MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippine design industry is a vibrant mix of colors, types, meme culture, and a plethora of ideas that can easily adapt to new influences. As we venture into 2025, we also venture into a brave new world, and with that are trends that we can ride moving forward. Here are five design directions we can use and play around with this year.
AI-saw Design
Can you imagine the time when designers first faced the concept of “Photoshop” or any design program? Surely they had some thoughts of going against it, especially when they already had some design workflow. So far, technology has remained unbeatable, and much like the designers before, it’s now our turn to embrace this new workflow of infusing AI into our systems.
With ethical and smart use of AI, it can be a powerful tool to ignite ideas or strengthen the ones we already have. Take for example how legendary local designer AJ Dimarucot thinks of mixing AI and his creative work:
“ChatGPT is one of my main tools. I use it to help me come up with ideas and write things like proposals or rationales for my designs. It’s not something I rely on blindly – it’s only as good as what I put into it.”
“Photoshop’s Generative Fill is another tool I use a lot, especially for editing photos. If I need to turn a horizontal stock photo into a vertical one, for example, it does the job in seconds. Things like that used to take so much time, but now it’s quick and easy, so I can focus on more important parts of my projects.”
He added, “I use AI not just for designing but to make my whole design process easier.”
While AI can really be amazing, it doesn’t have the capacity to be original, as the vision remains with you, the designer. So keep on learning and use this technology to its full potential.
Bold Minimalism
Social media is good, but one of the things it has done to us is shorten our capacities for focusing. This is where we can maximize bold minimalism still in 2025. Design with few elements, and give emphasis to even fewer parts, like big and bold typography and boost it up with simple but contrasting color palettes.
Check out these samples from legendary design studio Team Manila:
Metallics
Whiplash, anyone? If there’s any recent pop culture reference that we can associate with metallics, it would be Aespa’s “SYNK” concept. They bring that “Whiplash” back from the 2000s aesthetics, and it’s coming back again this year, like a future in motion.
We too have metallic design here in the Philippines in plain sight – the historic jeepneys! As a design challenge this year, how about turning this niche aesthetic of metallic and sparkly jeepneys into reinterpretations of different concepts that can trickle into personal and work campaigns?
Pixels
In the beginning was the Word, as said in the Bible, but when it came to our screens, there was the pixel. This simple dot born during the dawn of computing has laid the groundwork for the screen technology we have today and is now in the forefront of design this 2025. You might see more of these this year, mixing the tech-retro vibe, especially seen in the tastes of younger generations of designers and techpreneurs.
How about using these two typefaces that may embody this vibe: “Kawingan” by Jad Maza? Or level it up with Inandan by “Uncurated Studio,” a typeface that looks like a mix of pixels and our very own beadwork and weaving patterns?
Handcrafted
We’ve talked about the use of AI to boost your design, but there will always be rebellion against new tech, one of which would be going analog. You’ll see more handmade craft design like organic lettering, doodles, or earthy textures. With AI making things look very polished and shiny, more designs will push for grainy and organic, with a mix of imperfections and happy accidents.
A quick search in the local scene — how about getting inspired by the cutout designs of Thea Torres, the grainy retro illustrations of Kitty Jardenil, or gouache textures of Aaron Asis?
Ultimately, while the goal is consistency, good foundations, and timelessness when it comes to design, going with trends isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it helps us flow with the present, or being in the now. So explore these trends, experiment, and breathe new life into your work using your Filipino identity.
