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Almond, oat, coconut, and soy milks are only a fraction of the dozens of alternative milk options lining grocery store aisles and cluttering the countertops of coffee shops. If you can make milk out of it, there’s a good chance, you can find of a carton of it in a Whole Foods.That nondairy milk boom really exploded in the 2010s, which saw skyrocketing sales for brands like Almond Breeze and Oatly. There was even a great oat milk shortage of 2018. But nearly a decade later, that may be waning. The rise of social media tradwives, skyrocketing grocery prices, and a backlash against seed oils have veered consumers away from alternative milk choices and seemingly back to cows. According to Agricultural Marketing Service data, dairy milk is on the rise again with whole milk sales seeing a 1.6% increase from 2023 to 2024, and organic milk seeing a nearly 7% increase in sales. Plant-based milks, though, experienced a 4.4% decrease in sales in that same time period. Dairy milks have long been a bigger market than plant-based optionsU.S. milk production grew to $59.2 billion in 2022, while alternative milks are just under $6 billion market. But that recent drop in plant-based milk sales marked the first decline for the alt-milk industry in years. With this new growth in the dairy sector, the gap between animal and plant-based milks is widening, and alternative milks may struggle to keep up. Looking at the alternative milk space, options such as almond and oat are among some of the most popular choices for consumers, with almond milk holding the top spot since 2013, and its sales alone accounting for over 50% of all alt-milk sales. Oat milk holds the trophy for second-most popular nondairy milk choice, since its popularity skyrocketed in 2020.But specific brands may be struggling in an increasingly oversaturated market. Oatly was once the top-performing brand that couldnt keep its greyish-blue cartons on grocery store shelves, but recently it has been trending in the opposite direction. The company’s stock in U.S. markets is 98% below what their initial public offer was in 2021. In the first quarter of 2025, Oatly saw a 10.6% decrease in North American revenue compared to the first quarter of 2024. Protein, seed oils, and concerns about processed foods At the start of the alt-milk revolution, and to this day, nondairy milk brands position themselves as healthier than cows milk. Brands like Almond Breeze say that their almond milk has 50% more calcium than dairy milk (300 milligrams in a cup of cow’s milk versus 450 in a cup of Almond Breeze). Oatly says its levels of calcium, vitamin D, and riboflavin nearly mirror that of cows milk (levels are within a gram or two of each other). But consumer’s health obsessions are changing: they care less about their daily calcium intake and more about protein. The phenomenon of putting high-protein labels on any and all food and drink products has swept the internet into a health frenzy. Misleading claims about the nutrition on TikTok have also taken a toll: In one representative video, a self-identifying nutritionist who posts high-protein recipes, listed all the reasons she doesnt drink oat milk for her gut health, including claiming that inflammation from ingredients like canola oil and sugar spikes due to amylase, an enzyme used to break down the oat’s starches into sugars that aid in achieving a creamy texture. Instead, she opts for coconut or other alt-milk types that have no “filler oils” like canola and sunflower. Others on the platform cite, without much evidence, skin concerns and blood sugar spikes, as reasons they’ve gone back to dairy from plant-based options. Critics call seed oils “toxic,” and according to the Cleveland Clinic, these oils can contribute to some inflammation. But the real concern, experts say, is the fact that seed oils are mostly used in processed and ultra-processed foods, like packaged snacks and candy. In moderation, and when not heated at high temperatures, seed oils can be a part of a healthy diet. Oatlys products specifically use rapeseed oil, also known as canola oil, in varying levels for texture purposes. The oil, when mixed with the oats, lends itself to a creamy texture, and, in Oatlys Barista edition, a better froth. The company even defends its processed nature, stating the catchall term doesnt take into account that some products need to be processed to exist at all. After all, you cant milk oats in your hands. Other popularly ultra-processed foods include tofu, breakfast cereals, and cheeses. Still, the stigma surrounding over-processed and oil-filled products has spread to every corner of the internet. And this has started to prove as a major advantage for cows milk companies, particularly organic ones. Rick Simington, chief commercial officer of Organic Valley, a farmer-owned milk cooperative producing organic milk, says these trends have allowed for dairy products to “shed the demonized tone from the 2000s”. [Consumers] want to know where their product comes from, the benefits, and that there are clean ingredients,” Simington said. “Those three things together are really whats allowing us to unleash our growth as well as our execution. But alt milks aren’t going away completely Despite these challenges, the nondairy indstry is still expected to continue to grow. Research firm Mordor Intelligence says the plant milk industry is expected to grow 12.33% a year over the next five years, to a more than $10 billion market. Over the same time period, the U.S. dairy milk market is expected to grow by 3.5% a year. Even with dairy growing at a lower percentage rate, nondairy alternatives still have a lot of ground to cover if they’re going to catch up. Some of the newer and trending alt-milk products include pistachio, a nut that is notably having its moment. Brands like Táche claim to use zero added oils and be lower in sugars, calories, and carbs than Oatly. Hemp milk is also reportedly making headway as the fastest growing alt-milk option, with a growth projection on 14% over the next four years. Generally speaking, plant-based milk choices are still considered better for the environment because they use less water and land, and produce less carbon emissions. They also appeal to those looking to avoid the hormones added to cows milk, due to a proposed link to increased cancer risks. And some just say that cows milk is for calves and not humans. And though dairy milks that are whole, organic, and lactose-free are doing well in current markets, non- and lower-fat milks such as skim and 1% have all fallen in consumption. Each have steadily declined since their peaks in the late 1990s, with skim milk falling more than 75% in sales from 1998 to 2024, and 1% milk declining more than 50%. In response to its recent dip in revenue and the rise in dairy-milk sales, Oatlys North American President, Helge Weitz, says he isn’t concerned. He says new Oatly offerings are selling well, and that the brand is finding new ways to reach American consumers. Our latest creative campaign shed light on a recent study suggesting that five times more peopleover 50 million Americansmight prefer Oatly in their coffee over cows milk, Weitz said. They just havent tried it yet.
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E-Commerce
The New York City subway is not a glamorous scene to behold. Between the grime, the crime, and the occasional scurrying rat, it is best experienced in small doses and only when the need arises. Unless, that is, you’re traveling through Grand Army Plaza. As of May this year, anyone passing through the Brooklyn transit hub will be stopped in their tracks by a 7-foot tall, papier-mâché T-Rex looming over what may well be New York City’s most outlandish bodega. Titled Rex’s Dino Store, the bodega is located inside one of the city’s defunct newsstand kiosks. It features newspapers with titles like The Maul Street Journal, Jurassic Park Slope, and various pun-laden products like a Steg-Yun poster and Snarlboro cigarettes, all purchasable with a Master-claw card. [Photo: Megan Armas] Alas, none of the items on display at the bodega are actually for sale, since it is an art installation more akin to a diorama. “We are also glad to bring some whimsy to MTA riders commute,” says artist Sarah Cassidy, who created the project with artist Akiva Leffert. “Even if youre having a bad day, its difficult to resist a good dinosaur pun.” [Photo: Megan Armas] Rex’s Dino Store is the culmination of the MTA’s so-called Vacant Unit Activation Program, which aims to breathe new life into the subway system’s long-empty retail spaces by offering them, rent-free, to artists. Since launching in spring 2024, the program has helped convert 12 previously vacant units across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronxwith half a dozen other locations set to open this summer. But according to Mira Atherton, a senior manager in the MTAs real estate department and the curator of the initiative, Rexs Dino Store marks a turning point for the initiative, which has primarily grown through word-of-mouth. Its in a very visible part of the station, and it’s such a fun and creative and loud activation,” she says. In the past month, Ive gotten so many inquiries from artists. [Photo: Megan Armas] The vacancy struggle The MTA has long struggled to fill its retail spaces. Of the roughly 195 retail units scattered throughout the subway system, only 52 are open for business, reflecting a staggering 75% vacancy rate that has worsened since the pandemic stalled foot traffic. [Photo: Megan Armas] Previous attempts to reinvigorate them have included leasing to coffee kiosks, and ATMs. Some have floated more radical ideas. Assembly member and NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed transforming these unused spaces into crisis and drop-in centers to assist unhoused New Yorkers. His $10 million initiative would fund outreach workers stationed inside empty units, offering immediate care and connecting individuals to longer-term services. Meanwhile, the goal of the Vacant Unit Activation Program is to enchant the transit experience by bringing moments of unexpected delight into the city’s drab underground corridors. Might these art installations eventually attract paying tenants? Atherton says that hasnt happened yetbut its not off the table. And if a commercial partner does express interest in a location, the art installations dont necessarily have to go the way of the T-Rex. “The hope is it will inspire retailersbut that could work for an entire corridor rather than a single unit,” she says, noting that some subway stations have more than one vacant unit. [Photo: Megan Armas] A problem with a solution Atherto was entrusted with the project in January 2023. At the time, she says, the vacancies were “a problem with no solution.” First, she considered launching a design challenge for architecture and design students, or bringing on a master tenant to program the spaces, but ultimately, she landed on an open call for artists and cultural organizations. It launched in November 2023 with a purposefully non-prescriptive brief. “We don’t want to say ‘this is what you should do,'” says Atherton. “The point is that the MTA doesn’t know. I would have never thought of putting a dinosaur in a bodega.” (The program is entirely separate from the better-known MTA Arts & Design initiative, which has its own budget and commissions permanent mosaics, murals, and digital works across various subway stations.) [Photo: Megan Armas] The first installation opened in May 2024 and was created by artist Natalie Collette Wood, in partnership with the nonprofit ChaShaMa. Titled Urban Oasis: Nature in Transit, it was located at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, where Collette Wood transformed an empty store into a lush, plant-filled terrarium, granting New Yorkers an unexpected pocket of calm in Midtown Manhattan. At the time of writing, a total of eight stations feature active art installations, each with their own focus and flair. At 50th Street, in Manhattan, an installation titled Safe Space by artist Traci Johnson imagines a pink, plush interior designed to provide the comfort of a mothers womb. At 81st Street, near the Museum of Natural History, an interactive piece called SoundBooth invites passersby to plug in their instruments for a spontaneous busking session. And at Jackson HeightsRoosevelt Avenue, the Queens-based nonprofit Los Herederos has turned a former retail unit into a vibrant, community-inspired space that doubles as a home base for their web radio station, LH Radio. [Photo: Megan Armas] A play on the subway? This summer, new installations are coming to Jay StreetMetroTech and Sterling Street stations, both in Brooklyn. A new project will also replace Urban Oasis at 53rd Street, offering a fresh perspective on the same stretch of corridor. And later this year, if all goes to plan, Atherton hopes to unveil her most ambitious idea inside a long-abandoned unit at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The idea? An as-of-yet-undefined collaboration with a theater group called Jewel Box, which already hosts plays in a speakeasy-style room. “There’s a ton of vacant space that’s difficult to program because the electrical systems are outdated and the power supply is very limited,” she says, but she’s determined to get creative. At Grand Army Plaza, the MTA had to undertake some construction to make the kiosk usable. Cassidy and Leffert faced several challenges and bureaucratic hurdles, from securing artist insurance to fireproofing the materialsincluding Rex himselfbut they say the delays only gave them more time to sculpt a better dinosaur. (The entire installation cost about $5,000 out of pocket.) Initially, the pair had proposed an immersive sound installation, but the MTA rejected the idea on safety grounds. Sound equipment, for example, would require live supervision, and there was no budget for that. So, they went back to the drawing board. The kiosk already had a newsstand with a countertop and shelving in place, so the cogs started turning. “A bodega on the moon? A bodega for cats? It was an old bodega. So how old was it? A bodega for dinosaurs?” From there, Cassidy says, “the puns started to write themselves.”
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E-Commerce
Generative AIand the velocity of its evolutionis forcing every breed of designer to contemplate a future without them. Will Midjourney and DALL-E eliminate the need for graphic designers? Will Claude and Gemini obviate the UX lead? What happens to motion artists in a world where Sora supposedly becomes the newest auteur? We’re no sages. And were certainly not clairvoyant. But we can comfortably say that, even if an AI-driven design industry apocalypse is coming, it hasn’t arrived yet. Our second annual report on the state of the design industry draws from a dataset of 176,000 job listings weve gathered on Google Jobs (which consolidates listings from across the internet, including Indeed, LinkedIn, and regional job boards) from October 2023 to February 2025. They span several design disciplines: graphic, interior, game, urban, UX, product, and architectural. The clearest and perhaps most reassuring takeaway this year? Designers are still needed. Graphic and UX design job postings are flat from last year, game design postings are up, and urban design postings are way up. Only architects and product designers saw a dip, with postings for the latter down 24% from last year. So its not time yet to abandon that art or architecture degree in order to become a prompt engineer. Still, several things have definitely changed since our last report. Austin has become less of a magnet for architects and urban designers. Canva, software that had initially been met with skepticism among professionals in the industry even just a few years ago, is becoming a mainstay in the graphic designer’s arsenal. And UX designers arehallelujahgaining a bit more job security. Heres what Fast Company found. {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} {"blockType":"immersive-block-embed","data":{"embedSource":"","backgroundColor":"","paddingTop":0,"paddingBottom":0,"paddingLeft":0,"paddingRight":0,"mediaType":"ceros"}} MethodologyWe extracted jobs from the Google Jobs search module monthly from October 2023 to February 2025, resulting in 26,624 jobs when duplicates were removed. We used a combination of Gemini and manual tech token search to extract information on salary, company type, and software tool usage. The categorization of jobs as full-time or contract/internship and their geographic locations were contained as separate structured fields in Google’s data. Monthly and hourly salaries were standardized to yearly rates by multiplying the rate by 12 for monthly salaries, and by 2,080 for hourly salaries.This article is part of Fast Company‘s continuing coverage of where the design jobs are.
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E-Commerce
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