2026 is the year of ‘Imperfect by Design’

As AI technology raises the baseline for what's possible, creators are tipping the scales back in the other direction -- not by rejecting AI, but by using it on their own terms.

According to Canva’s third annual Design Trends Report, 80% of the 1,000 creators surveyed across the US and Brazil said ‘2026 is the year we regain creative control’. This doesn’t mean that creators will abandon AI, but that they will use the tools at their disposal more intentionally to ensure that their individual taste and personality shine through.

Canva observed an 85% increase in searches for Zine and Substack-inspired layouts as creators gravitated toward editorial style storytelling. The platform also saw a 90% surge in DIY-inspired searches, reflecting a shift toward raw, personal, and imperfect design enabled by AI.

77% of creators called AI an “essential partner to create impactful visual content” with 49% using AI tools weekly and 30% using them daily for social media content, videos, art or illustrations, presentations, data visualisation, and marketing campaign assets.

When asked how AI-generated content and design make them feel, the top emotions were ‘exciting’ (58%), ‘empowering’ (41%), ‘hopeful’ (42%), and ‘playful’ (38%). Only 19% said it made them feel cautious and 12% said it made them feel uncertain.

Veering to the real, driven by overwhelm and nostalgia

What was interesting was how AI-driven content is shaping future design trends. As a counter to the boom in CGI and hyper-real materials, Canva noticed a 30% surge in searches for touchably tactile, realistic textures.

In response to digital overwhelm, Canva noticed that clean layouts, serif fonts, and simple branding are replacing maximalist palettes and mascots. Searches for “clean layout,” “serif,” and “simple branding” grew 54% year over year, reaching more than 45 million impressions (up 15M) across the platform. A quarter of creators said this was driven by a nostalgia for simpler times.

Surprisingly, in India, nostalgia drove creators in the opposite direction: maximalism. Canva saw a vibrant revival of cultural motifs, from handloom patterns to festival hues and Bollywood glamour. Searches for “Desi” and “Hindi typography” grew 26% and 17%, highlighting a return to heritage-rich, maximalist storytelling.

Design trends to watch out for

By analysing design and search activity from 260M+ creators and more than a billion monthly designs, Canva identified 10 design trends that will shape creative and design culture in 2026. These are:

Reality warp: Creators are intentionally blurring the line between real and surreal. Searches for “liminal” and “uncanny” jumped 220% year over year, with nearly a quarter of creators predicting this will be the defining look of 2026.

Prompt playground: Experimentation meets early-internet nostalgia as people design for emotional impact first. UI fragments, retro-tech references, and “vibe coding” are reshaping visual language, with searches for “lo-fi aesthetic” spiking 527%.

Explorecore: In response to digital overwhelm, Explorecore champions clarity and calm. Searches for Zine- and Substack-inspired layouts are up 85% year on year as creators seek designs that slow the pace and invite deeper exploration.

Texture check: Driven by a boom in CGI and hyper-real materials, Texture Check makes surfaces the star. From glassy to waxy to touchably tactile, realistic textures are surging on Canva, where related searches have grown 30%.

Notes app chic: The rise of celebrated imperfection is pushing creators toward scrapbook- style visuals, messy compositions, and behind-the-scenes authenticity. DIY and collage-inspired elements are up 90%, reflecting a cultural shift toward progress over polish.

Opt-out era: A counterweight to digital burnout, this trend pares visuals back to their essentials. Clean layouts, serif fonts, and simple branding are replacing maximalist palettes and mascots. Searches for “clean layout,” “serif,” and “simple branding” climbed 54%.

 

 

 

 

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Drama club: Creators are turning up the emotional volume, channelling cinematic storytelling across social content, art, and video. Interest in “mockumentary,” “dramatic spotlight,” and similar motifs is up 27%, fuelling a resurgence in high-drama aesthetics.

GrannyWave: In India, nostalgia is driving a vibrant revival of cultural motifs, from handloom patterns to festival hues and Bollywood glamour. Searches for “Desi” and “Hindi typography” grew 26% and 17%, highlighting a return to heritage-rich, maximalist storytelling.

Zinegeist: In Mexico, the DIY zine movement is back with extra volume. Collaged layouts, anti-gloss textures, and bold, oversized type are taking hold as creators reject overly digital aesthetics. Related searches—like “brutalist design” and “type poster”—rose 77% year over year.

Block party: Spain’s creative community is blending vintage tones, folklore, and everyday pastimes into warm, nostalgic visuals reimagined through a modern lens. Searches for styles like “Estética Tradicional” and “Folklore Urbano” hit 1.5 million impressions.