JDO Launches The Age of American Uncertainty: provocations for designing belief-worthy brands

In 2026, people assume that brands aren’t telling them the full story.

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By Yuliana Safari, Strategy Director, JDO New York Editor and

Ben Sillence, Head of Strategy, JDO New York Editor

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Economic instability, global conflict, political division, and AI ascendancy have rewired how people evaluate brands. Consumers aren’t disengaged so much as they’ve become highly discerning: with sharper filters and far less patience.

In response, JDO has released The Age of American Uncertainty, an examination of how brands can create belief at a time when trust is conditional, scrutiny is constant, and credibility is the defining measure of value.

Grounded in insights and interpreted through JDO’s strategic design practice, The Age of American Uncertainty explores how people now decide what feels trustworthy, valuable and worth choosing. With only 30% of Americans reporting high trust in brands, the thought piece argues that belief has become the most precious form of brand equity, and design the most powerful instrument leaders have to deliver on the brand’s promises.

“People don’t begin from a place of goodwill anymore. They begin from doubt,” says Yuliana Safari, Strategy Director at JDO New York and author of The Age of American Uncertainty. “This isn’t another trend report gathering dust on the shelf. It’s a decision-maker’s tool for leaders who understand that belief isn’t a given. It’s something you have to actively create through proof, consistency, and follow-through.”

The report explores:

•  The cultural, economic, and tech paradigms shaping belief

•  How to regain and maintain consumer belief (by leaning into national identity; setting pragmatic goals; and practicing radical clarity)

•  Provocations on how to build belief through design

Rather than prescribing marketing tactics, The Age of American Uncertainty shows how brands can create belief across design, packaging, tone of voice, and operations, drawn from JDO’s 20+ years of brand design and stewardship.

The full Age of Uncertainty report is available to download HERE and will also live on a dedicated microsite: www.ageofuncertainty.jdoglobal.com. The site will act as an evolving hub for the report, with new insights, perspectives and content added over time.