The Experience Economy 2.0: Designing for Immersion

Consumers today don’t just want products, they want moments that mean something. They crave connection, story, and atmosphere. But in 2025, the spectacle alone won’t sell. The age of gimmicks is over; no one’s wowed by a neon selfie wall anymore.

We’ve entered what I’d call The Experience Economy 2.0, where experiences aren’t just flashy, they’re immersive, intentional, and emotionally sticky.

Designers aren’t just decorators in this landscape; they’re architects of memory. The ones who can make a brand felt, not just seen.

Here’s how to survive (and thrive) in this next evolution of design:

1. Learn Experiential Design

Design doesn’t stop at the product, it extends into how people encounter that product. The environment, the pacing, the lighting, the sound... these are all part of the brand’s vocabulary.

How to do it:

• Think of retail spaces like Glossier’s flagship stores for example, not just as shops. but as playgrounds of brand identity. Every mirror, texture, and pastel hue is crafted to feel like “living inside” the brand.

• Even IKEA’s layout is experiential design in disguise: a self-guided story that makes you imagine your future life, one staged room at a time.

• For smaller-scale creators, consider the packaging unboxing moment as the “mini environment.” How does it feel to open your brand? Is it calm? Playful? Luxurious?

Experiential design is storytelling you can walk through.

2. Blend Digital + Physical

The boundaries between online and offline are dissolving! Your audience might meet your brand in a TikTok before they ever touch your product. The best designers weave both worlds together seamlessly.

How to do it:

• Use QR codes or NFC tags that unlock hidden experiences or behind-the-scenes videos, playlists, or digital thank-you notes.

• Incorporate AR (augmented reality) to bring packaging or murals to life. For example, Nike’s AR try-ons or IKEA Place, where you can virtually preview furniture in your home and blend imagination with practicality.

• Pop-up events that encourage visitors to scan, post, and interact turn passive audiences into active participants. My favourite example is Netlfix and how they bring to life shows to drop them or announce them. "The Bridgerton" experience and others like that.

When the digital and physical merge, design stops being static.

3. Design Multi-Sensory Touchpoints

Visual design gets you noticed; sensory design gets you remembered. In an oversaturated market, tapping into multiple senses helps brands stick in the brain like a melody.

How to do it:

• Consider texture: Embossed logos, soft-touch matte finishes, or textiles that invite touch or living walls with logos lit up in front.

• Add sound: Subtle chimes when an app opens, or sonic branding like Intel’s iconic 5-note tune that’s instantly recognizable.

• Use motion: Wisely of course! Gentle animations or transitions that feel natural rather than distracting. Aesop stores pair minimalist visuals with earthy scents and calming soundscapes, creating a holistic sensory cocoon.

Design that stimulates multiple senses becomes not just seen but felt, smelled, heard, and remembered.

Designers who create experiences, not just assets, will future-proof themselves.

In this new era, you’re not crafting layouts you must curate emotions. You’re designing how people live a brand, not just look at it. The magic lies in the moments between and the feel of something familiar before you even know why.

Hope this sets you on a journey to design with all possibilities in mind! Do you have any ideas on how to make a brand stand out that wasn't mentioned above? Please share all your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Thanks for reading! xoxo