Following trends isn’t about changing your branding

As a small business owner headed into 2026, it might feel like the only way to take advantage of changes and trends in the design and aesthetics side of things, might be changing your branding overall to line up with whatever newest thing has come around the bend. But I’m here to tell you that’s NOT the only way, and there are SO many opportunities you can leverage this year, to help your business grow!

And no, they’re NOT all about making reels on social media and waiting for your viral moment. Virality is temporary – consistency? That NEVER goes out of style.

You can take advantage of trend forecasting in more subtle ways

The 2026 trend forecasts have been out for a while now, everywhere from Vistaprint to Pinterest Presents – and like every year, they cover a ton of ground. There are overall aesthetic trends, type-based trends, layout trends – every area and niche of design and art has new and different approaches as we come into this year.

Some of them might feel like BIG changes to the design world – but working them into your content doesn’t have to mean big changes to your brand! And some of them, you can leverage in your content without “changing” anything overarching at all. Or, maybe even by making a few small additions to the types of content you put out to promote your business.

But what about the trends themselves?

There are a few trends that are easily adaptable to your existing brand standards, no matter what those standards are! Which, yes, is a fairly big statement to make, because let’s face it, your brand could be the polar opposite of mine – monochromatic, clean, seamless… but I promise, you can STILL take advantage of these trends, even if you have super established brand standards. All it takes, is a little strategic flexibility!

1 – User Generated Content / Candid Camera

At the top of our list, we have a super-photography-related example of a trend shift in the design world, that you just cannot ignore. This is ESPECIALLY true if you’re managing ad campaigns, or creating social content for your business promotion. That trend? User generated content.

Now, when you hear “User Generated Content” you might think, “But Jess, I’m not the user, how can I leverage ‘User Generated Content’ if I’m the SELLER??” First of all, I totally understand the question. But just like everything to do with your business’ promotion, leveraging the “User Generated Content” trend isn’t about having your customers send in their own content. I mean, it CAN be, but it doesn’t HAVE to be. It can be as simple as a new set of photos, with an intentional, curated, CANDID vibe to them. Think, high flash, 90s disposable camera look and feel.

Not only is this very “in” at the moment, it also leaves space for you to experiment on your own, without a professional like me in the mix. Obviously I’d love to work with you to create a package of 2026-ready images to use for promoting your business, but you can feel free to dive into this trend on your own first, to see how you feel about it!

2 – Content in Motion

Another 2026 trend on the horizon, is one that’s been around for a while in a ton of different ways. Yes, you guessed it, it’s VIDEO. There are so, so many unique and creative ways that you can use video content to promote your products or services – but you’ve gotta get on it now, if you want to be able to leverage the trend all year long.

One way to bring movement to your content, is stop-motion. This combines the nostalgia of the 90s aesthetics that have come back around this year, with the concept of content in motion, meaning it’s pretty much a two-for-one!

3 – Visual Optimism

Some of the design trends that are influencing graphic design and artistic fields this year, might feel less straightforward to work into your own content – like this one, that I’m summarizing as “Visual Optimism.” This is a mashup of a ton of trends being seen all over the internet (and the real world, too!) in the direction of colors, graphics, props, and more, that are used in artistic content. Sometimes, it’s done through vibrant, bright color choices. Sometimes, it’s in the maximal approach to elements included on the page.

Other times, it’s done with juxtaposition, or digital compositing of generally dreamy elements into imagery. So if you have a dark, moody, or overall “elegant” or “professional” style brand, it might feel a little weird to try integrating this specific trend. But worry not, you can TOTALLY do it! Take a look on marketplaces like Etsy, or places like the Canva library, to find social media templates that can be tweaked to match your branding, but still leverage the optimism we’re seeing pop up all over the place. Find a happy medium, and reap the rewards!

4 – Human Imperfection

Finally (well, finally for THIS post, not like, finally as in “this is the last trend for 2026”, there are tons more I’m not going over here!) we have what I’m calling “Human Imperfection” which not only shows up in tons of the trend roundups from pretty much every company who releases them, but is a bit of a carry-over/evolution of direction from years past.

Human imperfection is growing more and more important as we continue using more and more AI in our processes. This time last year, I was talking all about authenticity – and that’s still what’s at the core of this trend on our list. Imperfections? They’re not something to gloss over, or try to avoid – they’re what make us human. And people, now more than ever, want things that feel REAL. This is another trend we can, thankfully, work into a photo package for your business, whether you’re a service provider, or a product seller! Humanizing what you do, and your business as a whole, is deeply important to growth right now.

Looking for new photos to support your brand’s 2026 trend needs?

All of these trends, and many more that you can find in other people’s roundups, can be worked into your existing branding without changing the whole game. But if you’re looking for some professional support to make it happen – look no further! I would love to talk about creating a package of images for you and your business, that will leverage these trends, and get you more than ready to create content for 2026 and beyond. Whether that means creating a package of stop motion video for you to use on social media, or if it means some authentic-feeling, human, just-the-right-amount-of-imperfect headshots, to show your clients that your team is full of real, complex people, who care about them!

Bonus: Take a look at just a few results that my AMAZING team of collaborators and me have gotten for our social media management clients!