In today’s hyper-competitive landscape, I’ve found it more crucial than ever to help clients understand the fundamental difference between functional design and mere styling. The data backs this up: 92% of marketers believe brand authenticity is essential, and 81% of customers need to trust a brand before purchasing.

Can you identify what makes design truly transformative in 2025?

Here’s my take: When something is thoughtfully engineered and well-constructed, its inherent strengths naturally shine through its appearance. Great design enables products to be used reliably and continuously — whether it’s a website, mobile app, electric vehicle, or smart home device. Many brands have stopped following fads and are focusing on being more authentic and true to their heritage. (I’m thinking of the recent “Cracker Barrel” logo debacle).

Ray Eames, leading 20th century American designer, had it right: “What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts.” But I’d suggest that in today’s business environment, you need both. With 76% of consumers preferring to buy from brands they feel connected to, function alone isn’t enough — you need that emotional connection too.

The masters understood this. Dieter Rams at Braun. Steve Jobs at Apple. Today’s standouts like Tesla, Notion, and Airbnb continue this legacy. Their products don’t just work beautifully—they create experiences that feel intuitive and meaningful. As we head into the future, UX design is becoming more nuanced, strategic, and influencing more aspects of business strategy, with increasing urgency around accessibility, sustainability, and ethical design.

Styling, by contrast, is more surface-level and cosmetic — making something look appealing regardless of how it actually functions. We’ve all encountered beautifully designed websites that are impossible to navigate, or sleek apps that crash constantly. 64% of customers stop buying from brands with poor employer reputations — authenticity runs deeper than aesthetics.

The Brand Reality Check

A brand isn’t just your logo and color palette — it’s your organization’s entire promise to the world. The most successful brands have crystal-clear values, compelling stories, and they deliver on every touchpoint. They speak truthfully, act ethically, and never overpromise. Most importantly, they understand that 88% of consumers claim authenticity is crucial when deciding which brands they like and support.

The inside-out principle reflects a fundamental truth: unhealthy foundations eventually surface, and no amount of visual polish can hide systemic dysfunction. Consistent branding drives 10-20% revenue growth, but only when it’s built on solid business foundations.

In this age of AI integration and personalized experiences, the brands winning are those designing from their core values outward, creating experiences that are immersive, adaptive, and responsive to individual user needs.

What’s your take? Which brands do you believe are authentically designed from the inside out in 2025?

What design challenges are you facing in your industry? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

#Design #BrandStrategy #UserExperience #Authenticity #DesignThinking #2025Trends