A quarter of 2026 has passed. Let that sink in.

As the year starts to pick up speed, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s working and what’s relevant. Maintaining a bird’s eye view of the creative meta amidst the pressure to constantly produce isn’t easy. So I wanted to take a second, look back at some creative trend forecasting for 2026, and ask the hard question: What’s actually working?

A quick caveat: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to design and content. While the sources I’m referencing are highly credible, nothing takes the place of your own analytics. Knowing what your own audience and community responds to will always be more important than knowing what’s trending.

The Adobe 2026 Creative Trends Forecast - Sensory, Authentic, Niche (Source)

Adobe’s trend forecast highlighted a focus on sensory input, authentic emotion, and niche communities. Their consumer data demonstrated an affinity towards playful brands and pointed towards consumer decisions influenced by emotion.

The 2026 Super Bowl halftime show was an excellent example of these trends in action. A brightly colored display of authentic human emotion, the show highlighted a niche community that’s often overlooked. Viewership for the halftime show broke records, with NBC citing 4 billion social views within the first 24 hours, up 137% from previous years. (Source)

DTS 2026 Design Trend Forecast - Anti-Slop (Source)

Death to Stock’s creative insights have proven to be near clairvoyant in the years since their launch. In their design forecast for 2026, they predicted a continued surge in naïve design (Naïve art is characterised by childlike simplicity of execution and vision Source), layered collages, and technical references, centering around graphics that cannot be replicated by machine learning models.

Dan and Shay’s latest single announcement taps these trend predictions with a hand written note scratched onto a white background; a perfect example of naïve design. The inconsistent letter forms signal a return to human connection, trading highly polished creative for intentionally imperfect visuals. (Source)

Pantone 2026 Color of the Year - Cloud Dancer (Source)

This soft white tone received immediate backlash from creative communities with many referring to the controversial color as “The Landlord Special.” In a moment of widespread political upheaval and unprecedented technological advancements, many saw this choice as tone-deaf at best and intentional rage bait at worst.

Zara Larson’s 2026 comeback stands in stark contrast to Pantone’s color of the year prediction. Trading clean girl minimalism for kitschy maximalism launched Zara into the cultural zeitgeist with air brushed t-shirts, miami neons, and sparkles on EVERYTHING. (Source)

Print Mag’s 2026 Forecast - Craft First, Critical Design, Augmented Print (Source)

After looking back at 2025, Print Mag highlighted a return to craft, not as an outright rejection of technology, but as an augmentation of traditional techniques with technological advancement. Like DTS, they noted an emphasis on human touch in an era of growing digital consolidation.
‍

Paul McCartney’s solo album announcement is an interesting example of this augmentation of print and digital. A young boy holding a sign that reads “Dungeon Lane” appeared on google maps street view on McCartney’s home street of the same name. Fans quickly caught on, sharing the easter egg across social media. While the initial creative involved a photoshoot and a handmade sign, the announcement utilized the digital world of google maps street view, embracing both traditional print and modern technology. (Source)

Our Takeaways - Analog, Authentic, Nuanced

It’s difficult to address the dialogue around creative trends without touching on Artificial Intelligence. Older generations report low use and high distrust towards AI, and while Gen Z echoes this distaste they simultaneously recognize the necessity of implementing new tech in everyday life. (Source)

The sentiment of younger generations mirrors many of the trends forecasted above. There’s a collective sense of yearning for real emotion, tactile visuals, and niche interests. However, rejecting machine learning and technological advancement is not the solution.

At Girlilla, we’ve taken these trends to heart. Pushing clients away from canned content and visuals and towards creative that amplifies what makes them unique, remains at the core of our process. We’re encouraging our clients to be genuine, creating face to camera videos about their everyday lives, and pushing towards designs that incorporate handwriting, old photos, and lots and lots of texture. While we’re not fans of using AI generation as a cop out for hard design, we make use of its integration in our software, treating it as a step in the refining process rather than a substitute for critical thinking.

Utilizing new tech in the creative process without outsourcing the creative process entirely is the task at hand. There’s room for dialogue here, and the conversation requires nuance. None of us are impervious to the passage of time, and neither are our occupations. Our best recommendation: Prioritize real human emotion, make use of the tools available to you both digital and analog, consider your audience, and communicate your process clearly. As it turns out, this is nothing new.

Until next time,
Gigi