We recently connected with Emilio Arellano and have shared our conversation below.
Emilio, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.
Everything around us was designed by someone else. Every impactful design was the solution to a problem identified by another person. Take a moment to appreciate your surroundings– visualize the clothes you are wearing, the perfume you enjoy on important occasions, the lighting around you, the chairs in your favorite café, the roads you take on our way to work, the device you’re reading this on, the problem you are currently trying to solve. Everything around us was designed as part of the solution of a problem. In the same way, we are all in a constant creative process – when solving problems, our brains enter a state of play, strategy, and resolution. Often, we don’t even realize these creative processes. Whether conscious or unconscious, deliberately or not; human beings are always in a state of creation, it’s our nature. Therefore, creative trends concern us all.
Creativity is problem-solving. The world seems to have recurring patterns of problems nowadays, hence the more opportunity to innovate and provide solutions. Where problems are, an opportunity to design a solution lies ahead.
After speaking with some creative colleagues and industry leaders from international organizations, such as Deloitte, Adobe and higher education institutions I was able to notice certain patterns within the creative spectrum. Also, by having the chance to participate in design and strategy processes, work and be part of film sets, consult on event and experience design, while also immersing myself in contextual design research – I’ve identified some creative trends for the upcoming seasons. Here are a few, categorized into visual trends, essential skills, trending themes, technology forecasts, cultural trends, as well as popular design methodologies being used:
Visual Trends:
– Hyper-Realistic Design: The growing demand for immersive technologies and surrealist immersive experiences is becoming more visible in interactive art installations, public art, theme park design, and sensorial experiences. As humans, we are increasingly drawn to using all our senses intentionally, telling stories visually through texture, sound, taste, and scent.
– Biophilic Design: As sustainable design gains popularity, nature intertwines with design and trending technologies to foster a deeper appreciation for the cosmos. This approach aligns with a desire to reconnect with our roots while simultaneously exploring the future of technology. Visually, anaglyphs and aurora gradients are gaining popularity as design of choice.
– Neo-Brutalism x Escapism: Because we need to escape from the overwhelming thread of existence every now and then. Neo-Brutalism offers authenticity through bold typography, grunge textures, and sharp elements. This aesthetic is often tied to current global events, serving as an evocative statement of independence and disruption.
– Neuomorphism: Clean and sleek. Designs with a slightly raised look with subtle shadows and highlights in contrast with soothing textures.
– Minimalism x Maximalism: An organized chaos. This trend blends simplicity with boldness, combining clean elements with striking colors and focal points. Whether monochromatic or high-contrast, designers play with soft textures, essentialist elegance, and a sense of balance. Be bold – what’s the worst thing that could happen? Designers are starting to play more with customized typography and glyphs through this merge of styles.
Essential Skills Trends:
– AI & Big Data: According to The Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, technology-related roles are among the fastest-growing in percentage terms. These include Big Data Specialists, UX Designers and Researchers, Human-Centered Designers, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning Specialists, and Software and Application Developers.
– Critical & Analytical Thinking: The quality of your questions defines the quality of your creative strategy and output. Critical thinkers excel at asking the right questions, such as “Why does this matter?” and “Why does it matter now?” Notably, seven out of ten companies consider critical thinking essential in 2025 (World Economic Forum, 2025).
– Leadership and Social Influence: The ability to build meaningful connections beyond a transactional approach is both niche and increasingly valuable. Resilience, flexibility, and agility, combined with lifelong learning, are among the fastest-growing skills sought by companies today. Leadership, in particular, remains one of the scarcest and most in-demand attributes in the creative industries.
Trending Themes:
– Existentialism: As a generation, we are acutely aware that the only certainty in life is death (as strong as it sounds, we are accepting it more as generation). It’s no surprise that cinema, photography, philosophy, and writing often reflect recurring patterns of existentialism, exploring themes such as birth, death, transcendence, the ego, and purpose. Our role as creatives is to ensure that our work continues to inspire and create meaning beyond our own existence. The new generation is redefining functionality by infusing it with intentionality and transformative creative expression.
– Experiential: Designing an experience is a challenge. It requires engaging all the senses while deeply understanding the audience and purposefully triggering emotions. Textures, sounds, scents, light, and taste are integral to crafting immersive experiences. The art of experiential design demands a strategy that builds momentum and fosters an atmosphere of collective sensitivity.
– Human-Centered Design: For creatives, being human is far more important than accumulating awards. Human-centered design emphasizes skills like empathy, failing fast and forward, contextual research, respect, and trust. Innovation thrives when we influence societal behavior, and to do so, we must first understand how society functions and identify where we can create meaningful value.
Technological Trends:
– User Experience Design & Research [UX/UXR]: It’s not just about knowing your user but truly understanding them. Today’s users seek customized, intuitive, and seamless experiences, forming design opinions in just 17 milliseconds. Companies that prioritize UX design see conversion rates increase by up to 400% through seamless UX implementation, while an appealing user interface alone can boost conversions by nearly 200%. Globally, businesses are recognizing the value of skilled UX Designers who carefully identify problems and transform them into opportunities for engagement.
– AI Design, Data Visualization & Analysis: Designing user-friendly and ethical AI experiences is becoming the biggest challenge for industries like healthcare, finance, and education—sectors that are essential to society. The synergy between AI and creative design enables efficient solutions, forward-thinking tools, and actionable insights – all with a focus on improving user interaction.
– Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Designer: The demand for AR/VR expertise is surging across industries like gaming, education, healthcare, and training simulations. These technologies offer innovative ways to engage and immerse users. Essential skills for AR/VR designers include 3D modeling, proficiency in Unity or Unreal Engine, interaction design, motion media, and a deep understanding of user psychology and critical thinking.
Trends in Culture and Society:
– Storytelling: Compelling brands tell a story. The best stories start with “Why” – the main cause and purpose of the creative output. Many people may not understand our creative work, but they will relate to us by understanding our initial cause. Themes like nostalgia, futurism, documentary cinéma vérité, and coming-of-age are more visible in several creative disciplines.
– Inclusion and Accessibility: Brands and designers carefully choose legible sans-serif typographies and intuitive UX design around cultural diversity. In turbulent times, we need artists and creative people who can evoke a sense of empathy and fairness in this world.
– Quality of Living: Demographics are changing, and generations are shifting – an aging and declining working-age population, while another redefines needs and societal values. Creative advocacy is a recurring theme, and there is a growing need for society to be more flexible toward inevitable change.
Design Methodologies:
– Design Thinking remains the most widely used methodology. In a simple step-by-step process, it begins with user analysis through empathy, problem definition, value proposition, and a constant flow of iteration and repetition. The fun part of this methodology is that it often unfolds as a process driven by play – serious play. It’s the one I’m currently exploring most often. Feel free to connect with me to learn how you can apply Design Thinking to your daily life.
– Service Design: Designing for purpose. Customers nowadays value experiences more than products. With an emphasis on customer experience (CX), service design examines the entire ecosystem in which a service operates, including users, stakeholder maps, blueprints, and customer journeys. Most importantly, Service Design projects focused on social causes have shown an anticipated annual increase of 15–20% over the next decade.
– Agile Design: As a methodology for iterative development and quick adaptation, Agile is prevalent, especially in tech companies that need to stay competitive in fast-paced environments. It’s widely embraced for its flexibility and emphasis on effective collaboration across creative teams. Engineers, designers, creative leads, and design/project managers benefit the most from these processes.
– Lean UX: A process that requires a continuous mindset reset, where iteration supports risk mitigation and focuses on user feedback. This creative process is especially helpful for those aiming to launch creative products faster through continuous prototyping. It’s an excellent tool for those who thrive in fast-paced environments.
Creativity is problem-solving at its essence. As we are part of the greatest technological revolution, we must understand the importance of being adaptable and resilient. It was C. Darwin who said that it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Emerging technologies are not going anywhere. In fact, their undeniable growth opens the door to a continuous learning process – becoming lifelong learners and embracing the new trends that are yet to come.
The only constant in life is change – the more we understand, adapt, and disrupt the society we live in, the greater the opportunities to create and design with purpose for future generations. May your creativity inspire others, in order to make this world a better place.
Emilio, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I currently work as the Creative Coordinator for SCADpro, the innovation studio at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where I also work as a creative consultant, specializing in brand design, strategy, and innovation for a variety of brands. I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with design-focused companies such as BMW, Google, Deloitte, and Lextant.
As a creative strategist and design thinker, I focus on Design Thinking, Creative Business Leadership, and Human-Centered Creativity, while also bringing expertise in brand strategy, content creation, and personal vision development. I approach my work with empathy and authenticity, always aiming for meaningful outcomes, identifying the leaders in the room, and collaborating for a good cause. Over the years, I’ve gained experience across creative industries, including film, television commercials, and managing creative teams.
I try to blend in storytelling, human-centered design (HCD), design thinking, and business strategy, allowing me to develop creative solutions that can be applied to multiple industries. I’m passionate about fostering collaboration, mentoring others, and creating dynamic environments that inspire forward-thinking work. With a focus on strategic workshops, research, and creative leadership, I like to tackle complex challenges and elevate projects from asking the right questions and identifying opportunities.
Additionally, my approach to Human-Centered Creativity is dedicated to creating more opportunities for talented creatives from Latin America, supporting the distribution, mentoring, and production of purpose-driven creative assets.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect has been to facilitate new opportunities for friends and colleagues in their careers.
I’ve had the beautiful opportunity to sit down with dozens of junior designers, emerging creatives, as well as creative partners. Most of the people I have chatted with express an urgent need to find a job that fulfills both their financial needs and personal goals – all reasonable standards. However, I have noticed a greater sense of self-realization when purpose-driven creativity is the cause and the job becomes the result. It is highly rewarding to have an insightful conversation about why they do what they do.
By asking the right questions, I have realized the urgent need of being heard, reflected in the eyes of our generation. Conversations that start over coffee and then end in a mock interview, workshops with creative leaders to spark leadership by influence, or quick introductions with people that are now my best friends and creative advisors, as well as thank-you letters filled with gratitude – these are the most gratifying aspects of my short journey as a creative consultant so far. I have noticed how, usually, people have the answers within, but there has never been a person curious enough to ask the right questions and direct them to what they already know.
More than a job landed, an award, or a new project developed – it is the passion and inspiration that triggers a collateral effect in me to keep expanding my network. A job is a result; the main cause, however, is the reason and purpose of why we do what we do. Everyone has a story, and every human perceives the cosmos in a unique way – the more we diversify our perspectives and open ourselves to a collective purpose, the more transformational creativity will go forward.
It’s about starting with empathy, asking the right questions, and knowing that we are all creative by nature – sometimes we need someone to shine the light and give us direction.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
There is this book I read called The Medici Effect, that explains how innovation lies at the intersection of diversity and opportunity. It explains how the greatest opportunities to design solutions often arise in places with the most pressing problems. My current focus is to explore human-centered design and how it can be applied within creative communities across Latin America. My long-term goal is to provide tools, data, knowledge, and best practices around design and strategy to empower these communities. For now, I am based in North America.
There are many opportunities for innovation in situations where problems are most abundant. In a way, it’s a bit ironic and somewhat optimistic to believe we can solve all the challenges faced by specific societies. However, it’s precisely that belief that needs to be embraced by the new generations. Amidst the rapid pace of technological development, there is a need for a community of creatives who keep humanity at the center of every design decision.
When we truly understand design processes, we see how much effort is invested in understanding Gen Z and Millennials – those assigned to take on the responsibility of the planet in the coming years. Curiously, we often fail to recognize the influence we hold over organizations, services, and products. True innovation manifests when it drives a shift in consumer behavior and daily habits. We are capable to redefine societal needs, if we decide to disrupt and be strategic about our day-to-day actions and the society we would like to see in the future.
If, as a creative generation, we take the time to reflect, ask the right questions, and design solutions from a place of value and an understanding of today’s needs, we will create solutions that transcend the material, fulfilling social and environmental purposes.
Only the trailblazer creatives understand that we are not just part of the creative movement; we are the creative movement ourselves.
If you’d like to explore more design and creative trends in my field, let’s start the conversation. Feel free to email me at [email protected], connect on LinkedIn or visit www.emiliojosearellano.com
Recommended Reads and References:
– Boudet, S. “First Impressions Matter: The Importance of Great Visual Design.” CXL, 23 Feb. 2022, https://cxl.com/blog/first-impressions-matter-the-importance-of-great-visual-design/#h-users-form-design-opinions-in-17-ms.
– “Creativity Doesn’t Matter.” WeTransfer, 2021, https://wetransfer.com/ideas-report/2021/creativity-doesnt-matter.
– “UX Statistics: Key Insights and Trends for 2023.” UXCam, 2023, https://uxcam.com/blog/ux-statistics/.
– IDEO. “The Things We’d Love to Redesign.” IDEO Journal, 16 May 2019, https://www.ideo.com/journal/the-things-wed-love-to-redesign.
– Ladhani, P. “The Six Steps for Justifying Better UX.” Forrester Research, 2020, https://www.forrester.com/report/The-Six-Steps-For-Justifying-Better-UX/RES117708.
– World Economic Forum. The Future of Jobs Report 2025. 2025, https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_Report_2025.pdf.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emiliojosearellano.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emlioarellano/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiliojarellano/
Image Credits
Alekzmac Photography
Emilio J. Arellano