As a general rule, it is important that logo designs are of a durable nature, they should continue to be recognizable through decades and centuries in some cases. However, there will be occasions when certain industries will have to adapt to the trends of the year. In doing so, the graphic designers will need to ensure that the whole point of the logo has not been missed. The psychology of the logo is that it draws the customers to the business sub-consciously – without the use of words.
One example of where there has been a major problem is the logo for the 2012 London Olympic Games. When Sebastian Coe unveiled the logo there was a general uproar. ABC television in the US stated that it was a ‘gigantic waste of money’, going on to protest that it failed dismally to capture the British spirit.
The logo has at its very root the symbol for Zion and when this was examined by Iran they took offense. The logo was messy, meaningless, a ‘mish-mash’ of shapes and symbols that did not really seem to represent anything comprehensible. It was too busy and generally failed to satisfy the requirement for which it was intended.
It did, however, reflect some logo design trends that are now beginning to come into play and the question has to be asked: Is this because graphic designers are growing warm to the style of the 2012 logo and as the time draws nearer do they wish to emulate a similar design because the general public seem to be getting more accepting of it.
Even the notion of the colour is interesting in that there is a constantly changing colour with strong and weak colors also being added to the design. There is an interesting development with regard to colour in logo design trends the use of opaque which creates the illusion of transparency. As far as the wildly erratic shape, there is a departure from traditional shapes of circles and squares to quadrangles and 3D shapes which indirectly has probably been inspired by the 2012 symbol.
Alongside this growing trend there is recognition of the developing technology and its role in society. For example, social networks are very important in computer technology and the use of speech bubbles has become a notable trend. Badges and buttons are yet another trend that is which being included in logos which creates the image of touch ability.
Another trend that is developing is the idea of recycling and eco technology. As a result we see more of the color green and plant-inspired design. The plant takes on a ‘living quality’. Examples of this would be sprouting seeds and shy leaves. The idea of Eco-technology is not so new but the embodiment of the idea is novel.
It will be interesting to see as we move into 2012 whether the logo design trends lead more towards the ‘inspiration’ of the 2012 Olympic Games logo or whether the logo design trends actually inspired the 2012 Olympic Games logo.
