by One of my college professors used to say that there are only two car designs: boxy and curvy.
When people get tired of boxy cars, they make curvy ones. When we get bored again, they swap back.
Fashions in logo design are much the same and we’ve seen trends come and go. Apple famously ditched skeuomorphism in favour of a flat design language which is still in vogue today. In 2016 we still saw much the same trend when it comes to logo design, but the treadmill of fashionability keeps rolling on and we’re seeing some changes that may turn into a trend in 2017.
Hand-crafted
With the rise of hipster culture and a rejection of crass consumerism, we’ve seen quite a few brands try to reinvent their shiny corporate image to evoke a more “artisanal” feeling. Even some decidedly non-artisanal fast food joints are getting in on the action.
I suspect that’s why we’ve been seeing more and more hand-drawn logo designs. It started being noticeable in 2016 and it’s still going.
Flat and Minimal
The flat design language doesn’t look like it will go away anytime soon. In 2016 even Instagram finally succumbed to a flat logo design and they were married to that 3D vintage camera from the start.
Personally I love flat design in everything, but now that so many people are doing it something else might come into vogue towards the end of the year.
That being said, flat designs are now also becoming more minimal, which is freshening this trend for just a little longer. I’m seeing quite a few well-known companies removing all lettering as well. I assume they think people already know who they are by now.
Lettering and Text Logos
While still minimalist and flat, some companies are ditching the graphics and just leaving the text. Interesting and minimal fonts are all the rage for the classy business market.
Alternatively, you can ditch the “minimal” part and use classic thick-stroke lettering with added flair.
Either way, the art of typography seems to be making a big comeback in 2017.
Negative Space
Negative space logos incorporate the background fill color into the logo itself. It’s as arty as a Warhol painting and clever to boot. I predict that by the end of 2017 we’ll all be sick of it.
Vintage Logos
It’s those pesky millennial-hipsters again. If you’re nostalgic for vintage logos from the golden age of American commerce 2017 might be a good year for you. It’s not the best choice of style for a tech startup, but if you’re selling vinyls or some other resurrected throwback product this could be the style for you.
Animated Logos
Thanks to the fact that most of us now look at smartphones much more than newspapers or billboards, it’s inevitable that the animated logo would become popular.
Almost all the social media platforms now support animated GIFs and people are making them more than ever. So it’s natural that almost everything looks like something from Harry Potter now.
Signs of the Times
I don’t think there’s been such a diverse set of logo styles in fashion at the same time before. It can be hard to know which is right for your business, but getting the right logo is an essential part of marketing overall and any chance to improve your marketing should be seized with both hands.
