Forward Thinking 2026 – find fresh inputs and clarity for the year ahead

This year’s Forward Thinking series is all about starting the year with clarity and intention – tidying the messy desk/Figma board inside your mind, and planting new seeds for the 12 months ahead. It’s time to cultivate fresh inspiration and unusual approaches, energise your creative process, share and connect with your fellow creative compatriots and find a new facet to your creative voice.

There are five features to dig into:

• The graphic trends you’ll want to bookmark for 2026: Five visual trends sure to influence creative work this year, featuring curated moodboards of references across trends in art direction, typography, logos and more.

• Shut your laptop! Ways to find inspiration offline: Discover fresh inputs beyond the limits of your screen via seven fun mini-briefs you can do at home, set by a range of creatives such as Tala Rae Schlossberg and From Form.

• Open your laptop! The creatives designing a more inspiring internet: Rabbit hole into the experimental and alternative internet projects making online a safe space of creativity and customisation.

• I’m not a robot: why showing your workings has never been more important: A deep-dive into the increasing ubiquity of behind-the-scenes content, and its real benefits and pitfalls for creatives.

• The future belongs to the creative generalists: advice for how, and why, to build a generalist mindset to give yourself longevity against AI and a fast-paced industry.

Enjoy! We hope it gives you some foundations and momentum for the year ahead, and we can’t wait to see what 2026 holds for the creative world.