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:

⭐ 6 Stories: The Newest Happenings in Design

💊 3 Resources: Secret Creative Resources That Pros Use

⚡ 1 Tip: Own a Context, Not Just a Category

Reading time: 3 minutes

⭐ Stories

1. Cheetos’ “Other Hand” Font

Cheetos has done something wonderfully silly and I’m kind of here for it. To celebrate National Handwriting Day, they’ve released “The Other Hand Font,” a deliberately wonky typeface created by designers using their non-dominant hands (while eating Cheetos, of course). I think the “hilariously bad” vibe might just make it memorable. (Hilarious Video)

2. Design Studio Layer Shares a Speculative AI Hardware Project

LAYER's concept for Personal Intelligent Assistants (PiA) is a take on how AI gadgets might seamlessly integrate into our lives. The PiA system includes a smartphone made from recycled glass, a biometric earbud to track health data, and a detachable modular camera that doubles as a wearable. Together, these devices act as "eyes and ears," collecting and analyzing information to provide personalized insights. It’s still just a concept though, but an interesting one. (Source)

3. Internet Calls Walmart’s “New” Logo Lazy

Walmart’s refreshed logo stays largely the same, with subtle tweaks to spacing and a brighter blue and yellow palette. The retailer says the design reflects its evolution into a “tech-powered, people-led” brand. While the updates are minimal, they aim to reinforce Walmart’s omnichannel services and modern relevance while nodding to its heritage. Honestly, it’s not groundbreaking, but maybe that’s the point. (Source)

4. Samsungs New MR Headset Looks a Lot Like Others

Samsung finally unveiled its Project Moohan headset at Galaxy Unpacked, offering a glimpse of its Android XR-powered vision for extended reality. Designed in collaboration with Google, the device takes elements of Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s Quest Pro and mashes them together (Sorry, not sorry Samsung). While it's initially developer-focused, consumer availability remains on the horizon. (Source)

5. Always On AI Wearables Are Coming

CES 2025 unveiled a wave of always-listening AI wearables like Bee AI's Pioneer, Omi, and HumanPods, promising lifelogging, to-do lists, and personalized assistance. While their functionality feels futuristic (Omi even reads brainwaves!), the constant recording raises serious privacy concerns. Here’s an interesting read on AI wearables. (Source)

6. From Design Thinking to Community Thinking

I found this article last week that dives into how design thinking is evolving into community-powered transformation. It explores how shifting from individual-focused solutions to building networks and communities can help organizations tackle bigger, systemic challenges while creating lasting impact. You know stuff like this is exciting to me as I have the privilege of calling myself the founder of the largest design network for Indian Designers. (Full Article)

💊 Resources

3 links to boost your creativity.

• TLDRAW is an endless whiteboard with compute and AI features. This tool is mindblowing.

• Start UX Design is what I usually recommend to people who want to get started with UX Design

• The 7 principles of luxury is a great watch on building a luxury brand

⚡ Tip

Own a Context, Not Just a Category

Here’s something I’ve noticed: The best personal brands aren’t just the “best” at what they do, they’re simply the obvious choice in a specific situation. And surprisingly, they don’t focus on dominating a mass appeal category. Think of Simon Sinek, whose personal brand doesn’t just occupy the broad "leadership expert" category but owns the context of helping people "start with why." By anchoring yourself to a specific moment or mindset in your audience’s life, you become the natural choice when they encounter that situation.

This principle is rooted in psychological studies, such as the availability heuristic, which states that people are more likely to recall and act on what’s readily available in their memory. When a personal brand ties itself to a specific, meaningful context, it becomes top of mind precisely when needed.

For instance, positioning yourself as the designer who helps startups nail their first product launch or the coach for creatives who want to break out of a career rut creates an immediate association with a high-stakes moment. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman's work on decision-making shows that people rely on mental shortcuts (heuristics) when making choices, especially in complex situations. By tying your personal brand to a context like "launching under pressure" or "pivoting to success," you reduce the mental effort required for others to choose you.

Alright, that’s it for this week. Use this when thinking about self branding or your company’s positioning.

Happy Designing!