2014 logo trends

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2014 Logo Trends

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Page 1: 2014 Logo Trends

LogoLounge.com

Page 2: 2014 Logo Trends
Page 3: 2014 Logo Trends

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If home is our first place, and work is oursecond place, then mobile screens havedefinitely become our third place. Smartphone use has increased from 21 percent in2010 to more than 63 percent today, andwith 83 percent of all Americans onlineregularly, that percentage of mobile users isbound to keep edging up.

The fact that so many people now view theworld through a window the size of abusiness card has spelled an inevitablechange in logo design. It used to be thatminute favicons had to be kept extremelysimple: Now, as a rule, logos must be aswell, but that doesn’t mean boring.Designers continue to push back andevolve the meaning of “simple.”

That logos have to be scalable has alwaysbeen understood. But our perception of“small” has changed, in some cases “tiny” isbeing rather generous. Dimension anddetail are necessarily removed so that theselogos read properly on mobile screens.Designs have become more and more flat.Surfaces are plain and defined bymono-weight lines.

Of course, there’s a limit to this flatteningout and removal of information. Designersand audiences alike need an escape fromall things digital. They need a chance todecompress and take a deep breath in aplace that provides shelter frominformation’s frantic pace. Everyone needsto step outside and bask in sunlight, notscreen light. And so the pendulum starts toswing back.

People seem to be more and more drawnback to what is real, whether that isperusing handmade hats on Pinterest,exploring other cultures or our own family

histories, or reconnecting with stories frommythology or our childhoods. By bringingback what is human-made, we gain a senseof control over the digital tide that threatensto overtake us.

Designers have responded to the mobilescreen’s harsh requisites in a variety ofways, many of which are detailed in thisyear’s Trend Report. Artisan crafting is evermore important as evidenced by the “HandType” solution in abundance this year.Colors are brighter and lighter. Typographicsolutions, which can be absorbedimmediately with no symbolic interpretation,are ever more important.

Designers also have found ingeniouscreative workarounds, such as introducinglong shadows to very flat designs,suggesting that dimension is still there.Logo designs may be reduced to line work(see the “Geo Wires” trend below), but nowevery facet of the design is visible. Thesedesigns are simpler, but now somehowmore complex. In other designs, like thisyear’s “Pompons,” solutions are less relianton exact, specific shapes, insteadcommunicating with energy and emotion.

As with all things, it’s about balance. Whenanything pushes people too far one way, thenatural reaction is to push back. Perceptivedesigners will always be able learn fromwatching the pendulum as it swingsbetween people’s wants and needs, andtechnology’s gifts and demands. As Proctor& Gamble’s global marketing and brandbuilding officer Marc Pritchard said,“Creativity without insight is worthless.”Today, insight means learning how to movedesign forward by turning digital limitationsinto communication advantages.

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We also saw plenty of: Mountains, both representing geographic entities as well as a metaphor for achieving

great heights or reaching a summit of success. Acorns a plenty, as a return to nature and the promise of potential and greatness from an

auspicious beginning. These demonstrated planning for the future and as a reminder,the best time to plant a tree was yesterday.

Bees in every form, and a few hives as well. A versatile symbol of fertility, industry,dedication and teamwork. All the critical ingredients for a sticky reward delivered withouta sting.

Digital controllers, whether for a game or otherwise, seem to symbolize the ability tomanage any challenge at the push of a button or flick of the wrist.

Symbols are being adopted by consumers at an extraordinary pace, and many of thesefrom digital devices or associations with that industry. Clouds, Wi-Fi waves, loadingwheels and a rush of icons from our mobile devices are providing the analogies for thenext generation of logos.

Faceting cannot be stopped as it continues to evolve. Since it first hit the scene in 2010 ithas sprouted more offshoots than a hydra at a knife fight.

Flat, overly simple logos are giving realism a breather. Skeumorphic design is soyesterday. Unfortunately designers are breaking the surface tension by letting longshadows creep onto the faces of their work. So if we’re living in flat world, what’s castingthe shadow?

The 2014 Trend ReportAt the writing of this report there are morethan 212,000 logo on the LogoLoungewebsite, submitted from designers all overthe world. The last year’s submissions,24,500 in all, were examined for this report.

In studying these large collections, trendsare noted. The intention of this report is toshare with you what we see, not to makesuggestions for what you should do. Often atrend we see may be an outgrowth of adirection identified in a previous report.Proof that the product of this industry is partof a healthy evolutionary cycle.

Perhaps the greatest value of these reportsis to enable designers to map out thetrajectory of specific styles, concepts,techniques and solutions. Once a chain ofdesign evolution is identified, it is much

simpler to forecast and design the next stepin the sequence. We encourage you to visitwww.LogoLounge.com where the lastdecade of reports can be viewed in theirentirety. These resources and the trendsidentified here, combined with your uniqueinterpretation and ingenuity, may fuel thebeginning of a truly exceptional logo.

Special thanks to some of the world’s bestidentity designers for their generoussuggestions that helped enhance this report,including Brian Miller, Brian Wiens, AdamAnderson, Stephan Smith, Ty Wilkins, AlenPavlovic, Brett Stiles, Valera Namzov, JeronAmes, Denis Ulyanov, SherwinSchwartzrock, and others. A note ofappreciation as well to the LogoLoungemembers whose work is displayed here.

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Mono Crest

Let's start this year's report with the spawnof the most prolific trend we identified in lastyear's report. The use of mono-weight linework and in this case as used in crests orother combination marks that utilizetypography and illustration. Last year weidentified “Line Craft” using the same singleweight stroke throughout and this year themovement has invaded with a vengeance.We identified at least five strains of monoincluding the most ubiquitous “Mono Script,”“Mono Icons” and this year's “Mono Crest.”

The non-scalable single line weight gainedserious use as the go-to for icon designers,and the simplicity can also be seen where itcarries forward into illustration work. Thesecrests have a lightness that proves half ofthe idiom, "you can never be too rich or toothin." Certainly there is a refinement here,but it allows designers to embrace the richlanguage they've used for years in crestswithout tonality or color. These are bit likestripping away the heavy flesh to expose areally striking bone structure.

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Letter Stacks

Lowly hyphens should abandon hope anddesigners should be admonished as theylose care for the need to break wordsbetween consonants. A primary concernhere is whether mathematically the totalnumber of letters gives us an even break.The solution for a stubborn name that's toolong to behave is to parse it into a stack ofsegments and box them up. Presto, youhave a compact solution that suddenlystands out on a T-shirt's logo ghetto.

Typographically, the font is less importantbut obviously these are seldom lower case.Upper case letters have a parity that allowsdesigners to arrange them like buildingblocks. Some of this ilk is visually encasedand others just arranged to create theillusion of a shape. Either way, this solutionis not a true puzzle but it chides viewersenough to actively draw them into thediscovery process. It is that modestparticipation that can initiate the brandbonding process for the consumer.

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Hand Type

It should be no surprise that the use of"hand drawn" type has migrated from theprinted page and illustration world to thesmall and powerful logo. So much so thatdesigners are both revolted and enamoredwith the mechanization and inundation ofthese crude digital fonts and abundanttemplate solutions. This last year'sexplosion to near critical saturation hadbeen building slowly but with recently blownfloodgates, we have to question how muchenchanting handcrafted messaging aconsumer can take.

The promise is the same as the book HandJob released in 2007, which offereddesigners and consumers alike a refreshingrespite from the churn of digital type. Buthandcraft be damned as the majority ofwhat appears to be original is no more thana digital font pretending not to be. However,there are exceptional examples of trulyhand drawn solutions out there and theystandout like a clarion voice. This trend hasenough traction that it won't die soon, but itmust surely evolve, and soon.

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Dazzle

Two centuries ago when Firman Didotcrafted his modern serif font of the samename, it became the signature text to usherin the age of enlightenment in literature.Little could he suspect that the Achilles heelof Didot would become an attribute or atrend. When reproduced digitally at it'ssmallest, the hairline strokes of theletterform often vanished, an anomalyreferred to as "dazzle."

Designers take particular pride in removing40 percent of the letterform, which at adistance and to aged eyes appears missingalready. Gone is the need for a client to beconcerned with how small you can makeyour wordmark before it starts to fall apart.This is closely related to similar solutionswhere thick and thin strokes alike aredissected from serif letterforms to createcompact visuals ready for consumerinterpretation.

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Flat Facets

Another equally prolific line of trends overthe last few years has been the facet.Watching this particular technique rocketand split into a variety of interpretationsembraced by the design community hasproven it has legs. This year's reportidentified four emerging strains, including“Facet Fields,” “Crystals,” “Type Facets”and “Flat Facets,” which we'll expound onhere.

Facets first came about with an attempt to

create three-dimensional objects from aseries of intersecting planes. With shiftinggradients or transparency, these markscertainly tried to define volume for theviewer. This trend steps back and allows thevery same planes to become dimensionallyflat. No attempt to fool the eye here. Thegreatest value of these marks come fromtelling the story of recognizing worth in aworthless stone then, making it perceptibleby finely honing the surfaces until it takes onthe qualities of a priceless gem.

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Geo Wires

Looking more like a gem cutters instructionmanual, this is where facets and mono linetrends first intersect by mapping out thecleavage of a rare substance. Often craftedin black and white, these logos take theirvolume and form from scribing the edges ofan invisible host. Canting the shape tocreate depth, the viewer instinctively knowsthese lines incase an unknown substance ofextreme value.

By using a wireframe solution these marksconvey a level of precision, whethergeometrically symmetrical or resembling anoddly shaped element of deeper symbolism.No curvilinear segments required here asevery surface is defined by the straightest ofedges. Scientific associations abound withan immediate connection for clients in math,architecture, chemistry and digitalendeavors.

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Trans Menagerie

Flat, Transparent, Animals, YES ! In one ofthe oddest clusters of kindred thinking, thedesire to craft beast logos from very flattransparent layers has arrived. Appearingfrom seemingly diverse geographic sectors,these marks are created from a handful ofgeometric shapes and are executed withbase simplicity. Though I'm absolutelypositive I could rearrange these parts tomake an inanimate subject, designers havea real fixation on animals here.

The clarity of the overlays represents atransparency of process to be expected indealings with the client. This is a key factorwhenever see through layers are used asbuilding blocks. Although there is somemodest use of gradation, the majority ofthese rely entirely on flat overlapping color.This outgrowth of 2012's “Tessellation”trend brings transparent pattern to theeventual construction of a specific subject.

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Waves

We can hardly use the name of a registeredproduct for a trend, thus Waves instead ofWi-Fi®. The protected term has becomesuch a common descriptor that it is startingto suffer trademark erosion and could soonend up like Aspirin, Zipper and Thermos.But here is the rub. Show the three curved,concentrically diminishing lines andeveryone in the room will tell you that itstands for Wi-Fi®. In fact, the Wi-FiAlliance logo has no such lines.

Consumers know that when they see thesewaves, it means the possibility of civilizationin the air. It means that they can power upand, cross your fingers, have a wirelessconnection. It doesn't hurt that this is ageneric icon on most devices for joining anetwork. Anticipate this icon will not stayconfined to digital devices. This symbol ison its way to standing for simply makingconnections, even if they're analog.

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Hexagons

Bees knew this was coming long before wedid. They have long known the hexagonwas the universal building block of shapes.Aim the corner of a perfect cube at youreyes and what do you see? Anotherhexagon. A regular six-sided polygon withequal edges is perfect for tiling without agap to be had. So why did it take designersuntil the last year to bury themselves underan avalanche of these?

For all these reasons and more, designershave universally gravitated to hexagons buteach with their own take on the shape. Thefour examples we have selected for thistrend could not be more different. Thetypical crest created in a shield or circle orsquare is now firmly ensconced in theshape du jour. Interestingly, the shapeseldom rolls over to a flat base as thepotential of seeing the outline of a cube ismost evident when sitting on point.

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Geography

Generally the topography, rivers, coastlinesand parallels of the world give us a prettyirregular looking batch of continents, as wellas national and regional boundaries. Unlessyou live in Colorado, where your state isoften mistaken for the H&R Block logo.Short of a boot shaped like Italy, finding away to subtly ease a country's profile into amark could be a real test for any designer.Of late, there are many that appear up tothis challenge.

Literally placing a silhouette of yourhomeland into a logo is not new. Finding away to incorporate it to achieve an "aha!"moment when discovered seems to be onthe rise. Nationalism in general seems to bea favorable recent motif with an abundanceof state colors and symbolism. Not everyattempt is successful, but when a designerturns Brazil into a frothy head of beer orburies Africa in the spots of a leopard, themagic is impeccable.

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Pompons

No simple balls of fluff, these marks are aseries of line segments with a central pivotpoint. Aside from a common intersection,there are few other rules. Some have arandom nature to the grouping and othersare highly organized and seem to radiatewith great regularity. Others showtransparent segments, while still others areas opaque as night. Color can be verylimited, or it could just as well give therainbow a run for the Chroma award.

There is a common theme of strength innumbers with each individual elementconnected in the center with a mutual bond.Examples of this trend are found with flat 2Dsolutions, as well as attempts to create anillusion of 3D. A measure of radiance isundeniable in each, though the moreprecise the disbursement the more likelythey are to resemble a stellar body. Stillothers readily accept a kinship to anasterisk, conveying a note of surprise orsomething special is happening here.

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Knit

The essence of weaving is the ability to takefine threads of modest strength and arrangethem in an overlapping sequence to form asurface of substantial strength. We havereported variants on woven logo solutionsfor a number of reports, but this year thegenetics of the idea jumped the fence.These designers understood the value ofthe story of a woven solution but they havetaken a different path to a similar result.

These marks still have the strength of the

warp and the weft, but someone called out“knit one, purl two.” The story here is thattextiles come about in many ways. Most ofthese solutions appear to be the result ofknitting, crocheting, darning or some othermethod of assembly that requires aninterlocking stitch. This micro-view of theprocess demonstrates unobservedintricacies to the consumer. Intricacies thatmight turn an institution of delicate strandsinto fabric of an impervious nature.

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States

Homage to simplicity could not be moreevident. Keep it one color and no gradientsplease. A simple yet symbolic shape. Couldbe a silhouette but keep it flat. Make surethe text is short and to the point. Knock itout of the shape and preferably scaleddown. I refer to these as “states” becausethey often remind me of a simple geometricbordered parcel with the name of the entitysubtly placed atop.

These solutions are about as Spartan as amark can get and they speak to anunadulterated proposition. The shape mayhint at the industry or business type, but it'snever a literal answer. Compared to glossy,transparent, overworked identities, thesehave a strong voice by virtue of their ziggingwhile much of the design world is stillzagging. If there is a challenge it is scaling;once the text is minimally legible, the shapeon some of these could appear large andhorsey.

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Links

Proof that hotdogs can be made out ofanything and that anything can be made outof hotdogs. Welcome a variety of solutionsthat live and die by using a series of straightand quarter-round transparent links. In 2012,the Pentagram team of Michael Bierut andJoe Marianek crafted the colorful andengaging identity for Mohawk. Though notthe first use of this technique, it would befair to ascribe credit to this project as aseminal influence for this trend.

Credit designers that have examined thesebuilding blocks and created their own spinon how to reassemble with a degree oforiginality. Transparent linkage shows howmultiple components work together for aflexible and greater good. The connectingoverlap serves as a joint in the marks.Consumers can almost imagine a real lifeversion of these logos with functional pivotpoints. Friendly and approachable with nosharp points, as if it were a toy from thepublic's childhood. It's an instant bond.

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Motion Lines

Everything designers know aboutdemonstrating action they learned fromStan Lee. The most dynamic super herowas just stationary flesh until a few streakswere added for motion. Logo motion hasgone old school with the influence of iconsfor apps and user interface. The simplestgraphic language is still the best shortcut. Ifsomething turns on, it radiates lines. Ifsomething rings, just add vibration lines.

Identity designers have had no largerinfluencing factor than the plethora of icons,most of which were created for digital media.Many of these icon systems were built witha common mono-line as a signature toidentify other icons from the same set. It'snot surprising to find designers of these setsare also creators of logos. Seeing thisinfluence migrate to both areas of their workis only natural.

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