Creating memorable and effective branding is a tricky balance between staying true to your company vision and mission, and aligning with the popular trends of the moment. The last thing any brand wants to do is get lost in the noise and become forgotten due to a lack of relevance among its competitors, so staying on top of what trends are emerging is important. As branding specialists, we make it a point to stay abreast of changes to the industry, and trends to expect for the upcoming year are no exception.
ADAPTIVE LOGOS
Adaptive logos are ones that can be scaled up and down, can have elements removed or added, and are responsive to their environment without losing their core components. Ultimately, they’re logos that can be adjusted depending upon the circumstance, and they’re due to be more common than ever in 2022.
Thanks to the rise in digital marketing and media, logos need to be highly adaptable to work across social media, on desktop and mobile versions of websites, on apps, and more. This means that highly detailed, intricate logo designs are just not an option anymore. For a logo to be successful, it needs to be clean and simplistic, and capable of communicating its brand no matter how stripped back it is; this is what an adaptive logo can do.
MINIMALISM
Minimalism is a trend that pops up year upon year, in industry upon industry, and with good reason. Clean forms without clutter allow for a visual to stick in a person’s mind, and ensure that this visual is easily recognisable. This is part of what makes a successful brand identity.
Logos, social media content, products, and websites can all benefit from a minimalistic touch. Reducing the design to only the brand’s core colours, typeface, and iconography removes all distraction from its messaging, and greatly reduces the barriers to customer engagement. As well, minimalism ensures greater accessibility for those viewing the branding, which can only be a good thing.
NOSTALGIA
Nostalgia is hugely popular right now. Just as with website trends, it’s set to be huge for branding this year. Increasingly, people are looking back at fonder times and taking inspiration from their favourite period of the past, so why should branding be any different?
Brands are set to update their visual identities and pay homage to their old designs, exemplified by the rebrand Burger King unveiled earlier this year. This not only honours a brand’s history, but it also works to generate an emotional response in customers who have been fans of the brand for years.
The nostalgia trend isn’t new, but thanks to the pandemic it’s more prevalent than ever. With time feeling like it has stood still for much of the last two years, people have been turning to the past for comfort more and more, so it makes complete sense that brands are jumping on the opportunities that nostalgia presents.
INCLUSIVITY
In today’s world there’s really no excuse for a lack of inclusivity. With more awareness than ever around what is required for true inclusivity and accessibility, branding seen in 2022 is likely to be some of the most inclusive yet.
Inclusivity is something that can permeate a brand’s entire identity, rather than just one aspect of it. Visual identities are expected to incorporate an emphasis on contrasting colours, accessible fonts, and unambiguous iconography, while marketing campaigns are due to include a wide range of individuals, covering all ages, genders, races, and abilities.
It’s is noted as a trend to watch for branding in 2022, but we really believe that inclusivity should be the norm and the standard baseline for all brands both now, and in the future.
Branding is so much more than just a visual identity, which is something that each of these trends identify. They spill over into all aspects of a company’s existence, from iconography to digital marketing, from physical products to customer relations. By their nature trends are ever-evolving, however it looks like these trends are here to stay, at least for 2022.
If you’re looking for help with creating your own brand, we’d love to hear from you! Follow this link to start a conversation today.
