So, what’s caused the shift?
For the last few years, design that looks and feels digital has been heavily on trend. “Good” design was decided by Facebook or Instagram, and leading brands focused on looking as modern and cutting-edge as possible.
The ill-fated Jaguar rebrand, in November 2024, was a tipping point. The new brand felt like it was trying so hard to be modern and digital, that even though there was probably a designer behind it, it looked like it was designed for an AI world… and it started getting backlash.
Brands are becoming aware that AI’s not everything, and there’s a growing belief that companies need to support humans, not farm everything out to AI tools.
As a result, the human touch has started to come back to graphic design. Using art - from real artists - has become the new ‘premium’. We’re seeing a lot more craft in design, and brands hiring illustrators and painters, instead of relying on AI.
Some of the world’s biggest brands are part of the movement: Hermès recently released a new website that was completely illustrated by hand, and Valentino proudly declared their recent campaign was completely AI-free.
We hope this trend continues, and real, human art and design continues to be valued and celebrated.
