Last year, we presented 16 Logo Trends for 2016, all gathered from LogoLounge. Over one year later, LogoLounge has finally released its trends for 2017. The list is based on over 25,000 logo entries the website has seen over the last year.
Through the years, LogoLounge has seen designers go through similar cycles. Last year’s simplicity trend has carried over into this year and designs have also noticeably included stripes and geometry. Additionally, some interesting trends arose amongst the design keywords:
- The word “magic” increased 1000%
- Symmetrical increased 600%
- Carrot increased 500% (for lifestyle and health food brands, presumably)
- Words that increased 400%: luxury, coin, foot, nose, watch, crossfit, trainer, realtor, rope, eat, jewelry, layers
Without further ado, here are 7 of the logo trends LogoLounge selected for 2017.
Fades
Fades resemble the idea of transition – marks coming out of nothing to be seen by the public. White, rather than black, is often used as the background for these logos, conveying freshness, new beginnings, opportunity, and a sense of place. In order for this design to work, the image must reveal enough for the viewer to put together the rest of the image.
Simple Geometry
The geometric design says 1960s or 1970s, but the color palettes scream modern times. These simple designs convey very clear messages about their brands with the goal of being easy-to=understand. Shapes on their own may have little meaning. When they are combined, however, they tell a story.
Transparent Overlays
Transparent designs expectedly symbolize transparency and openness. For insurance and financial companies, like MetLife and MasterCard, this is an incredibly important and valuable message to convey, which is likely why transparency is a popular design tool.
Ellipses
Ellipses are one example of digital symbolism that has made it into logo design. Ellipses were previously considered a writer’s lazy way of avoiding coming up with something to say. Today’s logos convey the opposite – that your brand has more to say, and that people are lining up, waiting for you to share it.
Text Boxes
The text does not have to take a step back anymore. Instead of being part of the design, the text itself is taking center-stage. With the right, striking typography, the text of your design can be the emphasis. It makes clear who your brand is and highlights the brand name itself as the most important part of the design.
The symbolism of yin and yang date back thousands of years, conveying the balance of opposite ideas. It’s a clean take on classic symbolism. Because the idea of yin yang is understood by vast audiences, the message is easy to pick up on. It’s a pleasant and self-contained design that doesn’t overwhelm consumers.
Wrapped
This design is somewhat like a game – inviting the viewer to solve the puzzle to understand its meaning. This works well to highlight a bit of your products’ process and helps the consumer to gather more meaning of what your business represents. One could even argue that this process defines the product itself. Either way, there’s clearly more to this logo than meets the eye.
7 Logo Trends for 2017
Like in 2016, plenty aspects of simplicity can be found in 2017’s trends: transparent overlays, fades, text boxes, basic geometry. Conversely, wrapped offers a more complex design that demands the consumer try to understand the brand’s meaning, instead of spelling it out. We also see examples of old and new – yin yang vs. ellipses. Which of these trends caught your attention? Would you use any if your future designs? Let us know in the comments below.
