Danny Naz's Linkedin Analytics

If you’re only tracking what’s “on trend,” you’re already late. The real signals? You find them in street style. In boutique shops. In a handmade ceramic tucked away in a Barcelona café. What we share inside TrendVision isn’t copy-paste from other reports. It’s what we see while out there before it hits the mainstream. That’s the edge. That’s the filter. That’s what you can’t fake.

See you at Design BLOC!

I’ve seen beautiful work fall flat because it lacked one thing: feeling. In a world full of templates, emotion is your unfair advantage. It’s what draws people in. It’s what helps them connect. It’s what makes them care. At Creativo, we don’t just build visuals, we build Aura. Design that makes people pause, feel something, and say, “I want that in my store.”

If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be this: Pick a lane early. Find the niche within the niche. Master that one thing. Then scale. When Creativo tried to be everything to everyone, we moved slowly. When we focused on: • one product • one customer • one message Everything accelerated. Focus is what builds momentum. Everything else is noise. What did you say “no” to so you could grow?

Building a life with someone teaches you a lot about building anything. You learn when to lead and when to follow. When to edit. When to hold the vision. And when to let go of the plan entirely. It’s wild how many of the same lessons apply to running a business. To designing a collection. To collaborating with clients. Lately, I’ve been thinking less about “balance” and more about integration. How one part of life can elevate another when you stop forcing the separation.

If you want to design better, write better, or create anything that actually moves people—Learn how to sit with your emotions. Relationships teach you that. Not just the romantic ones—but the client ones. The friend ones. The “we’ve-been-through-it” ones. Creativity isn’t about perfection. It’s about being present. That’s where the good stuff lives. So this week, whether you’re working on a launch or just getting through your to-do list, pause long enough to feel something. Build from there.

Reading a trend report isn’t the same as leading the trend. If you’re waiting for permission to pivot… you’re already behind. Real trend leadership means: 🔍 Noticing before it’s obvious ✂️ Interpreting, not copying ⚡️ Creating with your gut and your research in sync At Creativo, we write the trend reports we wish we had. Then we design straight from them. Because leaders don’t follow.

Most of the best ideas I’ve ever had came when I wasn’t “working.” I was walking through a new city. Or taking a photo on a side street. Or having a conversation that sparked something unexpected. That’s why I’ve built a business that requires me to travel. The creative edge isn’t just talent, it’s training your eye and trusting your gut. And sometimes, you have to get lost to find the signal. Let this week be a reminder: your next great idea won’t always come from your desk.

Trend forecasting isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about recognizing patterns in the present that most people overlook. Too many people treat it like fortune-telling. But the real work? It’s observation. It’s taste. It’s time. It’s travel. It’s walking into a shop in Paris earlier in the year and thinking, “This color combo is going to be everywhere next year.” That’s what we bring to our clients. Not just a forecast but a point of view.

You don’t need another muted beige collection with the same recycled references. You need something that moves people. That helps them remember why they fell in love with design in the first place. I’m not here to be safe. I’m here to shake things up, with taste. And if you’re ready to break out of the template trap, you’re my kind of people.

Color palettes are everywhere if you’re paying attention. This was a spice stall in Paris, layers of sea salt mixed with rose petals, dried citrus, chili flakes, lavender buds. It smelled incredible. But visually? Even better. Texture, contrast, imperfection. This is nature’s version of a trend board. And honestly, it’s better than most I’ve seen this year. Design doesn’t start with software. It starts with how you see.

Hot take: Your product doesn’t need more art. It needs the right art. We’ve seen it again and again... Brands stockpile hundreds of designs, hoping one will hit. But volume doesn’t sell. Alignment does. The best-selling collections we’ve worked on? Usually built around 5–10 focused, intentional pieces. Curation > Chaos. Less art. More direction.

Sometimes inspiration doesn’t whisper, it shouts from a pile of pillows in the corner of a Paris showroom. Velvet, leopard, embroidery, chenille, Greek key trim… It shouldn’t work, but it does. And that tension? That’s where the magic lives. Spotted during Deco Off—this moment reminded me: We don’t always need to match. We just need to feel. Design with contrast. Live with texture. Let your weekend remind you what moves you.

One of my first side hustles was cutting lawns. I cut five to seven yards every weekend, earning $20 a pop. I was maybe 13 years old, sweating through the NY summers, saving for my first car. I didn’t know it then, but that was my first lesson in creative independence. You don’t wait for permission. You start where you are. That same kid eventually started designing flyers at Kinko’s. That became a design agency. That became a trend studio. That became Creativo. The hustle evolves. But the heart stays the same.

In 2016, Alex Ortiz and I stopped waiting for the perfect trade show. And built our own. DesignBLOC wasn’t about flashy booths or big sponsors. It was about community. Studios like ours were attending 6–7 corporate shows a year: • Paying top dollar. • Getting little support. • And doing it all alone. So we flipped the model. We built a show we would want to attend... One designed by studios, for studios. And it worked. Now DesignBLOC is one of the last surface design shows standing in the U.S. Not because we’re the biggest. But because we built it with everyone else in mind. If the system isn’t working for you—what would you build instead?

I’ve worked in this industry long enough to know what I don’t want. No more trend reports that feel lifeless. No more bland portfolios that suck the energy out of the room. No more surface-level inspiration. Creativo is a design studio, yes... but at its core, it’s a place where creativity, insight, and inspiration overlap. We want to inspire. We want to teach. And we want to make you feel something again.

Fresh baguette in hand. A bag full of fabric swatches. Sunlight bouncing off the buildings. Inspiration hiding in plain sight. This was me a few weeks ago during Deco Off, soaking it all in. Not just the trends, but the feeling of being exactly where I’m supposed to be. There was a time I was just designing flyers at Kinko’s. Now I’m curating trend direction for global brands with a croissant break in between. It’s easy to overlook the moments that bring it full circle. But they’re there. Quietly saying, keep going... you’re onto something.

Some relationships teach you about patience. Some teach you about presence. And a rare few teach you how to build a life. In a few weeks, I get to marry the person who’s been with me through every pivot—creative and personal. The rebrands, the late nights, the trade shows, the breakthroughs. It’s got me thinking a lot about partnership and how the best ones aren’t just romantic. They’re built on listening. On trust. On showing up with curiosity again and again. Just like the creative process.