’s physical retail experience is next level. Step inside their flagship store in SoHo, New York, and it feels more like a sports playground than a traditional shop.

We’re talking:

🏀 A full basketball half-court with motion sensors and playback screens
👟 A treadmill in front of a jumbotron that analyses your stride
🎨 A customisation bar where you can design your own Air Force 1s
🎮 Touchscreens, trial zones, and real coaches ready to help you perform

Every single corner of the space is designed to bring the brand to life through action. It’s branding you can literally step into, use, play with, and share. The entire experience is linked to your Nike app, recording everything from your gait to your gear preferences, ready to pick up where you left off on your phone later.

Nike doesn’t separate brand, product, and experience but instead they fuse them together. That’s the kind of multi-sensory, immersive branding that builds loyalty. And it’s a reminder that even in a digital-first world, IRL branding still matters … maybe more than ever.

8. 3D, Augmented & Mixed‑Reality Features

3D brand visuals, AR packaging interactions, immersive mock‑ups – this stuff is catching. Design trend round‑ups for 2025 highlight motion, depth, and digital real‑world mash‑ups.

That means your brand assets need 3D‑ready versions, packaging designs that play nicely in render engines, and even AR elements. We’re in that space where packaging meets digital experience.

The likes of 3D brand visuals, AR packaging interactions, mixed-reality mock-ups is a space that’s starting to explode. Design trend round-ups for 2025 are already pointing to a rise in motion-led visuals, in-depth storytelling, and digital-meets-real-world experiences. Brands are now thinking in dimensions.

This shift means your brand needs future-proofed assets: 3D-ready logos, adaptable brand elements, and packaging designs that hold up not just in print, but in render engines and virtual environments. Whether it’s AR labels that unlock extra content, products displayed in immersive 360° views, or digital showrooms where customers can “pick up” and rotate items in real time. Brands that embrace 3D and mixed reality will feel more innovative and will invite consumers to engage even more.

And for us designers, it’s starting to become part of the standard toolkit.

Tip: Build your asset library with both flat and 3D variants, and plan for digital extension from day one.

9. Quiet Premium & Minimal Logos

While contrast and boldness are trending, at the opposite end we have elegant minimalism, especially in premium/luxury segments. The “quiet luxury” approach uses minimal branding, subdued palettes, and restraint to signal high quality. Something we say a lot is that sometimes less is more.

Logos are simpler and less obtrusive, identity systems are understated and refined. And brands can get away with this because their confidence does the talking. When a product, experience, or service feels premium, it doesn’t need loud visuals to justify its value.

For you: Decide whether your brand should shout or whisper – and design your visual identity accordingly.

10. Retro Meets Futuristic Design Mash‑Up

We love a good time‑flip. 2025’s trend: blending nostalgia with tomorrow. Retro inspired visual cues (90s graphics, vintage photography textures) combine with futuristic design (glass‑morphism, transparency, motion).

We love a good time-flip. One of 2025’s biggest visual trends is the merging of nostalgia with the aesthetics of tomorrow. Brands are pulling in retro cues and pairing them with futuristic design elements.

Retro Cues vs Futuristic Design Elements

This contrast creates a visual language that feels both familiar and forward-thinking: comforting enough to create emotion, but modern enough to feel new and innovative. It taps into collective nostalgia while still signalling progress. For brands, this mash-up offers the best of both worlds – heritage and hype, sentiment and sci-fi. It creates a brand identity that feels fresh and culturally relevant.

Design challenge: Use retro elements to tap emotion, but frame them with high‑tech, modern execution so it doesn’t feel dated.

11. Glassmorphism & Transparent Visual Layers

Yep – glassy effects are still very much in. Glassmorphism (think frosted-glass overlays, semi-transparent panels, blurred backgrounds, soft glows) is showing up everywhere from brand identities to UI, packaging, and product photography.

The interplay of transparency and layered depth creates a sophisticated, almost ethereal aesthetic. Sort of like – a digital-meets-physical feel that’s perfect for brands operating in both worlds. It brings lightness and a sense of modern polish without overwhelming the core brand elements.

Example:
Beauty and wellness brands are starting to use frosted-glass label panels over product photography to highlight key ingredients or benefits. The text feels “embedded” in the scene rather than floating on top. It’s a subtle nod to premium UI design translated into physical branding.

Take a look at Haus Labs – the beauty brand co-founded by Lady Gaga. Their recent packaging direction borrows heavily from the principles of glassmorphism using frosted-glass bottles and minimalist, modern packaging that gives off premium vibes rather than loud logo-heavy branding.

Pro tip:
Use transparency and layering with restraint. Glassmorphism works best when it feels intentional.

Final Word

Trends come and go, but your brand identity system needs to be anchored in you because remember – brand design is more than just a logo.

Strategy first. Then design. Go through each of these trends with your brand lens and decide which ones feel like you? Which feel like context for where you’re heading?

At Noramble, we're always watching these shifts, but what really matters is building cohesive brand design that actually works for you and scales in the right direction. If you want help making your brand trend‑proof (while staying undeniably you), you know where to find us.

Let’s talk!