Brand love is declining.
People care less about how a brand looks and more about what it does.
“According to Deloitte, nearly 46% of consumers say they feel no connection to any brand, this is a clear sign that brand love can no longer be assumed. (Deloitte 2025)”
For designers, that can sound disheartening. But maybe it’s not that people have stopped caring, maybe they’ve stopped believing.
"Maybe it's not that people have stopped caring, maybe they've stopped believing."
Design has always been about more than beauty. It’s a language of care, of how brands behave, how they show up, how they make people feel. When we design without depth or intention, we add to the noise. When we design with empathy and honesty, we restore trust.
Look at Patagonia or Tony’s Chocolonely — brands that show care through consistency, transparency, and conviction. Their design isn’t loud, it’s lived. Every touchpoint — from packaging to product to purpose — reinforces a simple truth: they mean what they make.
Who cares? We do. The makers, creators and builders. The future of brand design lies not in convincing people to care, but in creating brands that show they do. The same study states “the phenomenon of ‘brand love’ is still relevant … 45.7 % of respondents feel no connection to any brand and the tendency to switch brands is high”.
Conclusion
That’s where design’s job shifts. From looking good to standing for something real.
It’s demonstration, not decoration.
