Business Blog:
What is the Future of Logo Design in the UK?
What is the future of logo design? That’s the million-dollar question, right? Where are logo designs going and where will they be in ten, twenty, thirty years’ time? The reason it’s a million-dollar question is because it’s an almost impossible one to answer – but we’re going to give it a ruddy good shot.
Just like every other industry, graphic design is always evolving. Just think about how much new technologies like smartphones and tablets have shaken things up over the past few decades… It’s almost impossible to imagine a time when all design work was done with a pencil and paper. And there’s also trends and fads to consider, sweeping the design industry in a new direction every now and then.
Predicting the future of logo design isn’t an easy job. It’s hard to know for sure which trends will stick around and which ones will be forgotten in a few years’ time. But we’re going to get out our magic 8-ball and give it a crack. Here are Do More’s predictions for the future of logo design in the UK…
Logos Aren’t Going Anywhere
Let’s start with a big, broad prediction: people are always going to need logos. It may seem like a bit of a duh moment, but we felt like it was worth pointing out. With everything changing so quickly these days, it can sometimes feel like nothing is safe…
There are more startup businesses out there than ever before, with nearly 660,000 being established in 2016 alone. And given the current trajectory of things, that number is only going to rise each year. If you’re a graphic designer, this is obviously fantastic news; if there are more startups than ever before, that means that there is more design work needed than ever before. Because of this, we think designers will be safe when it comes to work for a while to come.
Technology Will Play A Big Role
As we’ve already noted, the rapid rise of new technology over the past few decades has shaken up the design industry in a way that nobody could’ve have predicted. Computers, tablets and smartphones in particular have had a drastic effect on logos, creating a number of new situations they’re needed for (from social media to app stores) as well as changing the way people can interact with them. It’s not a bold prediction to say that this trend will continue in the future. While we don’t know for sure which technological trends will shape the future, many people are placing their bets on augmented reality and 3D printers.
Interestingly, these technologies are likely to have a big effect on how designers work as well as how consumers interact with logos. The widespread availability of computers totally transformed how people designed logos, so who says that AR can’t do the same? It makes us giddy to think about just how different things might be in a decade or so.
Bold And Simple Designs
We touched on this a little bit in our last blog post, but we thought it was worth mentioning here as well. If the technology we use to design logos is getting ever more complicated, then the actual logos we’re designing are getting simpler. Kind of ironic, right?
These days, brands are focused on simplifying their logos down to their basics… As few shapes and as few colours as possible. You can see this in brands such as Pepsi, Windows and Mastercard; while their logos used to contain plenty of stylistic flourishes, they now come across as pretty bare bones. They only feature what’s necessary for people to recognise the brand. Technology can again be seen to play a big role in this trend, with small smartphone screens being more accommodating to simple logos rather than complicated ones.
Reactions to this trend have been pretty mixed with there being a bit of a fiasco over Instagram’s logo rebrand a few years ago. Like many other brands, they ditched their more complicated logo for one based around simple geometric shapes. Smartphones aren’t going anywhere any time soon, so we think this is a trend that’s here to stay – so it’s probably best to get used to it.
More Formal
Last month, designer James Edmondson made an interesting observation about the logos of four huge startup companies (Google, Spotify, Airbnb and Pinterest): they all look the same. All of them have opted for the same straightforward sans-serif logos, creating a formal yet slightly soulless appearance.
While there are still plenty of bold and exciting new logos appearing regularly, this is a slightly worrying trend… As Edmondson points out, these brands are changing their logos in an attempt to look more serious and, well, business-y. Their old logos definitely have a more playful and fun feel to them. However, just because a handful of brands are adopting this style, it doesn’t mean that others will follow suit and in a few years’ time the trend might go in the opposite direction and more playful designs might be in again. It’s hard to know for sure!
Ultimately… It’s Impossible
Let’s end things off with another broad prediction: we can’t really predict how things are going to turn out. At the end of the day, the future of logo design in the UK is not something we can fully control and so we just have let it take its course – whatever it might be. But working with the freshest new design or future influencers gets us all excited about it. While some our predictions are pretty much a lock, a whole lot of the industry’s future is still up in the air. What may seem like the next big thing now (such as AR) might be completely forgotten in ten years’ time (remember minidisc?).
Still, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out. As long as there’s still plenty of design work around, we should all be fine!
Got your own magical 8-ball and want to share your predictions with us? Well, why not connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? We’d love to hear your opinion on the future of logo design in the UK.
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