Logo design trends 2005 - 2008

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• logo trends in 2005
• logo trends in 2006
• logo trends in 2007
• logo trends in 2008

Trend-watching, until recently, has largely been an exercise in watching connections form between direct associations. Photoshop releases a new filter, and voila - entire raft of logos take on that effect. A particular illustration style is featured in a successful advertising campaign or movie, and in what seems like minutes, the flavor of that art starts to enhance corporate identities.

Periodically, something truly surprising and unexpected pops up. Finding those little treasures are one of the great perks of categorizing 27,000 logos, as LogoLounge and a talented panel of judges just did in preparation for our fourth book. But there's always that natural undercurrent of influence that touches this design and that, a drift of scent, a faint change in air temperature. It's there, but almost not.

This year, however, it seems as though there has been a change in the nature of trends themselves. Instead of a hub-to-spoke relationship in which trends fan out from a central source, prevailing tendencies in logo design now seem to send out long underground runners that poke through the dirt in unrelated, unexpected places, anywhere in the world. It's harder and harder to trace the rhizomatous spread of ideas anymore - which truly is a good thing.

What follows are 15 trends that have indeed popped up all over the world. Overcasting them all are prevailing winds that are worth noting first:

• We saw less emphasis on sustainability or general "greenness" in logo design. There's plenty of natural imagery, but being "green" doesn't seem all that unique anymore.
   
• Colors are becoming more vivid. Desaturation has drained away, and the chroma factor pumped up.
   
• There's an overall move toward cleanliness - in type, in line, in color - as if ideas are getting more and more succinct. It may be an indication of the degree of seriousness with which branding is now regarded.
   
• Less is more common: less calligraphy, less Photoshop tricks, less artificial highlights.
   
• Found pattern and illustration hang on and on and on. With a bottomless treasure chest of visual history constantly at the ready through retail collections and over the internet, it's a direction that's not likely to run its course soon, if ever.

And now, the trends. Please remember that they are gathered here to chart long-term movement or change, not to offer design suggestions. It's a living history. The key is to study the trends, then evolve forward - as far forward as you can leap - from them.

 Logo trends in 2008

Supernova

Imagine what astrophysicists would label a supernova or the eruption and attendant explosion of a star. In a light show reminiscent of the jump to hyperdrive in the original Star Wars, these logos attack the challenge of motion head on. For years we've seen marks that have created the impression of motion from a profile perspective using streaks or blurs to signify speed.

These examples drive a field of elements toward or away from the viewer using a variety of methods. The LodgeNet logo (by Jerry Kuyper) advertises the company's in-room movie service by flying a picture at you with a smart explosive technique. This blast is simple in construction and void of halftone - particularly interesting considering the product is an online commodity that could easily have justified overboard solutions replete with RGB trickery.

1. Jerry Kuyper for LodgeNet 2. Gabi Toth for Halo Consulting 3. Crave Inc. for IQ Beverage Group 4. Mirko Ilic Corp. for Dr. Zoran Djindjic Fund

Fine Line

Consistency of line weight is one of the tenets of good logo design. It builds rhythm and ensures legibility at first glance. Forget this rule for this category. Turn your line weight down to hairline and start drawing. Most of these logos live on two levels: first glance, and then second glance, with reader glasses. Typically, a heavier image with message one serves as a background field. The more profound message two is generally encrypted over the top of or knocked out of the heavier image.

Fine strokes weights may read as no more than pattern initially, but they can also carry the dichotomy of a counter message. A variation on this is the use of linear art en masse to create enough weight to define a message as in the PULSE logo. This yin yang process tends to captivate the viewer and lends a sense of intelligence to a mark that doesn't require a hammer to impart a subtle message.

1. Louis Fili for The Mermaid Inn 2. Hula + Hula for Cartoon Network Lainamerica 3. Unit for Artists for Peace 4. Point Blank Collection for Pulse
 

FoldOver

Imagine being asked to design a logo with a long strip of paper as your only tool. These quasi origami style solutions craft out a sense of dimensionality despite staying relatively flat. The material from which these are created range from (but are not limited to) transparent film, metal, and paper. There seems to be a message of cleverness and economy of stroke in many of these.

Sometimes the simplicity of the folds takes on additional meaning when the substrates demonstrate unique properties. Note how the opposite side of the material changes to a different color at every fold in the TURN logo. Or see how transparency enforces the visual overlap of material. In some ways, this technique creates a bit of a puzzle effect. It engages the viewer as it tempts them into tracing out the path of the mark or trying to determine if the folds could really occur as offered.

1. PMKFA for Yes King 2. Gardner Design for Liberty Capital 3. A3 Design for Urban Architectural Group 4. Addis Creson for Turn

Global Expansion

What a refreshing outlook this trend presents. Time was that any company involved in international commerce gave some passing consideration to a globe as their logo. It's a solution that has become terribly challenging to address with an original perspective. These logos at least have the honesty to step back and say, "Hey, we may not be fully global yet, but give us time." All of these marks rely on a centric pattern that diminishes at the edge and then warps out to wrap the sphere in symbolic expansion.

Cato Purnell Partner's diverse group of solutions for Dubai Airport succinctly communicates a key message. Commerce, travel, and tourism have made Dubai a true crossroad for international travelers, and this world-class logo has found a unique way to express the point. Using the Islamic sacred symbol of an octagram, or eight-pointed star, the logo starts to envelope the global sphere with its spreading tile mosaic. The dissemination of a culture is no accidental message in this mark.

1. Lippincott for XOHM 2. Cato Purnell Partners for Dubai International 3. Futurebrand BC&H for Transpiratininga 4. FIRON for Novatel

Loops

Continuous bands, yes, but not all of these marks have that certain mojo of the Mobius strip. Moving away from the universal sign of infinity, this group of logos seems to celebrate the flow of a closed cycle. No doubt more than a few rubber bands were called into action for their modeling services, but a ribbon-like figure was not mandatory.

There is something personal about the lack of perfect symmetry displayed here. The flexible nature of these logos signifies the ability to transform to meet the needs of the moment. Some appear to be snapshots of motion captured in a millisecond, of an object tense with energy.

The Peugeot 307 loop reflects the profile of that specific car but also seems to hover weightlessly above the ground. The chromed appearance of the mark takes on a surrealistic quality while conveying a certain technical prowess as well.

1. Lippincott for IBM & Freescale 2. Angelini Design for Peugeot International 3. Miriello Grafico, Inc. for Qualcomm 4. Double Brand for Long term car rent

Jawbreakers

Anyone who's ever torn up his or her mouth grazing on a jawbreaker or Gobstopper can attest to the concentric rainbow displayed on a perfect cross-section of the confection. There is a certain childhood joy associated with the perfect cleaving of these orbs that is akin to discovering hidden treasure. The 70's op-art quality of these marks is accomplished with little regard for a reserved palette. Generally, brilliant color is a must and often cross-sections are as unique as Technicolor snowflakes.

There is a youthfulness to these logos that addresses a certain vitality in the market. You can't help but smile at the visual joy they seem to capture. Influences could include Target's inventive use of its own logo in marketing efforts, although the red and white of their mark seems sedate in comparison to examples shown here.

1. Form for Dazed & Confused/Topshop 2. MacLaren McCann Calgary for Telphonic 3. Volatile for Antidote 4. Volatile for Pod

Strobe

Animation in the static environment of print is challenging at best, but with some sequential stop-motion images, a solution is at hand. Remember those flip-books that with a riffle played out a short animation? Now, take the images, place them on a single surface, and this is the result. These marks have a slinky-like, fluid nature that lends a graceful aesthetic to their associated companies.

The Nikon logo crafted by Interbrand some years ago may have signaled the introduction of this process with a major brand. Sprint's adoption of Lippincott's logo, a representation of the stop-motion animation of pin dropping, opened the gates for deeper exploration and solutions in a similar vein. Nokia Siemens' new animated logo, created by Moving Brands, successfully plays out the strobe concept when adapted to print.

1. Interbrand for Nikon 2. Moving Brands for Nokia Siemens Networks 3. Lippincott for UMW 4. Lippincott for Sprint

Nimbus

Shield your eyes and pull out the 30 spf sunblock. It's not a sunburn you'll fear, but you may need to protect yourself from overly bright ideas. There is a certain glorification associated with all of these marks. The central core of the image is usually a bright tunnel out of which great light emanates. If this sounds a bit like the parting of clouds and the appearance of deities, you may not be far off.

Dissemination of light or energy by the use of rays is far more than an astral aura. This indicates a central subject or capability and the prospect that it holds the key or the solution to whatever the question is. Light also connotes knowledge and guidance. Even distribution of these spokes ensures a fairness of distribution and equality of access. As a moth will attest, there is an attracting radiance to these logos, regardless of color.

1. Gardner Design for Catalyst 2. Glitschka Studios for Proctor & Gamble 3. Circulodiseno, SC fr New Venturees 4. Chris Herron Design for Marimon Inc. & Kelly Swofford Roy

Stitch

Over the last several years, designers have taken refuge with a variety of appropriated patterns. Design backgrounds have become shrines for wallpaper swatches, Victorian patterns, organic flora, faux wood grains and any other rococo-retro surface that is not nailed down or otherwise copyrighted.

Houndstooth and herringbone aside, designers on more boutique projects are dipping into their grandmothers' baskets of sundries and notions. This is often not as much about textile patterns as it is about the elements that hold a garment together. Zig zag, whip, and cross-stitch are a few of the strokes in the sewing arsenal. Bric-a-brac, fishnet, fringe, and tassels are also working their way into these solutions. This common language of mundane elements takes on a refreshing, often feminine beauty when layered together with great taste. Just remember that the difference between a tablecloth and a haute couture gown is not the material, but knowing what to do with it.

1. The Woodbine Agency for Lamp 2. tenn_do_ten for chico 3. The Pink Pear Design Company for Rummage 4. Hammerpress for Natasha's Mulberry & Mott

Colorblind

Sometimes clusters of a logo technique surface with little if any rationale. For this bracket, it's as if National Geographic just reported the recent unearthing of a series of Ishihara color plates for color blind testing. The influence is obvious but the timing is unexplained. You have to admire the chutzpah of a client willing to adopt a logo that 7% of the male population and 0.4% of women won't be able to understand.

Maybe this is exactly the point. These marks represent a quirkiness associated with entities that only a certain percent of the population will be able to really appreciate. Even for individuals without color blindness, these visuals can be a bit challenging to decipher. But that adds to their mystique and helps to build affinity for the logos when the viewer realizes he has passed the test. Either way, there is a joyful, reminiscent charm at work here - either that or this report is entirely wrong and these companies all sell Dippin' Dots ice cream.

1. Colorblind Chameleon - Self Promotion 2. Range for Dennis Murphy 3. Pearpod for Razoo 4. Cricket Design Works for Creme Cafe

Amoeba

These are soft, inflated blobs without any sharp corners to fall and hurt yourself on. Their friendly shapes are generally unstructured and much like an amoeba under the lens of an electron microscope, fluid and in motion. Amoeba comes from the Greek word amoibe, meaning to change, and this trend is about flux. The elements that compose these logos are anything but static. You can imagine a relationship between the parts of a logo as if they have just divided from one another.

This process of morphing and motion give us a clue about the structure and processes of the businesses represented here. Flexibility and an agile nature allow businesses to adapt in mercurial industries. These are entities that embrace the value of evolution. If you're evolving, chances are you're a living organism, and there aren't too many of those with corners.

1. Tactix Creative for DJ Eddie Amador 2. Double Brand for Poza Showroom 3. Mola for EDP 4. Yaroslav Zheleznyakov for Promotion

Facets

Ali Baba and the 40 thieves knew what mattered in a cavern laden with jewel-encrusted treasure. In these precious gems, there is an intrinsic value of which legends are crafted. Whose eyes are not stopped by the alluring refractions of a precious bobble? What a perfect substance from which to carve an identity.

To create the greatest value in a material as base as a stone, one has to first recognize potential worth. With exacting efforts, a trained eye can cut away the precise amount that will best maximize value. All of this is done with the looming specter of complete failure if the action is not correct. With great risk comes great reward.

These logos can also address the multifaceted nature of a business. By arranging these facets in their optimal positions you create the greatest clarity and light. Or maybe it's not that deep and we just like bright and shiny things.

1. Kitsh for Clay Saphire 2. Thomas Manss & Company for VCC Perfect Pictures 3. Gardner Design for Lavish 4. BFive for Solo Company

Doodles

There is a base honesty to an image that has never been shoved in one side of a computer and back out the other. There is still some soul attached to the mark and even a little sweat and blood from the originator. No attempt is being made to deceive the consumer and certainly there was no upper level management committee to quash the innocence of the humbly crafted logo.

Immediacy is an important justifier for these marks as well. The Rebuild logo, developed after Hurricane Katrina sends the message, these people need your help now. There is no time to finesse a corporate solution to the problem here: We need the help and response of everyone, and we need it now.

Personal messages and a sense of humanity are associated with these marks. It is the assurance the middleman has been cut out, and that this message is between me and you and no one else.

1. Steve's Portfolio for www.thehurricaneposterproject.com 2. Stubborn Sideburns for Hipposchemes 3. Fifth Letter for Shawn Lynch 4. Studio Oscar for Levi Strauss

Flourish

Take a piece of relatively unassuming typography, water and fertilize with insane pixie dust, and let it grow. These logos could be relatives of the Flora and Embellish trend identified over the last two years, but they are definitely about type on steroids. Imagine type with hair that has been coiffed for fashion week in a Fellini movie.

Credit the stunning work of Si Scott and the unbridled design of Marian Bantjes as primary influences on this work. Scott specifically has developed a signature look that is being emulated a bit too close for comfort, in some instances.

Decorative flourishes gone wild identify these entities: They give more than you anticipate and are conscious of the frills and excesses necessary to carry you to satisfaction. These designs are exoticand unexpected but with enough whimsy to avoid being overtly feminine.

1. Lucero Design for Project 240 Apparel 2. United* for Bar Carrera NY 3. Team Manila Graphic Design Studio for Neu Media 4. Distrubancy Graphic Treatment for Eclipse Streetwear

Fibrous

Twisting threads travel in tandem or are spun together to form a twine with even greater strength. Or you see the tendrils of a vine traveling outward from a single source. Maybe it's the ebb and flow of a rhythmic group of fine fibers acting in concert to create the illusion of a solid mass. These are just of few of the descriptions that help define this category.

A collective acting in unison to maximize action and create strength in numbers is at the heart of these logos. These are not lines in perfect step with one and other. Unlike the grooves of a record, these elements show a degree of independence and celebrate the diversity of the components as they unite.

Uniting elements for a common good has become a prevalent theme of late. This trend transcends the corporate world and is seen in social efforts as well. Respect of individuality and honor of uniqueness are admirable pursuits.

1. Guillermo Brea & Associates for Argentina 2. Najlon for Town RIJEKA 3. Mattson Creative for The Collective 4. AtomicasStudio for 2 excite

Minor Trends

	Animotion: What makes these designs unique is that they are designed to be in motion. They are not static designs that were juiced up later. To view some excellent examples in action - CLICK HERE Moving Brands for Swisscom
	Braille Words: Imagine words, numbers, or letters formed out of Braille-like dots. Pearpod for Plus 3
	Stacks: These logos are like transparent sandwiches that have shape stacked upon shape upon shape. Bukka Design for Neven Vision
	Contact Drop: If a contact lens dropped on top of a logo, you'd have the same effect that these logos have. They are generally lens- or circular in shape with a hard outer edge and a soft inner edge. Think of the Barrack Obama logo. FutureBrand for MasterCard Worldwide
	Psyche Type: If you want to know what is going to happen in any kind of design, look back to what was happening 30 years ago. It's a never-ending merry-go-round of style. Witness the groovin' psychedelic type treatments that are so popular today. It's Haight-Ashbury all over again. Yaroslav Zheleznyakov for Lemonades from Arbuzov
	Pathways: There are also plenty of motion lines to be seen, going up and down, back and forth, or around and around. These are like tracers — sometimes transparent like light, bouncing around or bending in space. The Tennis Australia logo is an excellent example. Where the ball goes, the logo goes. FutureBrand (UK) for Lakshmi N. Mittal
	Warped: If you take a gridded piece of paper and start to fold or twist it, the printed grid will begin to conform to whatever motion you're applying. But in this category of logos, the substrate is more pliable, more flexible than paper. There's more give and stretch, so that lines on the x and y axis become contorted. thackway+mccord for FINRA

Finally, it's worth noting that there's a reasonably reliable place to look every day for the very latest in logo design (in addition, to LogoLounge.com, that is): television promo graphics for any of the major "style" channels — Food Network, Discovery, HGTV, the Travel Channel, and more. Because they have the money and the ability to get work out there quickly, the channels tend to be progressive forecasters and trendsetters. And designers, just like the rest of the unwashed masses, are home on the couch, watching.

 Logo trends in 2007

THE 2007 REPORT BY BILL GARDNER

We look at a lot of logos and see plenty of trends. Some are aesthetic, some conceptual and some cultural. As the internet's largest database of logos, with over 50,000 to date, we can't help but notice the evolution of design and trends.

For instance, we have seen many more 3-D logos that are designed to be in motion, never still or flat. These designs have completely shaken the earthly bonds of CMYK and exist only in ethereal RGB. The old logo design rules just don't apply to them.

Another development: Today, for many trends, there is now a countertrend — and that is not only the case for logo design. The public and its likes and dislikes have become fragmented across the spectrum. Companies who need logos and designers who create logos are forced to respond accordingly. It has become increasingly difficult to simply look in one direction or the other.

It is also becoming disturbingly clear that logo design has become a public sport. As the public controls its own media more and more — TiVo-ing this, blogging that, YouTube-ing and Googling everything else — people are no longer satisfied to simply consume what is placed before them. They have opinions they want to share. So, when a large corporation reveals a new identity, there are hundreds of internet sites flinging their opinions back at it. Even when the village board of Remote votes on a new logo for its two police cars, citizens take to the streets waving pitchforks and copies of their own designs. Committee-cide seems to be rampant.

The full 2007 trend report follows. Whether we are noting social, conceptual or aesthetic trends, remember that none of them exist in a vacuum or in a single moment in time. They are the results of many trends before them and are developing taproots as we speak.

Also, you will note some amount of aesthetic crossover between trends. For instance, the Dos Helix and Ribbon trends do show similarities. But with these categories and all others, we are more interested in the differences between their fundamental concepts. Our observations are just that — observations. They are not recommendations. Finally, they are presented in no particular order.

11 trends that will define logo design in 2007

Everyone wants to set the curve when it comes to style. No one wants to design out of a book of trends, but nevertheless, they emerge.
Take a peek at the following 11 logo design trends that we think will define the look of 2007.

	1. Talk Boxes This is an outgrowth of last year's trend, even though these boxes have been around a few years now. We don't quite know who's doing the talking, but whoever it is, their bubble is popping up all over. This logo symbolizes communication, whether it be from the company or between its customers. LifeLogger, for instance, uses a speech bubble with a smile in it to illustrate how users can communicate through them to friends. They continue the use of three-dimensional speech bubbles in creating avatars for their users, as illustrated to the right. In this way, the idea of communication represents the person themselves, showing the importance of contact.
	2. Clouds Everyone remembers a time when they laid on their back in the grass, staring at the clouds daydreaming or finding images in their puffs. Clouds are a powerful logo, conjuring imagery of dreams, creativity and playfulness. Sometimes clouds are combined with thought bubbles to invoke feelings of dreaminess. The clouds can be a 3D bubble or take on a flat feeling. Many of these cloud logos represent new ideas, hence the thought bubble. Many "clouds" came from new businesses on the internet, certainly a place for dreamers. Some, also include imagery of the sun, which evokes a feeling of a new dawn.
	3. Reflections Mirror, mirror, on the wall, what's the hottest trend of all? It might just be reflections. With Apple leading the way, looking like all their graphics were set on a shiny table, others are sure to follow. Dubbed by some as 'the new drop shadow', reflections are taking over, especially on the web. The reflections might be skewed, such as in the logo for blinklist, indicating the location of some light source, invisible to the onlooker, but effective in creating even more of a sense of a whole different world the logo is in.
	4. Rectangle In a graphic world where you can do nearly anything, some companies are keeping it simple with shaded rectangles. Their logo, in a contrasting white, pops out from the background. Shadow boxes have historically been a sign of amateurish design, but this new generation of effective logos has shown that good design will always be in style. With the popularity of rounded corners, these logos stand out with (oh no!) sharp edges and right angles. In some occasions, such as with the blurb logo, the rectangle can represent an image. Blurb used their blue shadow behind their name to symbolize a book, as they are in the book publishing business.
	5. 3d Puffies With these new puffed-up logos, you don?t know whether to click on them or bounce on them. Now that the industry has overcome the production issues of gradients, designers seem to prefer air-popped graphics to the flat drawings of yore. Even desktop icons these days seem to have a rounded feel, like you might pop one with one good hard double-click. It?s a 2D world out there in Internet land, and these 3D images really make Web pages and logos jump out of the page, to where you feel you could run your hands over the computer screen and feel their bumps and curves.
	6. Hot Dogs These cute little Tic Tacs of color are popping up all over the design world. Like many abstract symbols, the hot dogs can be used to mean many different things. Sometimes they denote movement or sound, such as in the logo for Snap. These lines, reminiscent of those drawn out of shocked cartoon people by children everywhere, can denote an idea, a feeling or a literal meaning. But no matter how they?re used in design, they are a powerful symbol of an upbeat emotion.
	7. Transmission beam With satellite tv and radio and wireless everything all the rage in the new millennium, a transmission beams are a quick way to show that they are on the cutting edge of technology. Many companies who use this logo trend deal in internet information. Part of what many of these companies are doing on the internet is taking user (or customer) information and sharing it with the world. The transmission beam, starting with a single dot (to represent the user), shows their ideas spreading out. It?s the perfect symbol for publishing companies or blog sites.
	8. People AOL's little man has some company, with others creating buddies to include in their logos. For companies that bring people together, these genderless little people are shown in pairs or groups. They provide a visual indicator of coming together. Others show just one of these symbols, usually as an avatar for their customer. Anyone looking for other people can be sure they've found them when they see a logo with a buddy.
	9. Transparency Transparency is still hot. Again, many may gasp as the mere though of using a shadow, but this updated version is nothing like the shadow boxes that have plagued generic design. These logos invoke images of blending together. Some, like the two transmission bubbles that seem to be popping out the little people in the BlueDot logo, can symbolize communication, or a sort of overlapping and blending of ideas. Others are a Venn diagram, showing where the company fits, such as Zopa.
	10. Outlines (I think this is another way to add sophistication, 3d effect to a logo) Many are finding that nothing brings a logo to the next level like a professionally done outline. These surrounding lines or shades can simply run around the text or seem to encapsulate it in a bubble, as seen in the gpokr.com logo. These outlines can take text and make it seem as though it?s one unit. Nicely done, these effects add sophistication and a third dimension to logos.
	11. Punctuation From smiley faces to complex illustrations, every day punctuation has gained a new life in the tech typing world of the internet. While some used to only be used to denote the f-word, they?re now used in the young on-line world on instant messaging, e-mailing and teen-speak in general. Now, these symbols have jumped out of instant messaging and onto billboards as of late, with their meanings left to the imagination of customers.

Other trends that are here and emerging:

 Logo Trends in 2006

And 2006 year is no exception: There are trends, for better or for worse. We'd prefer for you to be the judge. But what this year's report also delivers is perspective. With the benefit of past year's reports already laid out, it is not necessary to view trends as isolated moments in time. Instead, they can be viewed as organic, growing, morphing and transforming. One trend links to another, and then another. From year to year, there is branching from existing starts as well as shoots that emerge fresh from the ground up. It's all very informative to observe.

Blankets

Whether laid out flat, rippling in the air, or tightly clad to some other shape, many recent logos have been developed with all the qualities of a draped textile. These marks have a sense of place often defined by perspective as they appear to fade to the back. Blankets generally avoid the head-on geometric solution but allow their regimented qualities to be pushed about by the laws of gravity or shrink-wrapped to a surface. This connection to the logo's environment helps play out symbology in a clear but subtle fashion.

The Aquacon logo gives every sense of the water's surface without relying on waves, ripples or other trite visuals. These feel like an evolutionary step forward from Microsoft Windows' logo waving in the breeze or Bank of America's geometric landscape fashioned out by a symbolic flag.

Blenders

Intense with motion and light, these logos give the appearance of a form being swallowed by a black hole. Shapes seem to bend and warp as if trying to defy the physics of light. The dervish nature of these marks embody an energy quickly recognized and associated with the product or the organization.

These could be an outgrowth of a trend spotted three years ago-Natural Spirals-but those forms had a much more leisurely appearance. These logos seem to be powered up with a nearly alien type of drive. It is a trend associated with any number of consumables, from over-the-counter medications and vitamins to highly caffeinated energy drinks. Who knew the Tide logo would come back to us with such vengeance?

Buttons

Fully dimensional buttons with radius tops, highlights, shadows, embossing, and the occasional polymer dome seem to be everywhere. I can only imagine consumers with obsessive-compulsive disorders straining to avoid pressing each and every one of these. There's something about a nicely crafted button that feels right to a consumer.

It could be that the message is one of empowerment: Typically a button is pressed to bring about a useful consequence. Press the Dell button and a computer comes to life. Press the Beeline Cellular button and instantly connect to others. No surprise that these logos are generally associated with electronics and communications.

Dot Fuzz

Vision, motion, and energy seem to be conveyed with this updated approach to the age-old screen of benday dots. No one's trying to hide the screen pattern here. It becomes a part of the character of the mark, but generally as a subtle edge treatment to an sometimes uninspired graphic.

Interpreting the idea of motion with this technique has a different set of variables than the continuous tone Blur trend from last year's report. Dot Fuzz logos have a better chance of accurate reproduction, and their gritty nature may capture a double-take or two from the consumer. Studio GT&P of Italy used the effect in an inspired application for AJ Mobilitá Srl, a transport company. Even at close range, their seagull logo gives the viewer a sense of looking at a bird in the distant haze as it travels across the sky.

Orbs

If there's inexplicable magic to be sold, there's a good chance the idea is being conveyed in a jewel-like, mysterious crystal orb. These logos may not advance any technical knowledge, but they have the intrinsic value of a bag of ancient marbles cast from precious stones.

Stare into the orb, and you'll see shrouded layers, orbiting stars, swirling liquids and other worlds packaged in a size we could drop in our pocket. These logos convey a message to consumers that there is a complex universe behind the product, but it is neatly captured and contained in a simple sphere they can easily interface with. Every effort at photographic realism is critical to maintaining the illusion.

Dry Brush

Our attempts to avoid slick and stay on a human scale are played out with a combination of simple brush strokes and occasionally an economic cut-out of a geometric shape. It's a combination of a little chaos and a little control that suggests balance. It's a challenge to be both graphic and mortal at the same time, but this method seems to do just that.

Embellish

A marriage of grit and finesse is responsible for the visual success of these marks. These are typically a dichotomy of fine details and dingbats knocked out of and assembled with a degenerated background element. Rich with rhythm and emotion, these logos are often though not exclusively associated with the arts.

The human process of collecting and meticulously crafting the various components is not lost on the consumer. This genre speaks well to a younger generation and the skateboard culture. Most important, though, is the influence of the artist Ryan McGinness, who has created a hybrid of graphic design and fine art with his installations.

Splat

From Rorschach tests to blood splatters, these logos express a certain chaotic energy. Sometimes it takes a second look to realize that a critical part of the logo is a spatter. At other times it takes a second look to see that there is much more than an uncontrolled raw splash of color.

One of the most amazing sets of logos I've seen in years are the splotch pictograms of soccer players created by Hesse Design of Germany for consideration for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. What at first appears as little more than a bug on a windshield suddenly comes to life as a player frantically driving for a goal with a ball exploding forward with equal force. What amazes me about this series are the subtleties you see in each when you squint your eyes.

Glow

This subtle vignette that serves as the ground for a logos may be the cousin to the traditional gray shadows of the past, but more often they suggest an internal glow. This technique has been turning otherwise unremarkable logos into something special with a certain softness.

Technically, the subtle gradation of color for a background field bucks traditional production rules for a logo. But these are rules that have been cast to the side with advanced technology and production methods. The vignette also might lock the application into a white-only background, but considering the effect, it's well worth it.

Transparent 3D

If any one technique has had a dramatic impact on logo design over the last few years, it has been the adoption of transparency for identities. Though this technique was forecast in our 2003 report, there was no calculating just how impactful it would be. Some logos in this year's field are identified for other trends, but they could pull double duty and fall into this category as well. With this report, we find ourselves dissecting a previous trend to trace its course.

These logos are fabricated from transparent layers that also take on form or gradation and highlights. Their luminous quality of light is engaging. Soon we could anticipate seeing transparent, yet tactile and textured surfaces.

Transparency has become a buzzword within the corporate world as more industries see the need to open their books and their practices to the public. Using actual visual transparency in a logo is a common metaphor.

Overlays

Another branch of the transparency trend makes strong use of multiple flat layers. Clarity of color is a necessity to avoid transitions that are desaturated and lifeless. These flat layers replicate the additive color effect of multiple light gel strata. All of these logos rely on the illusion of an inner light which seems to make us smile.

One of the driving factors behind the transparency trend is pure technology. Adobe Illustrator has made the additive color process a click away through layers with or without gradation. That means the effects can be controlled in a vector environment which is more conducive to experimentation than Photoshop.

The designers at Iconologic may have been responsible for creating the greatest audience for this look with their groundbreaking graphic solutions for the sport icons and venue graphics at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Their system relied on flat transparency, and the beautifully drawn sport pictograms were just as stunning in one color as four.

Filigree

There was a time that filigree only lived on currency, stock certificates, and cigar bands. That was then, this is now. The intricate interlocking weave of the Spirograph-like form sends a certain message of quality, prestige, and security. Its engraved appearance adds a sense of heritage to its application.

Whether in a close-up detail or a complete wreath, this technique creates an authoritative, impervious force field around the logo. It doesn't rely on mass: Instead, it uses an airy finesse that allows it to lock to a surface and gives the mark a sense of place. Last year's report discussed The Bank of New York logo, developed by Lippincott Mercer, which conveys a similar sense of beauty and security.

Post Apocalyptic

“It's the invisible sphere. The traditional globe has been vaporized and all that is left behind is the atmosphere." I wish I had said these words or named this trend, but all credit goes to the incomparable designer Miles Newlyn.

If you are global, the globe is not the message: It's what you bring to the globe. AT&T doesn't bring us a sphere. It brings us the connectivity to transcend geographic constraints. The same can be said of Wolff Olins' solution for BT. Watching the animation of this logo you get a sense of the world's continents and the symbolic coverage of communication. Both of these solutions take advantage of transparency to intensify the effect.

Vivid

After a glance at this year's trends, a secondary trend stands out: color. This is not just color, but unabashed color. Not in all sectors but in many, the desaturated or one- and two-color palettes of the past have been pitched to the heap. Hues are more vivid, and many logos are represented by the full spectrum.

Events, destinations, and celebration lead this group, but bold application of color is showing up in more traditional fields like communications and banking, for example. Technological barriers that used to limit logo color for pure economic reasons have become less of a concern. Companies have a greater presence on the internet and TV, both of which have light-driven, luminous RGB environments at their disposal. We've simply become more accustomed to saturated color.

Scribbles

This is a throw-back to our childhood when we didn't have to stay inside the lines. We could create bedlam with any color crayon we damn well pleased. These marks have a frantic nature about them that appeals to a younger generation, but note that the logos are generally brought back under our thumb with the addition of a formal element often typographic.

Here again we come back to the theme of controlled chaos. It's an opportunity for companies to show they have the ability to create an orderly freedom, a chance to escape the constraints of an organizational planet but not leave the gravitational field.

 Logo Trends in 2005

The word “trend” seems to raise the little hairs on the back of some designers' necks. Everybody wants to be a you-know-what-setter; no one wants to acknowledge the aftermath. We've discovered that trends have become something impossible — and maybe unwise — to ignore.

With 20,000 logos now on the website, and with the ability to watch the switches and sways of creativity as it reveals itself through a real-time compendium of identities all over the world, we have learned that noting trends is not so much like reporting history as it is considering what might be next. Trends are not an accusation of some widespread lack of original thinking. Instead, they are a sign of design evolution in our ever-shrinking world.

Think of them as confirmation that designers are excellent thermometers/barometers of human thinking the world-round. That there are corollaries should be no surprise. So we note trends with these caveats:

Are these trends on the way in or the way out? We do not presume to suggest one or the other.

Do trends tell you where to go or, conversely, where not to go? Again, that is for you to decide.

Discover new directions. But remember: With any trend, it is better to realize how you arrived than to know you have arrived.

folly stars

Landor and Associates, La Caixa	Desgrippes Gobé, Travelocity
Landor and Associates, Apria Healthcare	Wages Design, Chick-fil-A University

The star has always been a foundation stone of logo design, rife with symbology that varies from jingoistic federalism to quality and celestial guidance. No less important today, the star has literally taken on a life of its own as it starts to shed its strict geometry for arms and legs and wings. The shape has had a transfusion of personality and imperfection, so that it now rivals any human. This generation is much more approachable, while maintaining the same symbolic pedigree of its ancestors.

amalgams

Wolff Olins/Miles Newlyn, Unilever	Chermayeff & Geismar, Inc., Tennessee Aquarium
Insight Design, Richard Lynn's Shoe Market	MetaDesign, The Ocean Conservancy

These assemblies of diverse elements may credit their throwback to Pierre Bernard's logo for the Parcs Nationaux de France (French National Parks), a seminal mark based on a Fibonacci spiral crafted from the silhouettes of every piece of flora and fauna in the parks. Miles Newlyn, working with Wolff Olins, has managed to build an equally enchanting logo for Unilever. This trend bucks the notion of assembling everything known about an organization and boiling it down to a single image. Instead, the designer displays those ingredients so that every element is preserved and displayed in an arrangement that takes on an additional layer of meaning more replete than any individual component alone. The detail of these logos can become as addictive as a good puzzle or flavorful pasta sauce.

blow out

FutureBrand Australia, Brand Australia	Gardner Design, Viziworx Enhanced Television
Cato Purnell Partners, Terry White Chemists	Creative Development Association, Third World Mission Association

I still cheer every time I see a logo successfully chip away at the tenets of traditional logo design. This trend is one such rebel. It stands up and proclaims, “To hell with vectored edges!” This group is beautifully crafted. The shape is formed, but then a 5,000-watt krypton bulb blows out the mark's critical edges. The nerve to build an implied aura in a flat world is rewarded when the design calls for it. Melbourne's FutureBrand Australia could have captured a continent with a bounding kangaroo and sun, but they sealed the deal for adventurers and sun worshippers worldwide by welding a solar flare right into the viewers mind.

cmyk

Wolken communica, Bellevue Art Museum	Cato Purnell Partners, Infratil
Braue; Branding & Corporate Design, Druckhaus Wüst	Chase Design Group, First Light

For years, cyan, magenta, yellow and black have been designer-speak in developing identities for printing and color houses. So when did these primary colors of the print world enter the vocabulary of the real world? When digital printers became cheaper than the inks you load in them. CMYK soon became the building blocks of a visually literate society. These base colors, spurned as long-time restrictions by designers, suddenly became the novel darlings of consumers. To explain a concept, knock it down to its basic elements: Suddenly, CMYK is a fresh tool that a savvy public understands.

flames

Davidson Design, Target	Fernandez Design, Global Chaos
Luce Beaulieu, Le Poulet Grillé	Modern Dog Communications, Experience Music Project

Though tiresome to many, fire is one of the elements of nature, and flames aren't going away soon. Want to confirm this? Turn on your TV and count the number of custom biker/motor/auto/monster/pimp-my-ride-shows spread across networks as diverse as Discovery, MTV and ESPN. Customization has become an industry, and good pin-strippers sign autographs. These guys can tell us there are traditional flames, fast flames, California flames, tribal flames and more. We still associate flames with heat, speed and vanilla rebellion, and as long as there are fast bad-boy clients, designers will be painting their licks.

wicker balls

A & Company, Total	Carbone Smolan Agency, Assurant
Landor and Associates, Pepsico	Fernandez Design, MetaDot

Globes continue to be a popular solution to represent the international affairs of a corporation, though I typically wince at a globe solution when it's the only tale a company has to tell. These solutions, on the other hand, can take on a degree of elegance and often represent the strength and complexity of the organization bonded by the woven layers. The French A & Company, for example, was masterful at combining the flagship colors of Total, Fina and Elf to help represent the merger of these three European petroleum giants.

weaves

Lippincott Mercer, The Bank of New York	Marcus Lee Design, Secura Speed
Cato Purnell Partners, Hamburg Airport	Crosby Associates, Lutheran General Health System

A thread is just thread, but when woven together properly, the fibers become fabric. This is not too far from the premise of these logos. The deft weaving of linear elements brings intrinsic value and substance to the marks, and the interlocking lines add strength. This repetition creates rhythm which helps the eye complete the image. There is a certain refinement conveyed by the intricacy that goes unspoken. Lippincott Mercer takes this approach with its new identity for The Bank of New York, cleverly adopting the fine, engraved lines of international currency and financial documents to evoke the firm's global services.

whips

Landor and Associates, Song	Methodologie, Vendaria
Critheorian, Boomori	Trickett and Webb, Imperial War Museum

Gliding through the air from point A to point B, these logos may well be a genetic off-shoot of the dreaded "swoosh." Linear in form, whips arc through the air with a sense of destination in mind and seldom are they affected by gravity. Unlike the swoosh, which appears to be in infinite orbit, these logos show a definite start and stop. Landor's recent identity for Delta Airline's low-fare carrier Song portrays a bit of a playful nature as well. In an industry where the giant carriers must make a big statement, Song doesn't have to.

puffies

VSA Partners, Cingular	Desgrippes Gobé, AOL
Critheorian, Water.com	TD2, S.C., Nestlé Chocolates

Different from their crystal-capped sisters (like the new UPS logo or John Deere), these logos have been pneumatically inflated to 33psi like pool float toys. Yes, they break the traditional logo rules with gradients, but, technically, we've overcome many of the production issues that used to give shading a bad name. Much like the complete suite of Microsoft Office logos that drift around our desktop, these logos draw your attention regardless of your personal persuasion. Three-dimensional logos will continue to thrive in a two-dimensional world. The good news is you won't hurt yourself if you accidentally fall on one.

line dots

Landor and Associates, Nielsen	Firewheel Design, SimpleDevices
Design and Image, Cosmo Traveler	MonigleAssociates, Inc., Total System Services

These seem to be everywhere, with many permutations. Often technical in application, they remind us of molecular structure, atomic particles, circuitry boards and dot-to-dot connectivity. It is a language that is packed with symbolism, highly malleable, and is as adaptable as a can of Tinker Toys. It is also quickly on the verge of saturation. The Nielson logo by Landor was early to this trend, and it is as succinct and economical a stroke as you can get.

good drops

Enterprise IG, North Island	Cato Purnell Partners, Docklands School of Design
Hubbell Design Works, Hawaiian Regent Resort	Enterprise IG, South African Jewish Museum

Let this serve as a notice that you can squeeze blood out of a turnip. Logos using water ripples continue to flow like there's no shutting off the tap. When it appears that every iteration of a concept has been laid to rest, a clever designer somewhere pulls out an unexpected twist on the game. Suddenly, you're found staring at a previously unvisited solution. Cato Purnell Partners' logo for the Australian Academy of Design @ Docklands makes an inventive use of the pool of ripples unlike any other. Look at Budweiser beer's drop crown. This well is deeper than it appears.

leaf life

Landor and Associates, Metabolife	Elixir Design, New Leaf Paper
Landor and Associates, Everland	Cato Purnell Partners, IDP

As ecological issues remain topical, the leaf will continue to be an iconic element in green design. Leaves are also being cast as bit players in more visual identities. They are certainly chameleon-like, with an incredibly broad range: A leaf can represent birth and death, a cycle of life, natural solutions, sun and shade, food and nutrition, beauty, growth and more. Because the physical appearance of leaves vary dramatically, designers are able to manipulate their form to suit their demands.

blur

Methodologie, Vulcan	Cato Purnell Partners, CityRail
Miles Newlyn, 3	Landor and Associates, Corning

Again, the logos that stand out are often those that are willing to thumb their nose at convention. The idea of motion is certainly not new to logos. Robert Miles Runyon spawned a world of followers with his stars in motion logo for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Technically, our capabilities no longer force us to show cartoon streaks to convey a concept. These logos reflect a more natural interpretation of the concept of motion. This is done in an engaging "made you look twice" format that demands a response. Others in this class play with your focus: Take, for instance, the Evolution logo, the new identities for Abbey International or the TATE in Britain.

swirlys

Pennebaker, Gilbert and Bel Valdez	Sibley Peteet Design, O's Catering
Mires,Shea Homes	Hornall Anderson, Dayberries Bakery and Café

Inspired by ornate pictorial calligraphy from the Victorian era, or perhaps more recently by the charming illustration of Elvis Swift, designers have become more enamored with the rhythmic flow of the pen. This style merges Spenserian script and the humanity of the hand-drawn line to ratchet up the elegance quotient. For the well-crafted marks of this genre, there is a lightness that comes from more white space than line work.

hot dogs

Design Machine, Art Directors Club, New York	Felixsockwell.com, feluxe
Landor and Associates, Cable Wireless	Chermayeff & Geismar, Inc., Picnique Frozen Yogurt

A disconnected group of round-tipped line segments sit, stand and roll over to form these logos. Though you might be tempted to call these "jimmies" or "sprinkles" — the decorations on a tricked-out cupcake — and despite Felix Sockwell's insistence we call this category "candied," “hot dogs” probably rings true with more designers. These short segments can convey self-contained individualism and, when acting together, can also show the unity of common action. If ever the sum of the whole were greater than the individual pieces, you are looking at it.

Logo Trends

In addition to noting these trends, it is also helpful to take a look back at trends noted by LogoLounge.com in the past several years to gain more perspective. All of the following are past trends that seem to still have plenty of forward momentum.

Droplets are still everywhere. The new Bahamas' logo is an extended version of this notion of drops that merge or almost merge. There is a fluidity and motion to all of these marks. This year's Line Dots may be the next step in this exploration.

Natural Spirals and Cave Rings, noted in 2002 and 2003, respectively, blend geometry and the natural world, much as a spiral seashell does.

The Human Touch, noted several years running, is still very necessary in our scary world. A logo that looks handmade, such as this forecast's collection of Folly Stars, still has special appeal.

It's still good to be Green. Even entities who are not especially ecologically-minded like to believe themselves to be.

The forward motion of Slinky-like logos is still evident, too. A sister to this year's whip trend, logos with this notion seem to want to suggest progression.

Photoshop continues to be an irresistible enchantress, especially with Glassine effects. Highlighting flat surfaces has been moved up a notch with candied and Puffy.

Dialog Boxes are still incredibly strong, and some are very well done, indeed, such as OPEN's new Bravo logo.

Particle Fields are coming together over and over, but in new and even more interesting ways. Witness the 2006 Torino Winter Games logo by Husmann Benincasa.

As production and printing processes become increasingly sophisticated and affordable, Transparency and Prism effects are being explored more. This year's CMYK trend is a natural outgrowth. This year's Blow-out and Blur are breaking the same rules as Transparency does.

This are provided from www.logolounge.com