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A History of Logo Trends

By ZAK

Need a new logo? An overhaul of one of your most essential visuals can be a significant step in the right direction. Logos represent your business’s values and immediate call for an association in the mind of its viewers. A logo can immediately remind us of the products we love or even recall a feeling.

Changing or creating a logo should be carefully considered. One of the factors to be mindful of is that even creativity follows its own rules. Each year, graphic design trends change to reflect what audiences want to see and what we perceive as stylish and beautiful.

These rules define graphic design so much that, at times, you could predict in what year a logo was designed based on the trends it reflects!

Our creative agency in London constantly relearns what it means to create a brilliant logo design. If you’re not up to date with current trends, hiring a creative agency could be the right place for you to start.

In this post, we’ll take you on a journey through the recent decades to show just how quickly design language can change.

The 70s

The 70s in the design world were known for breaking the rules with bolt, sometimes random colour combinations and funny characters. There was a hint of wit and humour in those logos, which eventually was lost. Logos of this time also predominantly used sans serif fonts and often used slanted or curved typefaces. 70s logos were eyecatching, but you wouldn’t consider them aesthetic in the current day and age!

These were the days in which creative agencies would still work with print predominantly. All of that was about to change.

The 80s

The eighties introduced negative space into logos. It was also the decade in which computers made their way into consumer homes, so many symbols looked computer generated and had a retro technological feel to them. Famous logos from this time include Adobe, Microsoft and Peugeot.

The 90s

Many iconic logos sprung forth from the 90s. Many major brands upgraded their logo in these years to keep their brand alive and healthy in their audiences’ minds. Logos of this decade included bright colours and gradients that made them vivid and lively. Funky shapes were another highlight of this decade. Some of the most noteworthy logo overhauls included Coca-Cola and McDonalds.

The 2000s

The 2000s first introduced a trend we still recognise in logo designs today. Logos became more straightforward, and therefore much easier to read. It was a decade of minimalism brought about by the introduction of mobile devices in a significant way. Mobile phones required designs to be visible and readable on a smaller screen, transforming how we look at design usability entirely.

From 2010 to Now…

The 2010s saw a time of upheaval in logo design as new startups broke into the industry to claim that they would change their industries. Many of them weren’t wrong! Many well-established brands rehauled their visual identity in those years. In one decade, we saw more new brands and rebrands than we could have expected!

Several design trends emerged as a result, and we could take a look at each year individually.

  • 2011 brought a youthful, energetic style with bright, saturated colours.
  • 2012 introduced a variety of circular shapes and abstract shapes that seemed to flow back into themselves.
  • 2013 was all about being down to earth and natural with a classic, minimalist style and pastel colour schemes.
  • Letter stacks were a significant trend in 2014.
  • We saw a heavy focus on animals and movements with a flay style in 2015, accompanied by simple shapes.
  • 2016 made heavy use of black and white as well as overlapping design elements.
  • In 2017, we saw a resurgence of minimalism with fades and transitions.
  • 2018 revived the popularity of serif fonts and used lower case letters.
  • And in 2019, we saw highlighted effects as well as dots and lines.

What Now?

In 2020, the world faced a global crisis, and more attention was drawn towards political, social and ecological issues. Never before has it been quite as important to demonstrate where your brand stands on all of these matters and how they will emerge into the new world.

If you think now might be the time for a re-design, it’s time to start looking for the best creative agency in London. ZAK has a history of creating ground-breaking designs for stand-out brands. We bring to life your brand identity and embrace change with each new project. Get in touch today to chat about your evolution.