Forget the Trends. Here’s What to Focus on Instead

If you’re a surface designer or illustrator constantly wondering what’s trending, what buyers want, or how to make your work more marketable, you’re not alone. But here’s a little permission slip: you don’t have to start with what the market wants.

In fact, it’s better if you don’t.

When you focus too much on what’s selling or what you think people want, it drowns out your intuition, your inner creative voice that knows what lights you up. And that voice? That’s where your signature style lives.

Start by Asking: “What Sounds Fun to Make Today?”

That might sound simple, but it’s incredibly powerful.

If today it’s a rainbow, draw a rainbow. If it’s an alligator, draw the heck out of that alligator. Follow that little spark of curiosity and joy. That’s your intuition speaking, and when you give it space, it leads you somewhere more authentic than any trend forecast ever could.

Your Joy Is Contagious (And Marketable)

Here’s the thing: when you create from a place of joy and clarity, when you love the work you’re making, it shows. People feel it. Your audience, buyers, and art directors will connect more deeply with work that feels true to you.

And ironically, that’s exactly the kind of work that sells. The kind that stands out in a sea of trend-chasing sameness. The kind that gets licensed.

Signature Style First, Strategy Second

This isn’t to say that market research and strategy don’t matter. They absolutely do. But they come after. Start by building a body of work that reflects who you are and what excites you. Then, look at the market and ask: Where could this fit?

Because if you’ve developed a strong, joyful, unmistakably-you portfolio, there will be a place for it.