Bring dreams to life with Halo Effect
Recently, we explored the Plastic Fantastic and Press Start microtrends. Now, we'll dive into Halo Effect, the Adobe Express microtrend inspired by Immersive Appeal.
Overview
Revisiting Immersive Appeal
Take a moment to tap into your senses — look, listen, feel, and smell the world around you. When was the last time you did that? Chances are, it was a while ago. These days, we’re rushing around, glued to our screens. And the more time we spend on those screens, the more we need multi-sensorial experiences. The need to reconnect to the world around us is why Immersive Appeal is one of the four main trends of 2025. Connecting with each other and engaging our senses is exactly the antidote to our always-on, never-far-from-phones-and-computers lives.
Immersion and experiential installations are filling a void that technology is creating. Where technology might isolate us physically and emotionally, these multi-sensorial experiences bring us back to earth through a mutual connection.
Introducing Halo Effect
Focusing on the sensory appeal of light and its effect on personal and ethereal experiences, this creative microtrend is lofty and dreamy.
The visual style of Halo Effect focuses on ethereal, light-based aesthetics. Imagine a cloudlike atmosphere of glowing gradients, soft halos, and pastel hues, contrasted with iridescent color palettes. All of this creates a sense of calm and transcendence.
Light-based themes influence the typography with subtle glowing effects and gradient fills. There’s an elegance and minimalism to the modern sans-serif fonts that complement a dreamlike look and feel.
Halo Effect is dreamy, soft, and fluid, so the imagery should incorporate radiant, light-infused visuals like prisms, glowing orbs, and light beams.
Layouts play with depth using overlapping elements, transparency, and soft shadows. Designs within Halo Effect use fluid, flowing compositions that mimic the movement of light.
Halo Effect in action
Meditation apps are all about living in the present moment, tapping into our senses, immersing ourselves in relaxation, and breathing. Stress reduction tips and weekly affirmations displayed in dreamy, fluid ways to support the wellness lifestyle are highly effective. Try a Halo Effect template for an IG Story about a new class announcement for a nervous system reset, for example.
Halo effect is a powerful microtrend for the wellness industry. Let’s say you’re a high-end adaptogenic drink company, your social media presence can evoke Halo Effect. Like a flavor-pairing carousel for every mood, or an IG ad to announce a new flavor, or even a postcard insert with a new spring/summer drink recipe.
Tuning in to your here and now, tapping into a multi-sensorial experience, and honoring self-care are the hallmarks of the Immersive Appeal trend. Halo Effect plays with light and dimension to offer a dreamy, fluid, ethereal look and a sense of connection that evokes wellness and eco-consciousness. This is the microtrend to offer an escape from our very technological, AI-driven world.