Happy 2025! It’s time to embrace transparency, lean into bold colors and designs, and create tactile experiences that connect on a deeper level. Here’s what to expect — and how to make the most of these trends this year.
1. How it’s made…
In our 2024 trends blog, we predicted mindful consumerism would dominate — driving interest in sustainability and ethical practices. While mindfulness reigned in 2024 (very demure, very mindful 😇), 2025 is all about action.
This year, customers won’t settle for lip service. They want receipts. Transparency is no longer optional but necessary: in manufacturing, environmental impact, and pricing.
For tactile marketing, your Tactive rep can help find suppliers with third-party certifications to show that ensure a product has a positive impact – Green Seal, bluesign, and Fair Trade are a few that certify environmental and humanitarian accountability. A big win in 2024: Gemline, one of our favorite suppliers of hard goods, became a certified B Corp.
This lightweight jacket from Storm Creek is made from 29 upcycled water bottles!
This MiiR water bottle is made from zero new plastic and 25% less stainless steel than similar products – plus 110% of carbon emissions are offset.
Print on boxes made from recycled materials and share your efforts with recipients!
2. …and where it’s going
Transparent origins are just the beginning. In 2025, consumers are equally focused on the life cycle of products after use — whether it’s apparel, print, or promo.
The first step? Ensure your tactile marketing efforts don’t end up in the trash. Invest in reusable, high-value promo products that people will actually use.
But what about items that do reach the end of their life? The promo industry is introducing innovative ways to upcycle:. Give a scrap – literally – to an upcycling program like manufacturer Numo or local Indy-based non-profit People for Urban Progress to breathe new life into defunct promo pieces. Or, donate usable but non-brand-compliant pieces to charities in need through SwagCycle. Customers will be relieved to know you have a plan in place for the entire cycle of your tactile marketing efforts.
After our float went down the Indy Pride parade route, we sent the vinyl banners to Numo to become these zipper pouches.
These candles come with a seed packet so the ceramic pot can be used as a planter after the candle is burned down!
Tactive produced the lanyards for RALLY 2023 – then PUP turned them into wristlet keychains for sale at 2024’s event!
3. Let’s talk color!
Goodbye, millennial gray and sad beige – 2025 is all about majestic jewel tones and elevated, romantic neutrals.
Try a cherry cola red, dreamy wisteria purple, or lucky emerald green for pops of color in your print and promo. These colors scream sophistication and effortless allure, but still have approachable warmth: a saturated contrast to the sterile grays and silvers of years past.
Still looking for neutrals? Find inspiration in Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse or Benjamin Moore’s Cinnamon Slate and choose soft, warm shades for print and promo that feel cozy.
This cherry red stainless steel bottle really pops!
Try a heathered purple tee like these from SanMar that totally give amethyst vibes.
The boxes our guests made at our 2024 VIP Party featured orange and green printed on kraft paper to give a them a deeper, rich look!
4. Find your inner child
The departure from minimalism isn’t just in color – maximalism and kitschy charm is back in a BIG way in 2025: think sparkles, chunky embellishments, and so many layers. Reconnect with your inner child when making print and promo decisions this year!
Reconnect with your inner child by exploring quirky, fun promo options for audiences who’ll appreciate being in on the joke. While kitsch (once synonymous with “tacky” or “trashy”) has long been avoided, this year it’s about leaning into eccentricity with novelty swag that makes people smile.
Keychains are back! Now known as “bag charms,” this is a totally customizable enamel charm that add some jingle to every bag.
What’s more kitsch-y than things that look like other things? This flask is the size and shape of a real banana.
We printed these “cereal boxes” for BUTTER by GANGGANG that actually had a branded t-shirt inside!
5. Back to (real) life
2024 was the year of AI. And while we’re not against artificial intelligence, we know your customers want (real) human interaction, especially after a year of AI everywhere. And what’s more real than marketing materials you can hold in your hands?
Show off your personality at in-person events with activations that delight the senses and tap into your customers’ instincts for (real) life interactions: like make-your-own-swag bars, custom tasting experiences, or highly touchable giveaways.
When it comes to design, 2025 sees the trend move away from the purposefully dehumanized corporate cartoons of the last decade in favor of high quality photography showing off your brand’s more human tendencies. This year, try working with artists with distinct styles and incorporating vintage references into your design to separate it from AI-generated works.
Bring Tactive along to your next event to live screen print custom art prints!
Our 2024 lookbook featured high-quality photography of our favorite print and promo projects on every page.
The Humane Society for Boone County calendars are full of photos of adorable adoptable animals. Griffey approved!
The trends of 2025 are all about connection — to people, to purpose, and to the planet. By embracing transparency, rethinking product life cycles, and leaning into bold design and experiences, you’ll be ready to captivate your audience in meaningful ways.
Need help putting these trends into action? Tactive is here to help you bring your ideas to (real) life with tactile marketing strategies that stand out. Let’s make 2025 your most impactful year yet.
