Moving Into 2026: What We’re Choosing to Focus On
As we move into 2026, the temptation is always to look outward first. New tools. New trends. New predictions about what will matter next. But what we’re finding more valuable right now is looking inward — at how brands are built, how decisions are made, and where creative work quietly succeeds or fails long before anything is launched.
The past few years have been defined by acceleration. Faster timelines. More platforms. More opinions. And more pressure to move quickly without always pausing to ask the right questions. With AI now firmly embedded across creative and business workflows, that acceleration hasn’t slowed — it’s intensified.
The challenge for brands in 2026 won’t be keeping up. It will be knowing what not to chase.
A growing appetite for clarity
Across the brands and teams we work with, there’s a noticeable shift happening. Less appetite for surface-level activity. Less interest in “doing more”. And more focus on clarity — particularly at the earliest stages of brand thinking.
What a brand stands for.
Who it’s really for.
How it shows up consistently.
And why certain decisions are made in the first place.
These questions aren’t new. But the consequences of getting them wrong feel bigger now. When everything moves faster, weak foundations are exposed more quickly. Misalignment shows up sooner. And noise becomes harder to cut through.
In that context, clarity isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.
Strategy needs space again
One of the biggest risks heading into 2026 is strategy being treated as a bottleneck to move past, rather than a space to think within. Speed has value — but speed without direction often creates more work later, not less.
We’re seeing a renewed appreciation for strategy as a living process rather than a one-off deliverable. Something that guides decisions over time. Something teams return to. Something that creates confidence rather than constraint.
That kind of strategy requires space.
It requires participation.
And it requires different perspectives to be involved early, not just approved later.
Designers as strategic contributors
A meaningful shift we’re paying close attention to is how designers are being positioned within brand conversations. When designers are brought in at the end of a process, their impact is limited. When they’re involved early, they often shape the strongest ideas — not just how those ideas look, but how they work.
Designers think in systems, behaviour and experience. They see tensions and opportunities that don’t always appear in written strategy. As brands become more complex and more human-centred, that way of thinking becomes increasingly valuable.
In 2026, the brands that succeed won’t be the ones separating strategy and design. They’ll be the ones allowing them to inform each other continuously.
Technology should support thinking, not replace it
AI will continue to evolve rapidly. It will become more capable, more embedded and more normalised. But the most important question remains the same: how is it being used?
When technology replaces thinking, the work suffers.
When it supports thinking, the work improves.
We’re intentionally focusing on tools, processes and approaches that enhance participation, clarity and decision-making — particularly when teams are distributed, time-poor, or unable to collaborate in traditional ways.
The future isn’t about removing people from the process. It’s about making better thinking more accessible.
A more considered way forward
As we move into 2026, our focus is not on reacting faster, but on choosing more carefully. Building stronger foundations. Creating space for better questions. And supporting creative work that holds up over time, not just in the moment.
Trends will come and go. Tools will change. Platforms will evolve. But the brands that endure will be the ones rooted in clarity, intent and thoughtful collaboration.
That’s the work we’re choosing to prioritise.
And that’s the direction we’re moving in as the year unfolds.
