It’s been a busy few weeks. I’m getting through it. That’s what we do, right? Plug away, iterate, fail, try again, get closer, go way off course, realign, discover something, break it, start over, get to a solution that you can live with, start again, find a nugget that you love, iterate some more, and suddenly you’ve found the solution. Hopefully, you are all closer to the end of the sequence than to the beginning.
Web Design/UX/UI
This year, we heard from 147 design system practitioners across organizations of all sizes—from scrappy startups to global enterprises. As always, our goal is to provide an honest snapshot of where design systems stand: the wins, the struggles, and the emerging opportunities.
…onboarding is one of the few moments where you have a user’s complete attention and their clear intent. They just decided they want what you’re building. They’re motivated. They’re present. That is not a moment to rush through.
Illustration/Branding
Artists shares how he created Penguin Random House’s Playful Penguins campaign
Alan the penguin gets an ensemble cast.
Care Wireless Brand Identity Gives Connectivity a Human Face
Classmate Studio gives a government program a friendly mascot emblem, warm blue palette, and a distinctly human presence.
Incredible Cyberpunk And Synthwave Digital Art Exploring Quiet Isolation And Melancholy
Steve Schütz is a digital artist who creates nostalgic, atmospheric, and highly detailed dreamscapes by merging “creative intuition with AI tech.”
Architecture
Resting Pavilion in Osaka Expo / MIDW
The entire site is excavated into a sequence of alternating hollows and mounds, simultaneously enabling soil removal while generating a rhythmic topography. A roof is then cast using this terrain as formwork, lifted, rotated 90 degrees on plan, and placed back onto the ground. In doing so, a continuous, cave-like void is created between the earth’s undulating surface and the raised roof.
Typography
Yuni Grotesque: A Compressed Sans-Serif from TypeMates
A compressed 12-style sans-serif from TypeMates built for bold branding, big headlines, and expressive typesetting.
Photography
Spectacular Mountain & Nature Photos From The 2026 Memorial Maria Luisa Awards
Now in its 36th edition, this prestigious global competition continues to celebrate the raw magnificence of mountains, nature, and adventure through extraordinary photography.
Graphic Design/Branding
This rebrand combines maps and fingerprints into something special
Environmental charity gets a new look.
Revolte AI Branding: The Future of Automated Intelligence
Studio builds a cold, precise identity for automated intelligence: geometric marks, dark palettes, and sharp typographic contrast.
Work
Design’s influence is expanding, and here’s why that feels hard
As AI accelerates creation and raises expectations, designers are navigating a field that’s bigger, faster, and more demanding than ever