How to escape the trap of converging design trends and create original work
In short: Design is increasingly suffering from a lack of visual variety, with trends leading to identical palettes and styles. TED Fellow Lope Gutierrez-Ruiz offers three counterintuitive strategies to break this cycle and produce work that genuinely stands out from the crowd.
In a talk recorded at TEDNext on November 10, 2025, designer Lope Gutierrez-Ruiz addresses the homogenization of modern design. He argues that current trends are forcing creators into a narrow corridor of shared typography, color schemes, and illustration styles, resulting in a landscape where everything looks the same.
To counter this, Gutierrez-Ruiz presents three distinct methods for achieving originality. He illustrates these concepts by showcasing unconventional projects from his own studio, demonstrating how designers can move beyond imitation to create work that feels fresh and distinct.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 3 Ways to Create a Truly Original Design | Lope Gutierrez-Ruiz | TED
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