07-07-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

5 trends in design right now

What the 5th annual iF Design Trend Report found that may surprise you.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

Every year, a new crop of trend forecasts attempts to spell out where different industries are heading; for me, the most interesting is the state of design. While the predictions vary, a clear theme is emerging: The most important design story of 2026, according to our iF Design’s 2026 Trend Report, is not AI but how design and designers are responding to it.

While generative tools make creation faster, cheaper, and more uniform, we’re seeing the most influential designers moving consciously in the opposite direction. Their best work creates meaning, embraces imperfection, and designs for communities. In other words, standout experiences and products are designed explicitly to feel human.

Five themes highlighted in the trend report offer a useful lens through which to understand this shift—and see where design may be headed from here.

1. DIFFERENTIATION IS THE NEW PREMIUM

One looming side effect of AI is the “age of average,” in which algorithms reproduce what already exists because that’s what they are trained on, and thus designed to favor. Familiar aesthetics, behaviors, and solutions will prevail. As generative tools become ubiquitous, distinction—not efficiency—will become increasingly scarce.

With this in mind, the competitive advantage in 2026 is the ability to........

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