Logo Designing Trends To Follow In 2020
Logos do serve as an impactful first impression for
brands. Every professional and businessperson needs a logo, since it can help
to protect one's professional image while building a strong brand in the long
run.
Keeping up to date with the latest design trends
is isn’t easy. Every year, there seems to be a new wave of trend in the
industry, and some of which we've already begin to see new displays coming from
big players like Facebook, and others to follow suite in the next few months.
There are a lot of new logo designs that’s trending
out there, so today- we’ll elaborate on 7 logo design trends to watch out for
the year 2020.
- Raw
Hand-drawn Logos.
With the high rise in technology, the boundaries
on the technologies used for logo design would always be pushed.
We’re going to see a lot more experimentation of
logos that are hand-drawn, utilizing asymmetric forms, and lines with
interesting shades and techniques to produce creativity and raw aesthetics.
With an in-depth feel of such logos, brands are beginning to embrace the homegrown
organic feel to represent their values.
With all the digital perfection in place and
plugins like the Nb Designer woocommerce smart coupons for
example, there’s always going to people wanting that raw feeling look to go
against the grain.
- Gradients.
The use of gradient in logos is getting more and
more popular over the past few years. Popular brands like “Internet explorer”, are
now opting for truly digital offering over their traditional form of design,
which allows for truly interesting gradients to be achieved and implemented across
the brand.
The use of Gradients allows for simple logos to
look a little more complex by adding dimensions and shadings. In respect to
this, there have been a rising use of more and more complicated gradients with super
vivid colors, creating a striking pallets.
Gradients are often made to look like a natural
phenomenon such as sunrise and sunset. In the year 2020 and next few years to
come, we’ll continue to see more and more brands opting for gradients as the
use of gradients seem to be getting popular.

- Text
Deconstruction.
This trend of logo design is made to create an
optical illusion from the viewer's perspective. The various elements of the text
are either deleted or ignored to make the viewer picture and think of what’s
missing in order so they can make it readable.
Typically, different from woocommerce mix and match products and
extensions used for designing
logos on WordPress sites, text deconstruction can be linked with cramped
designs, this is something you have to be careful with and really pay attention
to the negative space in other to maintain the eligibility of the logo itself.
- Simplicity.
Over the past few months, there have been an
influx of brands simplifying their logos, and one of the most notable of late is
the Facebook group logo- taking a strong typographic approach to their
identity.
One thing about simplifying things down on a
logo design is to carry brands across different platforms and mediums easily.
One of the major benefit of simplifying a logo is increasing the memorability.
In most cases, simple logos are often the most effective, because it can be
used in various scope of applications without any compromise in the design.
The simplicity of the design allows for the
consistency of the identity it portrays. There are a host of other brands like
Yahoo and Warner Bros that have taken this approach over the past twelve
months.
In regards to simplicity of logos, it is getting
to a level of how simple is too simple, making these designs too generic.
However, the top brands involved in this trends have already attained solid identity
systems around their simplified logos that is really making these designs work.

- Unique
Fonts.
Year in, year out, strong typographic designs
are increasing in popularity. These days, more emphasis is now placed on Fonts,
so that with adding little more character to fonts, it tends to make brands
somewhat unique even if the logo is copied by another brand out there.
This trend is getting close to being more and
more of an approach for providing customized designs for brands, giving a more
unique design for brand identity. This trend may even lead itself to brands
designing their own fonts to use across their identity systems.

- Emblems.
Trends in Emblem seems to be trending right now.
Arguably, they may not be of the most functional logo designs out there, but
its popularity is seriously growing fast.
One new trend with emblems is its
simplification, helping logos to become more visually friendly and increasing usability
as well.
- Strong
Geometric Symbols And Typography.
In 2020, it is more than likely to begin seeing this trend taking a lead position in the industry. Right now, we're already seeing more sophisticated designs being created with geometric symbols. Now, this design trend is bound to constantly push out the emblem, with text being constructed out from geometric forms.

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I'm a small business - why do I need a brand?
If you are a small firm or a sole trader, you could be forgiven for thinking that branding is not for you. "Big names spend money on branding, small companies just get on with the job" is a typical response when small businesses are asked about their brand activities. But this perception is wrong, as Rachel Miller writes
Even if you do "believe in branding", it may come low on your to-do list after vital day-to-day tasks that keep your customers happy and keep revenue coming in. That's understandable.
Why do small firms need a brand?
So how can I convince you that branding matters - whether you are a window cleaner, a solicitor or run a restaurant?
Perhaps the first thing to do is to tackle the wording. If you were to replace the word "branding" with "reputation" I might get your attention. You care about your reputation, right?
Well branding is all about the impression you make. If you want to succeed, that impression should do two jobs - it should convey what is special about your business and it should show you in a positive light.
Of course, many small businesses make a good impression most of the time without ever giving a thought to their brand. But think how much more successful you would be if you gave a good impression all of the time.
What I am advocating is that you think about the impression you want to make - your brand - and actively take steps to manage it.
There are two parts to this process. Firstly, you have to decide what you stand for - what your USPs are, who you are aiming at and how you want to position yourself. Then you need to make sure that all aspects of your business are in line with this.
It's about applying your values to everything you do, clearly and consistently.
There are many small firms that have seen real financial benefits as a result of improving their brand. Fiona Humberstone, managing director of Flourish Studios, has worked with many one-man-bands and small businesses. "For instance, we worked with a plumber on his logo," reveals Fiona. "He used it on some new business cards which he distributed in his area and immediately got three new jobs. We've also helped a management consultant with her branding. We redesigned her proposal document as well as providing a new logo and website. As a result, every proposal that she has made that year was accepted - a 100% success rate."
Mark McCulloch, founder of Spectacular Marketing says, "You have a brand whether you like it or not. It's best to embrace that and find the best way to connect your brand with your target audience."
Mark worked with a company called Exhilaration some years ago that sold experience days out and was run by a husband and wife team that loved sky-diving. The business came to a crossroads when it had to develop its online presence.
"It was a tiny company with a tiny marketing spend," says Mark. "The name was good - Exhilaration summed up what they did - but their communications were very dry and didn't convey the excitement of what they were selling at all."
Mark transformed the company's literature and their website and injected the excitement that was missing. "Personality was everything, so we gave all the communications a new tone of voice," he says. Not only did customers respond but suppliers and investors also sat up and took notice. The result? "Their turnover rose from £1 million to £3.5 million and they became second in the market," Mark reveals. Exhilaration went on to be bought by Lastminute.com.
Creating the right impression
But if you don't think branding is for you, you are not alone.
"Many small business owners I meet think that brands are something that only large companies need or can afford," says Bryony Thomas of Watertight Marketing. "But your company name, the way you answer the phone, what your customers say when they're asked about you - these things all build to create an impression of your company and what it's like to do business with you - and that is your brand. So, you can either just let whatever impression you give happen haphazardly, or you can take control and manage it to your advantage."
One small firm that has benefited by developing its brand is Gradwell, the Bath-based small business ISP. "I tended to pick marketing up on the rainy days, and then drop it again. I'd never really given it much focus," reveals managing director, Peter Gradwell. "We had grown organically among tech enthusiasts, but knew that for major growth we'd need to appeal much more widely."
Bryony undertook market research and discovered that Gradwell's existing image was off-putting to less tech-savvy small business owners. A new brand identity addressed this.
"It was a really tough decision to spend money on something that wouldn't directly generate leads. It was about building the foundations," says Peter. "But, I'm absolutely sure that it was the right thing to do. It has had huge benefits across everything we do. To give a tangible example, we were approached by Hewlett-Packard to appear as a pretty high profile case study, and I'm sure they wouldn't have shared a stage with us if we hadn't looked as polished as we now do."
It goes to show that your brand may be just as important to your relationships with partners and suppliers as it is to your customers. Take Best Years, a supplier of knitted toys to independent and high street retailers. " Brand is extremely important to us," says commercial director, Gaynor Humphrey. "We have worked hard to put a distance between ourselves and our price-driven competitors. A strong brand boosts traffic to our website. And if our brand values chime with the values of retailers they are more inclined to buy from us. Our foot is halfway through the door before they have even met us!"
Dee Blick, author of Powerful Marketing on a Shoestring Budget for Small Businesses, has worked with many small businesses on their branding. "Branding doesn't take shed-loads of money. It takes passion and time and thought," she says. But you neglect your brand at your peril, she warns. "Businesses don't own their own brand, they are custodians of it. Perceptions can alter quickly. Brands are constantly evolving and they need a lot of tending."
The message is clear. If you've got a business, then you've got a brand. What you do with it is up to you.
9 tips for starting out in design
19 hours agoComments
We ask a panel of top designers: if you could give one tip to a designer just starting out, what would it be?
When you're just starting out in you design career, everything can seem like a struggle. You can ease the pain by having the right drawing tools and learning from inspiring design portfolios, but even so there's bound to come a time when you find yourself asking whether it's all worth it.
Everyone's been there, though; even the mightiest creative director has found themselves considering jacking it all in and running away to become an accountant at some point.
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And so we asked nine leading designers to come up with their top tips for anyone starting out in design. Read them and see your career in a whole new way.
For further career-enhancing tips from more top designers, take a look at Computer Arts issue 250.
01. Know your niche
Creative director Mads Jakob Poulsen says: "Think about what you can contribute to the world of design. What's your niche? What's your special secret weapon? Don't be like everyone else – do what you think is fun."
02. Have a singular vision
"If you make things the way you think they ought to be, they're more likely to be what you'll be asked to make going forward," says Spin's Tony Brook. "It took me a long time to fully understand this."
03. Be versatile
Anagrama's Sebastian Padilla comments: "A designer needs to be versatile, like a Swiss Army knife. You need to be comfortable with working in broad fields such as typography, composition and copywriting."
04. Refine your skills
"Hone your skill set," says Matt Howarth of ilovedust. "Whether digitally orby hand, work hard on your craft every day and in time you will find a style that you are comfortable with and, most importantly, enjoy doing."
05. Follow your heart
Dawn Hancock of Firebelly says: "None of us really know what the hell we're doing, but if you think with your heart and go with your gut, it will all work out in the end."
06. Lose the attitude
"My tip for a new, young designer starting their career is to lose any sense of entitlement you may have," says Steve Simmonds of weareseventeen. "Just because you've studied for three or five years doesn't mean you can come into the industry and expect it to be easy. This sounds harsh, but I get young designers all the time telling me what they are and aren't willing to do from day to day.
"You must remember that it's not just graduates fighting for their place in this industry; seasoned pros and entire companies are fighting too and good attitudes make all the difference. Be keen and enthusiastic: it goes a long way. Bread and butter work is a staple in any studio, so expect to be heavily involved in a lot of this at first. Don't expect to be working on all the bigger studio projects. This will happen in time; just approach the bread and butter stuff with bags of enthusiasm and make those projects shine unexpectedly. Do this and your rise through the ranks will be swift."
07. Stay the course
Becky Bolton of Good Wives and Warriors says: "Our general tip for people is to just try and stick with it! A creative career is going to be peppered with rejection and potentially confusing times. Without sounding too trite, it's important to try and believe in the value of your work and keep pushing through the times when you feel like quitting!"
08. Take risks
Ady Bibby of True North says: "Stand for something. Take risks. Don't be happy to merge into the mediocrity of creativity out there."
09. Only work with people you like
Designer and teacher Fred Deakin comments: "Biggest lesson: only work with people you like on projects you care about. If you take your time to make great work then eventually the money will come."
Aman by Construct, United Kingdom
Aman by Construct, United Kingdom
Opinion by Richard Baird.
Aman is a collection of resorts, hotels and luxury residencies that offer access to a wide variety of remote and urban destinations. Its first resort, Amanpuri, was opened in Thailand in 1988. Since then it has expanded across the world, seeking out transformative experiences and awe-inspiring locations throughout Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, the Americas, North Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean.
Inspired by the earliest forms of alphabets and mark-making, London based graphic design studio Construct developed a new brand identity for Aman that would reflect its values and the high quality of its experiences. This is expressed through custom typography, earthy colour palette, tactile material texture and high quality print finish that links press-pack, business cards and menus.
“The Aman Master Brand Logo is a sophisticated evolution of the earliest form of script; a series of strokes that exemplify a physical sense of ‘above and below’, the natural connection and flow of mountains and valleys, of waves and ocean floor, an inclusion in a natural landscape which directly reflects Aman’s relationship with place.” – Construct.
Where BP&O often favours the contemporary, or a contemporary take on the traditional, Aman feels ancient and slightly mystical in its blend of type and image.
Construct’s references; early alphabets, Futhark and stone carving, and its favour for both reduction and a human component are clearly evident in the build and drawing of logotype; the flaring of terminals and the lightness of line weight. It is well-spaced and balanced, benefits from the repetitive and simple forms intrinsic to the letters and name, and takes a block foil well. This is then extended to the names of over 31 different Aman locations. While ancient in its references, its implementation, the use of space, and choice of colour, appears sophisticated and luxury.
Material choices and the pencils of the press pack layer identity with a very physical and tactile quality hinted at in the carved qualities of type, while a colour palette of sand, soil and clay, are distinctly earthy. Dyed uncoated papers, embossed boards and a gold foil print finish convey a quality and value without appearing excessive. This simple combination manages to say a lot with just a few assets.
The earthy quality of colour and material texture is explored further and more explicitly in the warm misty landscape of the brochure cover, and inside with brighter but natural tones. Diversity and disparity of image, a contrast of colour, texture and content function well to emphasise the extent of the destinations that Aman offers, and are compelling and impactful in their full bleed double page spreads. Man is clearly selling destinations, rather than a resort experience.
Aesthetically the work is really well-resolved, but it is the connection made between man and enduring environment, and the extent and difference of the destinations, as conveyed through type, texture and image, that really stands out as thoughtful, and ideally-suited to a resort with excess to places throughout the world.
Design: Construct. Opinion Richard Baird
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