Canva Unveils 2026 Design Trends: The Year of ‘Imperfect by Design’

Canva’s third annual Design Trends Report uncovers insights from millions of Canva users and billions of designs to predict the must-know visual trends for creators and brands in 2026.

• 90% surge in DIY-inspired searches, reflecting a shift toward raw, personal, and imperfect design.
• 85% increase in searches for Zine and Substack inspired layouts as creators gravitate toward editorial style storytelling.
• 80% of creators say 2026 is the year to regain creative control, embracing AI as a partner while prioritizing styles that feel human.
• 54% growth in searches for clean layouts and simple branding as audiences gravitate toward pared back styles.
• 527% surge in lo-fi aesthetic searches in favor of nostalgia driven, emotionally expressive visuals.
• 220% jump in searches for “liminal” and “uncanny” content as lines between real and surreal blur.

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Canva, the world’s leading all-in-one visual communication platform, today unveiled its third annual Design Trends Report with bold predictions for creativity, social media and brand content in 2026. The company also unveiled a “Design DNA” feature, which offers Canva users a custom recap that celebrates their creative output in 2025.

Trends from Creators, for Creators

By analyzing design and search activity, expert insights from the Canva Designer Advisory Board, and a survey of 1,000 creators across the U.S. and Brazil, Canva has identified 10 design trends that will shape creative and design culture in 2026. The findings paint a clear picture: as creators embrace AI’s power, they also crave the human touches that make design feel personal.

A New Creative Standard: Imperfect by Design

As AI technology raises the baseline for what's possible, visual authenticity has become the ultimate differentiator. After years of algorithmic sameness and polished perfection, 80% of creators surveyed said “2026 is the year we regain creative control” - not by rejecting AI, but by using it on their own terms.

AI remains a central part of creators’ workflows, with 77% describing AI as an “essential partner.” This moment is about using the tools at our disposal, while ensuring individual taste and personality shine through.

From sensory textures to cinematic storytelling, creators are diving headfirst into the synthetic era. With searches for DIY and collage-inspired elements up by 90%, users are simultaneously embracing design that signals genuine human presence while also embracing what AI has to offer.

“As more and more creators turn to AI to help them express themselves visually, we believe 2026 marks the year of Imperfect by Design, a time when blending AI seamlessly with human imagination and creativity has never mattered more. Canva was built for this shift, to empower anyone to use AI on their terms and bring their ideas to life in a way that feels personal, authentic, and unmistakably human.”

– Cat van der Werff, Canva’s Executive Creative Director

10 Trends Brands & Creators Need to Know

Canva’s global insights reveal 10 design trends set to shape creativity in 2026, reflecting how AI, culture, and community are reshaping visual expression worldwide.

• 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 over 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%.
• Drama Club: Creators are turning up the emotional volume, channeling cinematic storytelling across social content, art, and video. Interest in “mockumentary,” “dramatic spotlight,” and similar motifs is up 27%, fueling 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.

Getting Personal with Design DNA

Canva users can now access their own unique ‘Design DNA’ report. The AI-powered Design DNA feature analyzes each user’s 2025 design habits and generates a bespoke recap of their creative achievements. A personalized creative identity card is shared to indicate whether they’re a Font Stylist, a Prompt Picasso, a Chatter Box, or a Newbie. Canva generated over 111 million unique Design DNA assets last year.

Canva’s trend predictions for 2026 can be found at canva.com/design-trends/ and any Canva user can generate their own Design DNA recap at canva.com.

About Canva

Launched in 2013, Canva is the world’s leading all-in-one platform for visual communication and collaboration. Built to empower everyone to design, Canva serves the creative and design needs of enterprises, small businesses, consumers, and students in more than 190 countries worldwide.

Whether you’re a novice taking your first steps in design, or a creative professional seeking powerful tools, Canva ensures users have what they need to transform an idea into something beautiful. Underpinned by the world's most comprehensive library of designer-made content, Canva is powered by a suite of products and proprietary AI tools that elevate how individuals and teams create, collaborate, and communicate with ease.

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