7 Most Important Logo Trends to Follow

They shape a brand’s visual identity, communicate its message, and reflect its core values and vision. 

Your Logo can make (or break) that crucial first impression and build a solid and memorable brand association. When you see an apple with a bite out of it, the first thing that comes to mind is the eponymous brand whose iconic logo is widely recognisable worldwide.

However, new logo trends emerge yearly, and styles evolve, so staying current is essential. This post will explore the most critical logo trends in 2023 and how they reflect consumers’ and businesses’ changing needs.

1 – Wordmark Logos Never Go Out of Style 

You can’t go wrong if you opt for simplicity and minimalism. 

No wonder brands across different industries embraced this timeless logo design. Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, Amazon, FedEx, and IBM are only a few well-known examples of what the synergy of typography, colour, and spacing can do to turn words into distinctive visual symbols. 

But this visual simplicity can be challenging to achieve, so some factors to pay attention to when creating a logotype for your brand include: 

• Is your business name short? This type of logo works best for business names consisting of one word. 
• It is choosing the suitable typeface. Since wordmark logos are so simple, it’s easy to slip into blandness. Pick the font that will stand out and capture the attention of your target audience. Pay attention to details, such as whether you’ll use curves, notches, upper or lower case, and solid colours or textures. 
• Bright, bold colours. If you want a wordmark logo imprinted in your audience’s memory, don’t hesitate to use striking colours that won’t blend in the background. 

The wordmark logo from Vivion checks all the boxes. The typeface is unique, thus creating strong brand recognition, while the bright red colour stands out against the white background and makes the logo immediately noticeable. 

Shop Solar Kits leveraged the wordmark logo style, although the business name consists of three words. However, by intertwining all three elements and adding a sun symbol, the brand creates a memorable logo that immediately communicates its message and explains what the company does. 

2 – Hand-Drawn Logos 

Want to add a dash of creativity and spontaneity to your brand? 

Then hand-drawn logos, sketches, and doodles can help. 

Businesses that use hand-drawn logos project a more personal and authentic brand image. Here are some reasons why you might want to consider such an unpretentious logo:

• It shows off your personality. A hand-drawn logo can reflect your brand’s voice, tone, and values in a way that a generic or computer-generated logo can’t. It can also express your passion and enthusiasm for what you do, plus insinuate your craftsmanship.
• It makes your brand more memorable. This type of logo will catch the eye of your potential customers and make them curious about your story. It can also help you distinguish yourself from your competitors.
• It adds a human touch and makes your brand more relatable and approachable to your target audience. It can also convey a sense of warmth, friendliness, and trustworthiness that can foster loyalty and engagement.

All these qualities make hand-drawn logos suitable for artisanal, rustic, or craft businesses that want to highlight their environmental awareness, sustainability, connection to nature, or unconventionality. 

The Nuts.com hand-drawn logo exudes warmth and familiarity and has a certain feel-good quality. Its almost cartoonish typeface with imperfect lines that looks as if drawn by a natural person perfectly captures the wholesomeness of their products.    

3 – Animated Logos 

A survey has shown that a logo can increase brand comprehension by 73%. If we bear in mind that video content is much more engaging than its static counterpart, it’s logical to conclude why an animated logo will catch the eye of your audience the moment they land on your website. 

Besides, cutting through all the digital and visual noise has become increasingly complex, so you should take things up a notch by bringing your logo to life with dynamic elements. Movement in your logo can evoke emotions, leading to a higher likelihood of viewers interacting with and sharing your content.

The Tower 28’s logo draws inspiration from a lifeguard tower in Santa Monica, and the squiggly letter W stands for a beach lifestyle, being in motion, and waves. The logo encapsulates the brand’s core beliefs and everything they stand for — a sense of community, fun, and healthy living. 

An animated logo can also serve as an effective storytelling tool. 

The animated logo for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles symbolises the host city's diversity and the event itself. The shapeshifting A in the LA28 monogram has 32 iterations created by various artists and athletes to show how they see this city of limitless possibilities. It represents a collection of voices rather than a singular monument or landmark, thus perfectly embodying the city’s energy, creativity, and vibrancy while celebrating the Olympic spirit of unity and diversity. 

4 – Logos with an Intentional Glitch  

Glitches and bugs aren’t necessarily bad, at least in design. 

There’s even an entire style subgenre dubbed “Glitch art,” which leverages digital or analogue errors for aesthetic purposes. It’s unusual, quirky, and eccentric. But, it has become somewhat mainstream, primarily because it can command attention and grab the audience's eyeballs.  

We witnessed TikTok’s meteoric rise over the past few years, so it is no surprise that others are closely examining the app’s captivating branding strategies. One genuinely noticeable aspect is the company’s logo — a vibrant fusion of colours and glitch effects that exudes a retro-futuristic allure, particularly appealing to the younger audience. 

This shift may be attributed to the trend in which imperfections are celebrated, and beauty is found in the unconventional. 

5 – Logos with Hidden Meanings 

We’ve already established that differentiating your brand from competitors is imperative in a saturated market. A logo with a clever twist — a subliminal, hidden message, can help you achieve this goal. 

Logos with hidden meanings are trendy because they can engage the audience and create an emotional response. 

These logos often incorporate secret symbols, messages, or imagery that hold special significance, telling a story about the brand or company. By combining hidden meanings into the design, logos can double as storytelling tools and become a decisive factor in establishing a brand’s identity. 

However, condensing an entire brand story, mission, or vision into a minuscule symbol is more complex.

Here are some things to consider while designing your hidden meaning logo: 

• Align the hidden elements with the brand’s identity, values, and messaging.
• Identify the critical concept or message you want to incorporate into the logo. This can be something relevant to the brand’s history, a visual metaphor that resonates with your target audience, or something your brand is proud of. 
• Think the hidden element through and find a way to include it in the logo without compromising its overall aesthetics. The final result should be balanced and harmonious. 
• Ensure the clarity of your message. While the hidden element is supposed to add some depth to your logo, it’s essential to maintain the simplicity of the overall design. If your logo design is cluttered and over the top, its impact will be diluted, and it won’t be recognisable or memorable. 

Baskin Robbins is among the brands that perfectly executed this approach. The company’s logo consists of a BR monogram, within which the number 31 is hidden, as that’s how many ice cream flavours they offer — one for each day of the month. The curves of the letter B act as the number 3 and the stem of the letter R represents the number 1.

6 – Gradient Logos 

Colours play an essential role in marketing and branding. 

Their influence can be so powerful that 90% of snap judgments people make about products are made based on colours. It’s only logical to conclude that the colour of your logo also affects how customers perceive your brand. 

But why stick to a single colour when you can pop your logo with gorgeous and attractive gradients? 

Gradients are becoming increasingly popular in the design world. They can add a three-dimensional effect and a little extra flair to your logo.

Depending on the colours you use, gradients will make your logo look more realistic and natural with the help of different shades. 

Here are some tips to consider when creating a gradient logo: 

• Select the colour combination carefully and ensure it aligns with your brand. Don’t forget about the background colour and how it can affect readability. That’s why it’s best to ensure there’s enough contrast. 
• Create a compelling logo version using a solid colour and then add gradients. 
• Check whether all details are visible. For example, a fade-out effect can render some letters illegible. Also, be mindful of what the logo will look like in different sizes. 

The Mazda logo is an example that gradients can be subtle and achieve the right effect. In this case, it’s a sleek and shiny logo that fits the identity and personality of an automotive giant. Different shades of silver evoke luxury and elegance while representing the company’s commitment to excellence and innovation.

7 – Pictorial Mark Logos

Pictorial marks can communicate a brand’s essence and values concisely and visually compellingly. Unlike typographic or abstract logos, visual marks represent a company using recognisable images or symbols, leaving a lasting impression on potential customers. 

Shell’s shell, Twitter’s blue bird, and Snapchat’s stylised ghost are instantly recognisable and represent the concept of what a logo, in its essence, is. Also known as brand symbols, these logos are visual representations of a brand that rely on easily recognisable images or symbols. 

They are often used by companies that aim to create a strong visual identity and leave a lasting impression on their target audience. Logo symbols can range from simple, minimalist designs to more complex and intricate illustrations, but their main objective is to capture the brand's essence in a single image.

There are different methods of picking the correct symbol. For example, Target opted to illustrate its brand name with a bullseye symbol. John Deere used wordplay on their name, so the company’s logo is a deer. Snapchat’s ghost highlights the instant messenger’s popular feature — messages that disappear after being seen. 

The Startup Resources logo combines a wordmark and a pictorial mark. A symbol of puzzle pieces falling into place tells that the website offers valuable resources and refers to its problem-solving nature. It communicates that the target audience can find the missing clues and critical ingredients to success. Bold colours make it conspicuous and easily memorable. 

Final Thoughts

Watch out for these logo trends if you need a logo for your new business or if your existing one needs a makeover. However, it’s crucial to balance following trends and maintaining a timeless and unique identity that stands the test of time. Ultimately, the most successful logos are those that not only embrace current trends but also capture the essence of the brand, leaving a lasting impression in customers' minds.

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