2026 Graphic Design Trends

To stay on trend with my end-of-year blogs, this month we’re going to be looking at Graphic Design trends for 2026.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
As I mentioned last year, AI is such a helpful tool when used to aid in amplifying your creativity. “Designers are now blending human creativity with machine precision to generate textures, patterns, and layouts that feel both futuristic and organic.” [datumcp.com] It has saved me countless hours when it comes to photo backgrounds. Gone are the days of meticulously clipping a product to remove the background or painstakingly reproducing backgrounds because I need to expand the live area. With the simple click of a button or two, AI takes care of these tedious tasks.

MOVEMENT
What catches the eye more than movement? Try incorporating animation in your social posts, emails, and digital flyers to offer viewers a dynamic experience. Subtle motions in the background, increasing text size, or graphics falling into screen help create a rhythm to your design.

IMMERSIVE DESIGN
Go beyond the visual by incorporating the other senses - touch, sound, smell, taste. If you’re working on a kit or brand box, make sure you give the recipient a full sensory experience. Are you hosting or presenting at a show? Think outside the box to get your attendees fully immersed and use a QR Code to bring them to your digital location.

“We know the digital world isn't going anywhere, but I believe brands that can play both sides well and connect the two experiences to create meaningful engagements will win." says Miro LaFlaga, co-founder of Six Cinquième, a strategic brand consultancy. [creativeboom.com]

MINIMALISM
Things are toning down a bit next year with a shift back to minimalism. We’re not talking stark, cold designs, but using restraint and designing with fewer, impactful elements. Think bold typography on a vastly contrasting background, simple yet dynamic. The removal of unnecessary elements allows the viewer to focus on what’s really important. Try using subtle gradients if you find plain backgrounds too bare. 

DATA DRIVEN
Data is extremely important in marketing, so instead of letting the numbers sit behind the scenes, show them off and let them drive the narrative. At PromoCorner we utilized relevant data for each of our IdentityCollection themes to provide Distributors with useful information to help with selling, including vertical markets that were the best fit, what type of promos each generation preferred, types of events to focus on, and so on.