Looking at logo design over the years you can see the progression and trends that appear. Some business do very well and have had logos that have stood the test of time, not matter what the latest trend is - others often try to hard to follow the trends and end up with a design that becomes outdated and irrelevant when the logo design trends change. It's easy to spot those trends that have dominated logo design in the past decade - from embossing and 3D design, to skeuomorphism and realism to flat design and simplicity. So, nearly half way through 2014, what trends have dominated crowdsourced logo design - what techniques and features are designers employing to create beautiful logos and what creative outputs are businesses looking for in their logos?
Well we've analysed a heap of designs from 2014 to see what's standing out, checkout these 2014 logo trends.
Simplicity
Something that never fails to stand the test of time is simplicity. Have a think about the big brands and their infamous logos - Google, Apple, Microsoft, Shell, McDonald's, we could go on forever. These brands have relied on simplicity to convey their brand messaging. sure, tweaks and changes occur, but always remain true to the original simplistic design.
Checkout these crowdsourced logos that are super simple and amazingly beautiful at the same time.
Metaphors & Symbolism
Using symbols and icons to convey a message works, especially in logo design. The old say "a picture is worth a thousand words" still holds true. Symbols and icons are being used heavily in logo design both to represent their real world counterparts and as metaphors for something deeper which represents brand values, services or products.
Checkout these crowdsourced logos that utilise symbolism and metaphors.
Flat Design
Flat design dominated 2013 and remains a common trend thus far in 2014. Flat design is closely associated with the simple design trend, allowing designers and businesses to convey complex messages in logos which can stand the test of time. As well as this, flat design is versatile, logos can be used across collateral from the web to business cards and on brochures/flyers while retaining their original design features.
Checkout these crowdsourced logos using flat design.
Text Only
Many businesses in 2014 are shying away from the use of images entirely, relying solely on their business name or initials to create a logo that is memorable and resembles their brand. Many big brands have done this in the past with huge success, just think Coca Cola, Microsoft, IBM, eBay and FedEx. Using a text only logo is a great way to remove unnecessary noise and show consumers that you are proud of your company name and what it means.
Checkout these crowdsourced logos using just text to convey the message.
What do you think of the logo design trends for crowdsourcing in 2014 so far? Do you think we've missed any? Are there any trends that you would like to see come back? Let us know in the comments.
Written by Clancy Clarke on Thursday, June 5, 2014
Clancy is the Organic Search manager at DesignCrowd. Clancy has over 7 years of online marketing experience and a passion for analytics. Get in touch via Google+.
