Creativity Lives!: The Design Hits of 2025

Sometimes it can feel like the creative industries are a burning cesspit of doom. Just look at D&AD’s new brand campaign and manifesto, claiming creativity is dead – and it’s the fault of creatives themselves. A grainy selection of typographic gravestones tells us we killed creativity by scrolling, writing think pieces, using our phone cameras and having no original thoughts – although ironically, the campaign has been accused of copying the work of London creative agency Morning Studio.

But as I look around to my peers, colleagues and collaborators at The Skinny and beyond, I see a glorious creative congregation, thriving in the face of funding cuts, cost of living crises, all the while fighting a billion dollar addiction machine that lives in all our pockets.

So, in an attempt to spread the good word of hope, and celebrate some wins from the year, big and small, I’ve asked some friends of The Skinny for their creative top hit from 2025.

Ophelia Davis & Yexabel Rivero

Founders of creative talks night Unknown Errors

Our highlight would be a collab between SQIFF and Excuse My Beauty that took place mid-July. We loved how it showcased emerging talent by combining a mix of short and long form media, as well as bringing community together by inviting local grassroots groups to share about themselves and the support they offer to the community. Especially now with services getting stripped back, it’s more important than ever to come together and provide for each other, and we felt like this event did that brilliantly. [@unknown_errors__ on Instagram]

James Gilchrist

Director of design agency Warriors Studio

My creative win for this year is seeing design being pushed in extreme and polarising directions while coexisting.

There is a strong movement in contemporary visual culture away from clean, efficient, functionally-inspired aesthetics. It’s becoming more common to see organic, grotesque, chaotic aesthetics bleeding into the mainstream. This offers opposition to commercial functional design which relies on clarity, speed and efficiency.

Alongside this, we’re simultaneously seeing a surge in hyper industrial, minimal, functionally-focused aesthetics and objects – particularly in the domestic space. 

I think these aesthetically and theoretically opposing forces coexisting and gaining popularity side by side is fascinating and makes the world a richer place to be. [warriorsstudio.com]

Agnes Xantippa Boman

Illustrator

A big design highlight for me in 2025 was joining the Inkygoodness Bootcamp. It’s an online illustration programme, for creative development and industry insight. I went into it looking for motivation and structure, and came out of it with a refreshed sense of direction and a community of artists who genuinely inspired me! [@agnesxan on Instagram]

Thea Bryant

Designer and Illustrator

My creative highlight was when a stranger walked past me in the street wearing a T-shirt I designed! [@__bythea on Instagram]

Jonny Mowat

Designer and Filmmaker

My highlight has got to be writing and directing my short film Behold, This Dreamer Cometh. I’ve taken a break from design to complete a Masters in filmmaking, and this film felt like a culmination of both my filmmaking learnings and my design sensibilities, and it was really fulfilling to apply a visual approach built up over years working in design, to this new and novel medium that tickles my brain. OLD WORLD – NEW WORLD – SYNERGY [jonnymowat.co.uk, @jmowatstuff on Instagram]

Magda Michalak

Illustrator

Funnily enough, I think it was letting myself stop doing almost all commercial projects for a while and giving myself time to figure out which direction I truly wanted to take in art and illustration. I opened myself to a new, more artistic path – I started doing life drawing and focusing on painting and writing in my studio instead of digital art. My old style and idea of what kind of illustrator I wanted to be totally flipped. Well, I can't wait to see where this leads me! [@magda__michalak on Instagram]

Jamie Johnston

Illustrator

My creative highlight has been continuing my work in magazine, merchandise, and album design. Seeing people hold, wear, and make real-life connections with my work feels more important than ever in an increasingly digital world. [@byjamiej on Instagram]