BranD No.78: Discover Future Sensory Design

Each themed edition of BranD showcases brand work and design. An excellent reference publication for anyone working in commercial or brand-based design, as well as those working in graphic design more generally. Plus, it often features innovative print finishing techniques.

In this issue:

In the face of AI, the design industry is shrouded in anxiety caused by uncertainty. Topics such as “the impact of AI on the design industry” have received widespread discussion on social media, but there seems to be a lack of positive and objective viewpoints. Can graphic designers still create in a bold way today? To answer this question, the editorial team regarded BranD 78 as a “research tool.” Among the opinions collected in BranD 78, the team found that designers have always been those who continue exploring sensory experiences in design, so “how designers create sensory experiences” was decided to be the theme. 2025 marks the 13th anniversary of BranD, and this is a gift for designers around the world.

A Sensory Exploration of Future Design

The editorial team explores the present and future development of graphic design from the perspective of visual designers, showing the interdisciplinary possibility of visual communication. The team conducted desk research, interviews with renowned designers, and observations of international design events such as D&AD, The One Show, and ADCE. The article “A Sensory Exploration of Future Design” was composed from two perspectives: “commercial design” and “voices from the field.”

Sensory Blast: To Find and Scan the 9 ARs in the Magazine

Technology is one of the tools for creating experiences. In BranD 78, the editorial team has applied AR for the first time to present the design work. Readers can enjoy the “3D” art installations and interactive work by scanning the codes in the magazine, thus conveying the intention behind each design. Hopefully readers would enjoy this sensory blast!

Exploring the Demand for Sensory Experiences

Starting from the perspective of visual communication, the editorial team invited 12 groups of designers who have engaged in the fields of branding, visual art, spatial design, localization design, art installation and printing. Amid prevalent technological changes, they shared the way to conduct sensory experiments with design and explore human sensory needs.

COCHAE (Japan)—From Tradition to Innovation

R2 Design (Portugal)—Does Design Have Trends?

Sek-Vai LOW (China)—Becoming the Labor Behind Commercial Design?

Minkyumen (South Korea)—Intuitive Layout Play

Serban Ionescu (Romania)—Art Mining in Daily Life

Mariko Mukumoto (Japan)—The Transformative Power of Art

Awaken Sheep (China)—Redesign the Life

(PLACE) by method (Japan)—White Space in Spatial Design

GRAPHIC TRIAL (Japan)—Pushing the Boundaries of Printing

Wang & Söderström (Denmark)—The Sense Beyond the Five Senses

Yehwan Song (South Korea)—Alternative Possibilities of User-Friendly

Grayoval (South Korea)—Higher, Faster, Equate to Stronger?

Think by Think: At the Confluence of Now and Tomorrow

With the popularization of design-related technologies such as AR, VR and AI, designers are now at a pivotal moment. How would viewers perceive design in the future? To discuss this topic, the editorial team invited 8 groups of Chinese designers, including Bofeng Liao, Sijia Suen, Fang87, Qishi, Mao Mao, Tao Zhang, as well as designers from MORE Studio and Seven S Studio.

BranD × atama: Returning to the Desk of Showa Design

Jimbochi in Tokyo is a paradise of second-hand books. atama, a Tokyo-based creative team, bought two graphic design magazines at Jimbochi—objet magazine Yu and Tategumi Yokogumi. The two magazines are forward-looking both in design and content. Members of atama had an in-depth analysis of their layout design and editorial thinking. Through this article, readers can board a time travel machine with atama and return to the Showa period!

BranD × Zhiqian Li: Type Design Trends

To predict the future, one must first understand the past. The editorial team invited Zhiqian Li, the co-founder of 3type, to compose the article “Future Font Development Report.” Li, who has been deeply involved in the type design industry for more than 10 years, summarized the major events at home and abroad in the past 50 years, and sorted out the development of digital fonts, clearly and concisely outlining the history of the type design industry, and depicting its development in the future.

Listening to the Readers’ Voices and Having a Guess about the future

Designers’ imagination, judgment and empathy cannot be replaced by AI. In BranD 78, the editorial department invited readers to have a guess about the development of graphic design, and invited 5 educators in the field of graphic design to have a discussion about the readers’ guesses.

The Typeface on the Cover Was Guided by Ryu Mieno

Taking “creating a sensory experience” as the principle, the editorial team meticulously designed the typeface on the cover. Inspired by Ryu Mieno at his workshop, the team selected the arrows of the recycling symbol as the basic element and designed the Chinese character “感” (meaning “sensory”) with arrows in different directions and positions.

Sensory Contrast: Original Two-Color PVC Jacket

In order to create a sense of visual contrast, the editorial team created a PVC jacket in red and pink. When wrapped in the colored jacket, different colors and images will be displayed on the cover of the magazine, offering readers novel sensory experiences