For the second installment of our three-part series on logo design, we’re taking a look at two of the larger areas of controversy in this field: trends and crowdsourcing.
While every brand obviously needs a logo that speaks to contemporary aesthetics, not all trends are good — in fact, once a trend becomes just so overused, watching it pop up again and again in new company logos can be downright painful.
And crowdsourced design, design “contests,” spec work and brand-in-a-bag design marketplaces have proliferated on the web and sparked new conversations about quality and ethics in the field.
To discuss these issues, we’ve rounded up a few experts. Our panel includes UK logo designer Graham Smith, designer and logo-desig n blogger Jacob Cass and Raj Abhyanker, CEO of Trademarkia, a firm specializing in trademarks and logos.
Read on for their advice, and designers, please share your own experiences and opinions in the comments section.
The Good, Bad & Ugly of Trendy Logos
Cass gets to the crux of the matter succinctly: “A good logo is distinctive, appropriate, practical, graphic, simple in form and conveys an intended message. If your logo can do this, then you shouldn’t worry about your logo being considered ‘trendy.’”
Smith says trends can be inspirations, but they should never be followed blindly. He says, “In terms of trends, I personally try not to get sucked into them. For me, a trend in logo design is sort of an oxymoron. For the most part, we strive to create timeless logo designs, yet the trend is typically a short-lived event.” Smith also notes that the benefits of trendy logo design, such as attent ion-grabbing and...
