Trends in Logo Design

When it comes to good logo design there is no rest for the weary. As the wave minimalist wave in logo design begins to wane, determining effective ways of using bold colors are taking center stage.

Described as psychedelic pop, designers are busy photoshopping popular vector shapes to create a logo that provides big bang with a punch of color. In general these bold patterned shapes work better with white background, allowing the logo to standout, avoiding any color clashes and maintaining easy readability

Tactile logos invoke a sense of touch while incorporating depth and dimension with words and shapes. Some variations convey a classical and almost sensual or fluid presence. Successful use of tactile logos is challenging even for experienced designers because they have to walk a fine line to avoid a clunky or gaudy feel to the logo. As a result it is not a widely common design but remains an emerging trend.

Naturally what is old, is new again. The 1960s and 70s have enjoyed their revival in fashion and trends during the last few years. Now we are seeing classic modern vintage designs reminiscent of the mid-century looks. Logos representing this style use fundamental shapes and letters with bold, often single color that stands out on a white background. Colors like orange, red, yellow and green are popular with these designs.

Pictogram logos is another design form that brings the emphasize back to the icon and logo, less about the background which took center stage in recent years as a result of the fascination with bold and colorful backgrounds technology could produce. With pictograms, the image often tells the story and speaks strongly about the brand itself. Pictograms utilize universally understood symbols and images, which is important in a global economy. The color palete is usually very simple with normally no more than two colors used.

Typographic logo design never really goes out of shape, it simply evolves to new phases.

Typographic logos are perhaps simplistic in design but generally bold and often elegant. With thousands of fonts in the market there is a sense of endless possibilities with typographic logos.

That in large measure will depend on the attitude and feel the organization seeks to convey to the viewer. There remains debate among logo designers if words alone are enough, some feel an image of some type is also needed.

Another emerging logo design is street art. While it is not exactly new, it is trying to stretch beyond simply infomercial status and gain a little more respect. The design is popular with urban centric brands as well as extreme sports. Street art logos fit well with these type of companies because of its edgy vibe.