Top 5 branding trends of 2025 we should stop repeating in 2026

Every year, the branding industry develops a new visual shorthand for what feels “current". Sometimes these shorthand systems help move the discipline forward. Other times, they quietly flatten it.

2025 was not a bad year for branding. In fact, it was a prolific one. But volume and velocity came at a cost: repetition. As tools became faster and references more shared, many identities began to feel interchangeable, optimized for approval rather than meaning.

This isn’t a call to abandon trends altogether. Trends can be useful signals. But as we head into 2026, it’s worth asking a harder question: Which trends are we repeating out of habit, not intention?

Below are five branding trends that dominated 2025—and why it’s time to leave them behind.

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The “soft minimal everything” brand

Muted pastels. Generous white space. Rounded grotesks. Friendly-but-vague tone of voice.

Minimalism itself isn’t the issue, it’s the over-application of a single emotional register. In 2025, minimal branding stopped being a strategic choice and became a default aesthetic, particularly for wellness, tech, finance and “future-forward” companies.

The problem? When everything feels calm, nothing feels distinct.

Many of these brands communicate safety without substance, friendliness without conviction. Minimalism should clarify meaning, not replace it. When restraint isn’t paired with a strong point of view, the result is branding that fades into the background of its own category.

What to do instead in 2026:

Use minimalism selectively. Ask what needs to be quiet and what deserves to be bold, sharp or even uncomfortable.

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AI-generated visuals without human direction

2025 was the year AI visuals became unavoidable. And while the tools are impressive, many brands used them as shortcuts rather than thoughtful collaborators.

The result? A flood of imagery that looked polished but felt hollow; hyper-detailed visuals with no cultural grounding, emotional specificity or narrative logic. When AI outputs aren’t shaped by strong creative direction, they tend to converge toward the same aesthetic uncanny middle.

This isn’t an argument against AI. It’s an argument against unquestioned automation.

Brands are not built on visual novelty alone. They are built on meaning, context and memory. All things which AI cannot supply without human framing.

What to do instead in 2026:

Treat AI as a tool, not a taste-maker. Lead with concept. Edit ruthlessly. Make sure a human belief system is visible in the final work.

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Sustainability claims without systems

By 2025, sustainability language had become nearly universal and increasingly vague.

Words like eco, conscious, responsible and better for the planet appeared everywhere, often without evidence of real operational change. Many brands adopted the agreed-upon ‘look’ of sustainability—earth tones, recycled-paper textures, organic typography — without embedding sustainability into their business models.

Audiences are more informed than we give them credit for. They can sense when sustainability is performative.

This erosion of trust doesn’t just hurt individual brands, it damages the credibility of sustainable design as a whole.

What to do instead in 2026:

Design sustainability from the inside out. If you can’t articulate the system, impact or trade-offs behind a claim, it doesn’t belong in the brand story.

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Branding optimized for social algorithms, not longevity

Last year, many brands were designed primarily for the feed.

Logos that only work at avatar size. Identities built around motion trends that age in months. Messaging optimized for engagement metrics rather than clarity or durability.

While digital-first thinking is essential, platform-first branding is fragile. Algorithms change faster than brands can rebuild. What performs well today may feel dated or irrelevant tomorrow.

Branding should outlast the interface it appears on.

What to do instead in 2026:

Design systems that travel well: across platforms, formats and time. Social media should be a distribution channel, not the foundation of a brand identity.

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Safe brands designed to please everyone

Perhaps the most pervasive trend of 2025 was the rise of the inoffensive brand.

Many identities were so carefully sanded down, visually and verbally, that they stood for very little. In trying not to alienate anyone, they failed to connect deeply with anyone.

Strong brands take positions. They exclude as much as they include. They risk misunderstanding in order to be understood.

In a crowded market, neutrality is not safety; it’s invisibility.

What to do instead in 2026:

Choose clarity over consensus. Let brands reflect real values, not focus-grouped averages.

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Looking Ahead

If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that speed is no longer the differentiator — discernment is.

As designers and strategists, our responsibility in 2026 is not to chase what’s trending, but to question why it’s trending and whether it deserves to persist. The future of branding won’t be defined by prettier surfaces or faster tools, but by deeper thinking, stronger systems and more honest expression.

Trends come and go. Meaning lasts.