Every year, a new crop of trend forecasts attempts to spell out where different industries are heading; for me, the most interesting is the state of design. While the predictions vary, a clear theme is emerging: The most important design story of 2026, according to our iF Design’s 2026 Trend Report, is not AI but how design and designers are responding to it. While generative tools make creation faster, cheaper, and more uniform, we’re seeing the most influential designers moving consciously in