Hi Friends! I’m excited to share this week’s Designing Near Future. Here are the latest updates from the design industry, all in bite-sized, easy-to-digest pieces.

Breakdown of what’s in store today:

⭐ 7 Stories: The Newest Happenings in Design

💊 3 Resources: Secret Creative Resources That Pros Use

⚡ 1 Tip: Mere Exposure Effect

Reading time: 3 minutes

⭐ Stories

1. Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year is… Chocolatey Mocha Mousse

Pantone’s Mocha Mousse - a rich, warm brown is the new 2025 Color of the Year, signaling a theoretical shift toward coziness and comfort. Interior designers see this as part of the ongoing move from cool whites and grays to richer neutrals like tan and brown. While the Color of the Year can sometimes feel like more hype than influence, it’s hard to ignore the timing: trends across fashion and interiors have been shifting toward warm, cozy neutrals. (Source)

2. Transparent’s Brutalist Speaker is Bold, Heavy, and Kind of Perfect

Transparent’s launched it’s Brutalist Speaker and it feels like something out of a design museum – a towering 23-inch monument to brutalist architecture, made from 70% recycled aluminum. I love how it blends raw, industrial aesthetics with thoughtful audio engineering. I mean, it’s rare to see a speaker that looks this unapologetically architectural while delivering hi-res sound and modern streaming tech. (Source)

3. Pinterest Predicts Design Trends for 2025

Pinterest’s 2025 trends are here, and they’re anything but quiet. Chaotic cakes will replace the picture-perfect desserts we’re used to, pickle fixes are set to dominate kitchens, and Castlecore (yes, castles and medieval vibes) is coming for home decor and fashion. It’s all bold, playful, and a little bit weird – which, honestly, I love. Overall, I think these trends are leaning into two things: craving comfort and making a statement. (Source)

4. Spotify Wrapped 2024 faces Mass Backlash

Spotify Wrapped 2024 left many disappointed, not just because of its AI-driven elements but also its underwhelming visual design. Creatives across social media voiced frustration, calling it “the worst design yet” – a likely result of Spotify’s layoffs earlier this year, which impacted much of its creative team. (Source)

5. A Wall-Mounted Boxing Coach You Can Actually Punch

Growl is reimagining home fitness with a wall-mounted device that combines projectors, sensors, and a flexible screen that doubles as a punching bag. Unlike other smart workout devices like Tonal or the Lululemon Mirror, Growl lets you physically hit the targets it displays while tracking your movements in 3D and providing AI-driven feedback to improve your form. (Source)

6. Biodegradable Shoes Made from Bacteria

Oxman’s O° platform uses bacteria-made PHAs to create 100% biodegradable shoes with zero petrochemicals or microplastics. Robotic 3D printing and PHA yarn eliminate wasteful processes, making these shoes fully circular - designed to return to nature at the end of their life. Super Cool Project (Source)

7. Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker Unveils Retro-Futuristic Synthesizer

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and his team at Telepathic Instruments have unveiled The Orchid, a compact, retro-futuristic synthesizer. Designed with 12 velocity-sensitive keys, it produces everything from jazz and guitar chords to ambient sounds, allowing for dynamic volume and chord variations. Key features include a chord logic system for easy mixing, a pitch dial for creative voicings, and ‘Performance’ modes that mimic strumming, harps, and vintage effects. (Source)

💊 Resources

3 links to boost your creativity.

• Dead Simple Sites features super minimalist simple sites.

• Curation of Curations is basically a netflix of design content

• The Real Secret to Self-Confidence is a brilliant video, regardless of where you are at in your life

⚡ Tip

Mere Exposure Effect

The Mere Exposure Effect comes from a 1960s experiment by psychologist Robert Zajonc, who discovered that people grow to like things simply by seeing them repeatedly - whether it’s a face, a song, or an idea.

Where do we see this in action?

• Branding: That logo you see everywhere? You trust it more, even if it’s nothing special.

• Trends: Styles we resist at first (like chunky sneakers) eventually feel “normal” and even desirable.

• Content: That viral tweet didn’t hit because it was genius - it was simply shared a thousand times.

The Takeaway

If you want people to care about your work or ideas, consistency beats brilliance. Share often. Repetition turns the unfamiliar into the familiar - and the familiar into the favored.

Familiarity is free. Use it.

Happy Designing!