★★ Branding Trends for 2026! ★★

Find opportunities beyond trends and in everyday contexts!
Curated branding insights for planners, marketers, entrepreneurs, and creators.

In 2026, a must-read branding insight book for anyone looking to grow their brand has been published.
"Brand Code: Beta Life" is a book that compiles branding insights based on the experience accumulated by "Preferred," a branding strategy boutique that collaborates with leading domestic brands.
Many brands try to find "trends," but to become a beloved brand, you need to read the context of change beyond trends.
The author explains the context of the new change with the keyword 'Beta Life'.
'Beta Life' is a new era of lifestyle that enjoys the uncertain process rather than the perfect result, views life itself as a process of growth, and lives with an experimental attitude.
This book contains not only various branding cases such as FabCafe, a making space that allows you to enjoy the process rather than the result; Habitica, which makes the process of habit formation into a fun game; Toggle Track, which helps you to meticulously data-ify your daily life; Verci, which designs chance encounters; and Montana, which helps you freely change space depending on your perspective, but also the strategies that brands should have and practical application methods of insights.
Ultimately, the brands that penetrate the public's heart and are loved are those that understand people's minds well and build genuine relationships.
By referring to "Brand Code: Beta Life," you will be able to understand people's lifestyles and grow into a brand that is essential to their lives.

Although the forms and reasons may be different, in the end, what everyone wants is the same.
It's about becoming a truly loved brand.
So what separates strong brands from weak ones? Innovative technology? Creative marketing? Sufficient capital? Of course, it matters.
But there is a more fundamental difference.
The question is whether you understand people properly.
We need to understand how people actually live, what they are worried about, what brings them joy and what makes them uncomfortable.
And above all, the key is to be able to build a genuine relationship with them.
--- p.5, from “Introduction”

AI allows anyone to try and implement new things, even without knowledge or experience.
Of course, it is also true that AI has led to a decrease in jobs and increased competition.
But at the same time, the possibility of being self-sufficient in one's own way without being tied to a job has increased.
It feels like being thrown into a barren wilderness, but you learn how to live more freely and creatively within it.
These changes encourage people to experiment more actively.
The path that seemed like the right answer has long since disappeared.
It became possible to start small, see how it worked, and if it worked, grow it, and if it didn't, try something else.

--- p.22, from “How to Read Trends and Beyond”

Whereas in the past success was only achieved when a big goal was achieved, these people find value in the small, everyday efforts and the traces left behind in between.
The 'utility of traces' refers to a new lifestyle pattern that gains self-efficacy from the accumulated effort and growth over a steady process, rather than from grand results.
What matters to them is not 'what they achieved', but 'how consistently they tried' and 'what they learned in the process'.
The evidence of achievement is the new things we learn every day, the experiences of trial and error, the small realizations, the signs of growth like the slightly improved sensation in our fingertips than yesterday.
--- p.27-28, from “The First Code: The Utility of Traces”

Ultimately, Habitica's success lies in its ability to transform everyday success and failure into a new framework called gaming.
By providing immediate rewards in the form of experience points for small successes and recoverable feedback in the form of HP loss rather than game over for failures, users are empowered to try again without guilt.
Positive habits like exercising and reading books are recorded as 'traces of growth' that help develop the character, while negative habits like smoking are recorded as 'traces of challenges' that must be overcome.
It is a beta-life tool that helps you acknowledge and enjoy the sincere process itself, and changes the idea that "it has to be perfect to be meaningful" to "if you try consistently, it already has meaning."
--- p.43, from “The First Code: The Utility of Traces”

Seventeen years later, the Quantified Self philosophy and this simple presentation format still hold true.
In a room in each city equipped with a projector, people learn to read the rhythm of their own lives with a few graphs and heartfelt questions, and prepare for a slightly different experiment the following month.
Data rituals ultimately grow from the question, "Who am I? What drives me? How can I live better?"
Quantified Self Meetup is a small classroom where you can solve that question with numbers and words at the same time.
And the textbook for that class is always my day.
--- p.75-76, from “The Second Code: Data Ritual”

This change in relationship building, which is a step away from the networking style of the older generation, has been named 'instant networking.'
Instant networking is a way of connecting that involves meeting casually on the spot, according to need and situation, and then letting go neatly when the purpose is complete.
What matters to them is not 'how long have you known each other' but 'what can you give and receive now'.
Current interests, goals, and values ​​are stronger ties than past ties like the same elementary school or the same region.
It may feel cold or selfish, but it actually creates more effective and healthier relationships.
Because we can help each other out when we need it, but we can live comfortably without excessive expectations or obligations.
We have deep conversations with people we meet online for the first time, and we share our hearts even in one-time meetings.
The background is Beta Life's unique experimental attitude.
--- p.86, from “The Third Code: Instant Networking”

The five examples above also demonstrate that the aesthetics of immaturity is not simply a change in personal attitude, but rather a paradigm shift across society.
The awkwardness of dating reality shows, the intentional imperfection of ceramics, the acceptance of contradictions in city branding, the public celebration of failure stories, and the confident display of unorganized daily life.
All of these examples seek true connection through vulnerability.
While perfection used to be the basis of trust and respect, now being honest about imperfections is becoming the foundation of deeper trust and empathy.
--- p.148, from “The Fourth Code: The Aesthetics of Immaturity”

There's a reason Montana's system is perfect for those living the beta life.
If you need a creative workspace today, you can add more shelving and brighter lighting. If you need a focus area for a learner tomorrow, you can add partitions and rearrange the space around bookshelves.
If you want to invite friends and use it as a communication space, you can change it to another combination.
Even in an 8-pyeong studio apartment, one Montana system can solve the problem of bedroom, living room, study, and storage space.
Another great attraction is that you can start from an unfinished state and expand the space by adding pieces one by one.
--- p.169, from “The Fifth Code: The Space of the Country”

Many brands want to be in the spotlight themselves.
The brand itself wants to create the perception that it is cool and trendy.
But the real winners in the Beta Life era are the brands that brighten their customers' lives and act as "invisible helpers."
To be a platform or tool that helps customers experiment better, manage more efficiently, and connect more meaningfully with their lives.

--- p.195, from “What kind of brand should we become in the era of Beta Life?”