Let’s be honest.
In 2025, good design doesn’t always win. Sometimes it’s the loud, ugly, fast stuff that gets the
clicks. We’re not just designing for people anymore, we’re designing for algorithms. And they don’t
care if your composition is clean or your color palette is on-brand.
This is the war we’re fighting: aesthetics vs. performance.
And if you’ re working in advertising in Cyprus? You feel it every single day.
The Age of the Scroll (and the Client Who Wants “Everything”)
We live in a scroll-first world. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Reels, Stories, Shorts every platform
wants speed, contrast, and chaos. You’ve got maybe two seconds before someone swipes past.
Now layer that on top of the typical client brief in Cyprus:
“We want something modern. Something beautiful. But also viral. And cheap. And fast. And
definitely in Greek and English. And it needs to go live tomorrow.”
Welcome to the fire.
The reality is this:
- TikTok content can’t look too polished or people won’t trust it. We’ve seen well-shot videos
flop and shaky selfie clips go viral. - Instagram still wants curated visuals but only on the grid. Stories and Reels?
- The less “designed” they look, the better they perform.
- Meta Ads do best when they mimic user-generated content, not traditional branded design.
And yes, sometimes that means killing your own aesthetic sensibilities.
What Actually Works (Even If It Hurts to Admit It)
We’ve all had to unlearn things we were taught in design school or our early agency days.
Balance? Hierarchy? Negative space? Sometimes they just don’t matter anymore.
A quick Canva post with bold type and a ridiculous hook can outperform a beautifully crafted
layout we spent hours finessing in Figma.
That hurts.
But here’s the key: we’re not lowering standards, we’re shifting focus.
We’re still designing, but now we’re designing for behavior, not just for looks.
The Cyprus-Sized Balancing Act
Cyprus isn’t London or New York. Budgets are smaller. Markets are niche. Clients are cautious.
And yet, expectations are sky-high. Everyone wants to go viral, but nobody wants to be “too out
there.”
We walk this line daily:
- Push the creative envelope but not so far that the client panics.
- Keep things on-brand but flexible enough to perform.
- Make it scroll-stopping but still “serious.”
Honestly, being a designer here sometimes feels like playing Tetris with fire. But when it works, it really works.
Design Isn’t Dying…It’s Evolving
The best creatives in Cyprus and anywhere, really are the ones who get this new game. They’re
not stuck in 2015. They don’t make the same post for every platform. They know when to make it
beautiful, and when to make it brutal.
This is what the job is now:
- Fast thinking.
- Smart design.
- Platform fluency.
Design isn’t dead. But the old rules are. The algorithm might call the shots—but we still decide
how to play the game.
And if you’re a creative working in this market, with all its quirks and contradictions? Respect.
You’re not just surviving. You’re adapting. And that’s real skill.