Things are constantly changing in all walks of life, and branding tends to move with these trends. Being aware of these trends and utilising them well can be vital for the growth of a business. To help you navigate these trends, we’re excited to launch our three-part series of brand trends you should be looking out for. This week, our focus is on graphic design.
1. Minimalism vs Detail: A Battle
A battle as old as time itself: the debate between minimalism and more detailed, complex branding remains at the centre of brand trends.
Minimalism has ruled supreme in recent years, with some of the most recognisable logos of our time, such as Apple and Google, minimalist. Minimalism is a response to what society tends to crave: simplicity and directness.
We have all heard the mantra ‘less is more’, and minimalism conforms to this, using negative space to draw attention to the centre and creating a clean aesthetic, drawing the consumer closer to the branding itself. This makes a sleek branding style that often resonates with the consumer, ensuring you have a memorable brand.
However, minimalist branding can look slightly bare-bones and too simplistic, with too much white space.
The natural contrast to minimalism is clear – a more detailed, elaborate style involving bold imagery, sharp contrasts in colour, and complex illustration, amongst other design features. When done right, these aspects of ‘quirky’ branding can look beautiful and make your brand seem more accessible. But, of course, this depends on the person – branding design is subjective, so careful consideration and knowing your audience is vital.
In addition, handwritten fonts and illustrations can make your brand appear more relatable, adding depth and realism. Logos involving these illustrations mostly appear within the creative sector, where the intricacy and classic calligraphy connects with those audiences.
Deliberate flawing has recently grown in direct response to minimalist perfection in design, where combining abstract illustration and handwritten fonts can often identify with a younger, countercultural audience. Both minimalist and detailed branding have clear advantages, so it is worth considering both before choosing which side you want to be on.
2. Logo Adaptability
As technological advancements continue to reach dizzy new heights, with a wealth of new digital products readily available year on year, the range of spaces that require filling has grown. With mobile phones of all sizes, smartwatches and social media, brands have felt the need to adapt – and with this process came the adaptation of logos themselves.
Many brands have begun to ensure their logos are easily scalable due to the many forms of digital marketing now prevalent. From 16×16 favicon pixels in browser tabs to Instagram stories and reels and to their company website – logos must now be versatile. This prevents the logo, in whatever form, from looking cramped or messy.
Nonetheless, having adaptable logos as part of your brand holds other benefits than pure convenience. Adaptable logos look clean and convey a degree of simplicity and neatness to the brand.
However, they are tricky and work best with minimalist logos. If your logo has more detail, you can risk losing your brand’s identity when scaled down. In these situations, it would be better to create separate, simpler versions of your logo that can be plugged into the limited spaces of our digital world.
Regardless, with digital expansion and social media now becoming the norm, this trend is definitely something to think about!
Final thoughts
Although we could sit and write for hours on the graphic design trends that are impacting our (and every) industry, it wouldn’t be great for SEO, and we don’t want to keep you here all day.
In all seriousness, these are only two of plenty of graphic design trends that could affect you or your business. Follow us on our Instagram for more insights, or book a discovery call to see how we can help you.