It’s time for my annual round up of Designer Patch - year six.
DESIGN & MARKETING
2026 Graphic Design Trends
I explore five key graphic design trends that were anticipated for 2026; from minimalism to compelling narratives. Let me know which ones you noticed this year.
Pantone’s Color of the Year
Take a look at the behind the scenes of Pantone’s Color of the Year and see how it serves as an elegant, versatile, and dynamic tool across fashion, branding, and minimalist design.
Is Your Brand Sending Mixed Signals?
Learn about the critical importance of brand consistency in building audience trust and recognition and how to effectively break through marketing noise.
The New Era of Search
See how search habits have expanded beyond traditional platforms into social media and AI tools like ChatGPT and how to maintain brand visibility across today's customer journey.
Elevating Your Brand
See why companies should treat promotional products as intentional, well-designed marketing assets rather than simple logo stamps, ensuring items remain useful instead of in the trash.
Why Good Branding Isn’t Enough
Top brands leverage various principles of marketing psychology to align their strategies with natural human decision-making and achieve superior performance.
3 Ways to Refresh Your Creative Edge
I share some sources of creative inspiration to help designers and marketers keep their content fresh and visually engaging.
Your Go-To Graphic Design Toolkit
A curated toolkit of design resources, including tutorials, stock photos, typography sites, color tools, and inspiration hubs, to help quickly refresh your creative process.
SOCIAL MEDIA
2026 Social Media Trends
I share four key strategies for navigating modern social media so you can build genuine audience trust and earn guarded attention.
Your 2026 Social Media Audit Guide
Get a step-by-step guide for conducting a social media audit to help optimize your online presence and build a data-driven strategy.
Are Your Daily Posts Too Much?
Learn how prioritizing content quality and audience utility over posting frequency prevents follower burnout, and builds long-term community trust.
Here are my recaps of the past five years in Design, Marketing, and Social Media:
Must Know Trends, Tips, & Takeaways (2025)
Trends, Strategies, and Engagement - Oh My! (2024)
Marketing, Social Media, and Artificial Intelligence (2023)
Easy Ways To Improve Your Marketing (2022)
7 Design Tips To Better Market Yourself (2021)
Jessica is the Art Director at PromoCorner and has been in the promotional products industry since 2010. With a degree in Graphic Design, she has been working in Marketing since 2006 creating advertising of all sizes; from social posts to billboards. Jessica shares her passion for design in her monthly blog, Designer Patch. She can be reached at
jessica@promocorner.com.