The best brand logos are instantly recognizable. They evoke positive emotions, express a brand's personality and stick in the viewer's mind. Logos serve as a potential customer's introduction to a brand, ideally communicating what the company sells and how it approaches its products.
With so much to live up to, designing a logo is no easy task. Logo designs always benefit from creativity, uniqueness, simplicity and careful use of color. While the standards for design remain the same from year to year, current aesthetic preferences influence the types of logos you see in a given year. Looking at designs from other brands can help spark inspiration when you're cooking up a logo of your own. Here are five logo design trends to watch for 2020.
Custom Fonts
As a response to years of simple logos written in popular typefaces, look for brands to start developing logos with custom fonts that are unique to their identity. A basic word logo gets new life with a custom font, which can be adapted to fit a brand's personality. Real estate agents could try this style as part of real estate templates for their marketing.
Linear Shapes
Minimalist design has been the name of the game for several years, with many brands opting for a low-key statement in their logo. In 2020, that logo design trend is likely to continue in the form of line-based illustrations with a clean feel. Think of the stick-figure version of a shape, such as a city skyline or mountain range. This look is ideal for a lifestyle brand wanting to evoke calm and sophistication.
Minimalism With Personality
While some brands will opt for more linear illustrations in their logo designs, others will head in a more playful direction. Picture a brand's name in a simple, bold typeface, with an illustrated figure or mascot sitting alongside it. Companies might play on a name by adding symbolism into the lettering, such as making one of the letters look like a relevant shape or item. The playful trend will work best for brands that already have whimsy as part of their personality. This style can also work well for aspirational brands, with logos depicting the type of motion they're hoping to inspire in potential fans.
Retro 1980s Designs
What's old is new again for brands looking to tap into retro design trends. Entities from the massive Netflix hit "Stranger Things" to locally run tapcades are tapping into the 1980s aesthetic, mimicking neon lights and video game pixels in their logo designs. This is a fun trend for a specific set of businesses that have a legitimate reason to associate their products with 1980s nostalgia.
Colors of the Moment
Every year has its set of design colors that are everywhere. In 2020, keep your eyes open for logo designs that include mustard yellow, mint green or lilac. Brands wanting to add a pop of color to their logo will lean toward softer hues that can be easily set with white typeface. Mustard yellow offers an alternative to gold, which is more difficult to print and set contrast against. Mint green and lilac are gentle options that can function as a dominant or complimentary color in a brand's palette.
When you're setting out to design a logo, always keep your brand's promise, personality and identity in mind.