For decades, visibility in the design world followed a familiar playbook. Product brands invested in showrooms, vied for magazine covers, and optimized booth placement at major trade shows. Being seen in the right physical and editorial spaces determined which products were discovered, discussed, and ultimately specified.
Today, that system is being quietly replaced.
Design discovery is no longer driven primarily by where a product is displayed, but by whether it can be found by search engines, digital platforms, and increasingly, AI-driven tools. The question many retailers and manufacturers are beginning to ask isn’t whether this shift is happening, but whether they now need to “design for the algorithm” in the same way they once designed for showrooms and editorial visibility.
The short answer is yes, but not in the way many think.
From physical visibility to digital discoverability
In the past, discovery was largely linear. A designer might encounter a product at a trade show, see it featured in a magazine, or learn about it through a rep relationship. Today, discovery is fragmented, asynchronous, and overwhelmingly digital.
Architects and designers now begin their research with search engines, product databases, and digital platforms, often outside of business hours and before speaking with a sales representative. Increasingly, AI-powered tools are shaping this process by summarizing options, recommending products, and filtering results based on available data.
This doesn’t mean design decisions are being handed over to machines. It means the inputs that feed those systems, product information, specifications, imagery, and context matter more than ever.
Designing for the algorithm is really about designing for clarity
“Designing for the algorithm” is an uncomfortable phrase, especially in creative industries. It conjures images of compromised values, aesthetics, or formulaic products engineered to satisfy software rather than people.
In reality, the algorithm doesn’t care about trends or taste. It cares about clarity.
Search engines and AI tools surface products that are well-documented, clearly described, and easy to understand. Brands with comprehensive product data, consistent terminology, accessible specifications, and structured information are simply more visible in digital environments.
Just as a well-designed showroom guides a visitor intuitively through a collection, a well-structured digital presence guides both humans and machines toward understanding a product’s value.
What this means for product brands & retailers
For manufacturers and retailers, the implications are subtle but important.
First, discoverability now happens before storytelling. If a product can’t be found, its narrative doesn’t matter. That places new importance on how products are named, categorized, and described. Vague or poetic language that works beautifully in print may fail in search-driven environments where specificity is essential.
Second, technical depth is no longer optional. AI tools and search platforms prioritize content that demonstrates authority and completeness. Products with robust specifications, BIM files, installation guidance, and performance data are far more likely to appear in early discovery than those with minimal digital documentation.
Third, visual context still matters, but it must be paired with data. Images alone are not enough. They need to be supported by metadata, captions, and descriptions that explain what a product is, where it belongs, and why it’s relevant.
The risk of misinterpreting the shift
There’s a real risk that “designing for the algorithm” gets misunderstood as chasing trends, keywords, or platform quirks.
Brands that win in this new environment aren’t contorting their products to satisfy technology. They’re investing in digital foundations that allow their work to be accurately represented and easily discovered across evolving platforms.
A familiar shift
This moment isn’t unprecedented. Every era of design has required fluency in its dominant discovery channels. At one point, that meant understanding how editors thought. Later, it meant mastering trade show strategy. Today, it means understanding how digital systems interpret and surface information.
The most successful design brands have always adapted without losing their identity. This shift is no different.
Designing for the algorithm doesn’t mean designing instead of people. It means recognizing that machines are now intermediaries and ensuring they have the necessary information to connect people with the right products accurately.For product brands in design, the opportunity is clear: those who treat digital discoverability as a core part of their design ecosystem, not an afterthought, will gain visibility, relevance, and resilience in an increasingly automated discovery landscape.
In the end, the algorithm isn’t the audience. And great design still belongs on the other side.
