How the maximalism and cyberpunk aesthetics are reshaping color, light and materiality in product design.
January always feels like a blank page — a reset moment when everything seems possible. At Walter Pack, we’re kicking off the year with a new edition of Beyond the Surface, our trend guide designed to train the eye and translate today’s visual codes into surfaces with intention, experience and interaction.
Beyond the Surface: a guide to see design differently
Beyond the Surface is our space to observe what’s happening in design — across fashion, art, branding and product — and bring it into what we do best: surfaces that communicate, materials that dialogue with light, and details that turn objects into experiences.
The trend: Maximalism & Y2K/Cyberpunk
Some aesthetics whisper. This one doesn’t.
Maximalism & Y2K/Cyberpunk blends tech nostalgia with an imagined future: color turned up to full volume, gradients making a bold comeback, and surfaces that behave almost like an interface — shifting, vibrating, responding.
Think:
- Saturation and contrast as a core identity language
- Gloss, translucency and layering to add depth
- Dynamic patterns that change with light and angle
- Materials that feel lit from within
It’s not just “neon” or “retro”. It’s visual energy applied to design — as if the object had its own soundtrack.
From moodboard to product: color, light and materiality
At Walter Pack, this trend becomes a direct exploration of color, light and materiality: reliefs, shadows, patterns and layered compositions that are not only seen, but felt. Because when design lives on the surface, aesthetics stop being decoration — and become a message.
“This aesthetic doesn’t ask for permission. When it’s done right, it turns a part into a sensory, deeply contemporary statement.”
Download issue #08
Discover the full moodboard and how we translate this trend into product in the new edition of Beyond the Surface.
