This edition takes a bold look at the future of design. It explores what design can achieve in 2026: what brings our community together, and how is our role evolving in the age of AI? And also: how can brands use design to position themselves successfully in a fast-changing environment? 

 

With the Design Business Days, PAGE and W&V, Werben & Verkaufen have already sent a strong signal to the industry. Now PAGE builds on this momentum in its cover story: “Changing Design: Was Designer:innen 2026 wirklich leisten und wie wir das endlich sichtbar machen.” 

 

We are excited to share our thoughts on brand strategy and typography in this edition:

 

Check out the interview with Lukas Cottrell (page 37). His thesis: "Times of upheaval are a chance to charge 
brands with emotion and innovation so that they become iconic. The key levers here are myth and aura." Read why these are not esoteric ideas but strategic tools for brand management. 

 

One hundred years ago, Jan Tschichold published his text “Die elementare Typographie,” a reflection on what typography needs to deliver in the era of industrialization. A century later, we are once again facing major technological disruption. That is why Sven Fuchs asks in his column: "Do we need a new typographic manifesto 
for the age of AI" (page 76). Curious to hear your thoughts on that.

 

Speaking of typography, Felix Damerius’s discoveries are also part of this issue. Look forward to anxiety-ridden alphabets, serifs that no longer want to play a supporting role in type design, and a playful, technology-driven approach to working with variable fonts (page 72).

 

Check out the 04 issue of PAGE magazine here