Alice JacksonAre the curious kind who is always in a lookout for latest logo design trends? Wish to know what trends will become the talk of the town and which ones will die a fast death in the year ahead? If you’re nodding your head in a yes, then brace yourself: we’re going to reveal ten predictions for logo design trends this 2016!
The Power of Mobile.
A new report from International Telecommunication Union (ICT), there are more than 7 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide in 2015. These numbers spurred a race amongst companies to go for mobile-friendly logo designs in 2015. We’re are expecting to see more and more companies embracing such logos this 2016 too! So brace yourself to see more of logos that shrink every time you scroll down the page, logos that survive the transition when shifted from one device to another and logos that don’t even an ounce of their charm, no matter what device you view them on.
With the steep rise in mobile and tablet usage, more and more people now look for and essentially demand better mobile experience. And this is what’s pushing designers to put their time and efforts into conceptualizing and creating mobile-friendly logo designs. We’re sure mobile-friendly logos will become the norm rather than exceptions in 2016.
Flat Design Keeps Trending.
Flat design has been a trending logo design technique for years. It’s still here and we’re sure to see more of the same in the year ahead. With a balance between aesthetics and usability, it’s no wonder why flat designs have long been ruling all hearts for years. But a blog published at Cleanpix reveals that this trend will grow into something better in the time to come. We expect that flat designs will become even more flat in 2016. But it’s not just that! We’re sure that designers will explore the extremes of creativity by to bring flat logo designs breathe to life. Little extras will be added to the icons, illustrations and even typefaces to bring such flat logos breathe to life in 2016. This will ensure that the logos appear neat and clean especially on the mobile and smartphone devices.
Low Polygon Style Will Rule.
Having originally started from the use of 3d model designing software such as C4D, Maya & 3D studio Max, Low Polygon was written off by experts last year. But Logogarden reveals that low polygon style will is all set to make a comeback in 2016. This style hinges upon using a 3D polygon mesh that has a low polygon count to create an amazing object with simple geometric shapes. The shape can then be further modified with textures to add sophistication and visual appeal to the design. More and more designers are likely to use this famous logo design technique for their logos and icons in 2016.
Negative Space is Still Cool.
Yet another major hit of 2015, negative space is expected to go strong this 2016. An article published at Smashing Magazine reveals that negative space improve the legibility and readability making your logo design look unique to help you create that first killer impression on your clients, customers and even competitors. In addition, this technique lends a unique visual aura to your logo making it memorable. Given these reasons, it’s not too difficult to understand why negative space is so popular. And we are sure that it will be a major win for us in 2016 with more awesome logos created using the negative space technique.
Logotype Is Here to Stay.
Well, this may seem to be a pretty audacious bit of 2016 logo trend predictions, prima facie. But given that logotype is one logo design style that’s self-contained and can dramatically add tremendous brand value, we’re sure that more and more designers will focus on creating logotypes. This unforgettable identity instantly gets etched in consumer’s mind, thus creating instant brand recognition. And that’s why we believe that logotype will continue to make waves this 2016.
Custom Typeface in Logos.
Custom typeface was a major hit in 2015 and will continue to win all hearts in 2016. The popularity was spurred on by Google revealing its new logo with custom sans-serif typeface called “Product Sans”. Designhill reveals in its exclusive blog why the custom typeface in Google’s new logo has gone viral and why the trend of custom typeface is catching up the world’s fancy. More and more designers are trying their hands at creating custom typeface. As a result, 2016 will witness more custom typeface than ever before.
Simple is Beautiful.
Some things never change and simplicity is one amongst them. Industry experts have long been saying that logos with simple designs work best when it comes to branding a business. Logos with complex and intricate designs are the ones that are difficult to carry off. And that’s why we’re sure to see simpler logo designs coming to the fore in 2016.
The Potential of Overlapping Elements.
Yet another trend that’s all set to rock the world in 2016 is ‘overlapping trend’. Remember, the main motive of creating a logo is to represent your brand and business effectively and interestingly to catch the attention of people. Whether its an Educational logo, Business logo or a Sports logo it has to be very attractive and interesting. And one of the best ways to make your logo interesting is to use overlapping design elements. With its three-dimensional feel and dynamic interlock, overlap elements technique makes your logos memorable and interesting in equal measures. We expect that designers will embrace the overlapping technique in 2016 add depth and motion to their logo designs.
Stenciled Typography will Evolve.
The stenciled typography adds a great visual appeal to the logos. The visual hierarchy of stenciled typography adds extra oodles of charm to your design and make it memorable and endearing. And this realization is pushing a lot of designers to embrace stencil letter forms in their logos. We expect this trend to continue and grow bigger in the year 2016.
So there you have it, our 2016 predictions. At this point, it’s pretty difficult to understand which trend will become the order of the day and which one of them will become extinct like dinosaurs. But we’re sure of one thing: more creativity and awesome will dominate the graphic design arena in the time to come. May we see better and beautiful designs from 2016.
Riz
Editor
Nice article, Alice.
Thanks Ed, For your kind words of appreciation!
What would the tenth one be?
Great article Alice,
Thank you.
Cool! Thanks for sharing. However Logo design’s something that DOES NOT SUPPORT trends and it’s kind of “inaccurate” to apply “trend” thinking on it. It simply does not work 🙂
Cheers!
You’re right Steve, these are the predictions for 2016! What is in the demand is a trend, an individual just have to be unique and creative to fulfill the need of the client with great and trendy designs.
You beat me to it, Steve. The best logos look as good today as they did 50 years ago.
Thanks Alice, for sharing a great article about logo design trends. After I read this article I got many ideas that which types of logos would be more effective in 2016.
very nice 🙂 thanx for sharing!
These are definitely on top currently but, I have seen there are lots of vintage logo design trends arising. oh! and How can I forget monoline designs which seem be next big thing as people are looking more simple design as compared to complex.
A few comments from someone who’s been designing logos and corporate identity for over 45 years…60 years if you include the “logos” I drew on the walls with Crayolas:
> The trendiness of a logo should be determined by its planned “shelf life.” A logo for a one-time event or fad product needs to scream “now!” but a logo for decades of branding has to be timeless. Some logos have a core that can be modified as styles change; others will always be contemporary, such as the Target logo–one of the best logos ever created, on several levels. (One of the worst logos is the Nike logo)
> The logotype is a trend? Like bread? Or breathing?
> “Flat design has been a trending design for years.” Correct–like 100 years! Dimension and shading have been possible only in the last couple decades except to the major corporations who could afford expensive printing. Logos had to be flat by necessity. All logos should be born flat, however, and that’s how they should be registered. Adorn them with dimension, shading and animation when appropriate. And yes, when it’s overdone by everyone, the tide turns. But to strip off all the fx layers until it’s flat just to follow the trend is ridiculous. Because today’s technology, both online and in print, offers the opportunity for effects that couldn’t be done cost effectively decades ago, don’t just discard an effective shine or shadow when it makes the logo work.
> Negative space is STILL cool? You don’t say.
> As for custom typefaces, one better know what they’re doing. (I forgot to mention I’m also a typographer.) The worst example of typography I’ve seen recently–on the most ubiquitous logo of all things–is the G in Google. I love the new identity. But the cap G is too skinny. I’ve looked at it from all angles, in all lighting, in black and white, and however it is observed, that G should be just a hair thicker. (I am certainly glad they got rid of that original barf-ugly font that was anything but progressive.)
Here’s a trend I’d like to see:
Hire truly professional brand identity experts who gather, analyze, strategize, conceptualize, test, review, revamp, then finally design.
Here here and well put!
Bravo, Chaz! As a 30+ year designer and having created several logos during my career, I know what you’re saying is true. Mona Lisa was pretty “hot” a few centuries ago…..