3 Logo Design Trends to Avoid
As a designer, you may find yourself being asked to create a logo of some sort. Logo design can be deceiving as it is much harder than it looks. Hours upon hours of research, planning, and trial & error go into creating a logo.
You may also run into problems where the client might request certain colors or a specific font, that just doesn’t allow for a great logo design. While it is important to make sure the client is happy, it is also important to deliver a design that will best represent the company and bring people through the door.
To ensure you are creating your best work, I wanted to share some trends to avoid when designing a logo. These can help you advocate for yourself as a designer, and maybe create a new option for a client that they will fall in love with.
Helvetica
You’ve seen it everywhere. It’s Target, Jeep, Nestle, CVS, you name it, and it is probably Helvetica. While I cannot deny that Helvetica is a beautiful typeface with a great simplicity… it’s just overused. The goal of a brand’s logo is to set them apart from all of the other brands selling the same thing. You want to be unique and eye catching. You want to relate that font to that brand. It is very hard to do this with Helvetica. Brandcraft Marketing discourages the use of Helvetica saying: “It has turned into a common typeface that no longer drives the creative sense it used to.” Due to so many giant brands using this typeface, it is not the best choice if you want to set yourself apart. With that being said, there are many other typefaces that will continue to be overused. Try not to go for those when creating your logo. I know it can be tempting, as your eye will sometimes immediately go to what is familiar. However, I urge you to try and push yourself and find something new. Be the designer who makes an underused typeface trendy. That will great efficient logo design.
Acronyms
When trying to design a logo for a company with a lengthy name, many designers will “give up” in a sense and just shorten the design to an acronym. If the client requests the logo to be an acronym that is a different story however, if you have more creative control acronyms should be avoided. Graphic Design Agency Inkbot Design commented on this design trend in their blog 8 Most Common Logo Design Cliches to Avoid: “It looks archaic and lacks creativity unless you have a compelling message designed into the letters.” So many companies have followed this pattern and it has resulted in the same 3 letters representing vastly different companies. And because there is only so much you can do with three letters, all of these logos pretty much look the same.
Font Only Logos
Personally, I am a fan of keeping things simple and clean when it comes to my logo design. However, it is important that when designing for a client that you are not just simply typing out a word and calling it a logo. This lacks the creativity, artistry, and skill that comes with paying for a graphic designer. Logo Design Company FullStop360 pitches some advice on this topic: “Give your designs some time. No great design is sketched overnight. Keep it original and innovative.” If you want your design to be font focused, there are many design choices that can be made to make your logo innovative. For example, designing the holes in the letters to be outlines of relevant imagery, inserting a design between two words in the logo, or creating some sort of connection between letters. These are just some of the ways in which you can use your skills to create an innovative logo design.
Hi! My name is Kristin Ardese and I am a professional Graphic Designer and Marketing Strategist. I hope that by sharing some of my expertise, I can help offer valuable insights and build an engaging community.
