If I have to sum up how the logo design industry will evolve in 2018 in one phrase, I will use the age-old adage, “Old Wines in new bottles”. Why do I say that? The reason is that older logo design concepts will modernize in 2018. Some older logo design trends will make a comeback and a host of new ones will emerge. To give you an in-depth look at how the logo design realm will transform in 2018, here are seven logo design trends that you cannot afford to miss in 2018:

1.    Responsive and Contextual Logos

Gone are the days when logo designers could create an eye-catching logo design and success kissed their feet. Be it business cards, websites, signs, posters, advertisements or packaging designs, brand logos are placed everywhere. This entails a logo designer to create a logo with a context in mind; otherwise, it will fail to fulfill the purpose it was created for in the first place. Check out the logo of Loyal Coffee to know what I am talking about.

A responsive logo looks great whether it is placed in a coffee cup, coffee bean packaging or on restaurant menus. While the term “Responsive” was coined originally for web design, it is extending out to logo designs as well. Although the concept is similar, we will see some innovative logos borne of this trend in 2018.

2.    Inspiration from Architecture

The architecture will inspire a host of innovative logo designs in 2018. Do not be alarmed to see many new logos reflecting shades of architectural masterpieces in them in 2018. In fact, logo designers will try to embody the concept of physical manifestation of a brand through visual implementations in brand logos. TaakInc and Savvy’s logo seamlessly embody this concept.

3.    Playing Around With Typography

An area that will see most innovation in 2018 as far as logo design is concerned is typography. Bold, simple, lowercase, uppercase, wide space letters, logos with focal letters, cropping and the list seems almost interminable. In order to make their logos look unique, logo designers will go crazy with typography and continue to experiment with different options in 2018. This means that we will see some interesting and unique logos this year.

With the use of a focal letter, designers can make a simple logotype look exciting. Similarly, wide spaced letters will continue to dominate the minimalistic trend for logo design. Additionally, bigger brands still seem adamant to stick with basic fonts. Even though serif fonts work best for particular industries, lowercase sans serif is poised to give them a run for their money, as it depicts a more modern and youthful personality of a brand.

4.    Brushstroke Logotype

If you have been closely scrutinizing different domains of visual designs lately, you must have noticed the brushstroke effects take shape. In 2018, these brushstroke effects will make their presence felt in logo designs. Brushstroke logos will add an artistic touch to logos. Moreover, we will also see hand-drawn logos and signature logotypes make their way to logo designs in the wake of a humanist movement. The best thing about brushstrokes is that no two brushstrokes can be the same. This enables designers to put their own creative and unique spin on logo designs, making their brand logo stand out from the crowd.

5.    Rainbow and Gradient Colors

Do you want to add a zing to a simple flat logo? If yes, then there is no better way to do that than adding rainbow and gradient colors. Instagram became the brunt of reproach from critics when it first introduced the concept but chose to stick to their guns, which proved to be the right decision. Depending on the personality of your brand, you can use high-saturated colors for depicting a more spirited personality. Logo designers can also play around with gradients and rainbow colors imbued with abstract and geometric shapes. The possibilities are literally endless.

6.    Grid-Based Logo Designs

Josef Muller Brockmann, a Swiss graphic designer, laid the foundation of modern-day graphic designs in 1981. Since then, grids have been a core component of design because they help designers with achieving perfection and maintaining control in logo designs. Depending on the changing logo design trends, grids skipped in and out of the limelight periodically, but never went into total oblivion. We will see many grid-based logos make an impact on the logo design landscape with different variations in 2018.

7.    Geometrical Shapes

With logo designers following a “less is more” approach in logo design, we will see the fad of minimalism reign again logos. This would lead to the use of more fundamental geometric shapes in logos. Even the geometric shapes used in logos will be imbued with a minimalistic touch. The focus would be centered on readability, memorability and grabbing the attention of viewers instantly. The logo of Ogeborg, an office space design company, perfectly portrays this trend.

Conclusion

There is no denying that 2018 will be an exciting year for the logo design industry. We will see a couple of surprises and comebacks of older design trends as well. If we are lucky enough, we might also see some contradictory logo design trends as well. Simple grids and geometry, as well as the complex layering of colors and patterns, will learn to co-exist. For logo design aficionados, keep your finger crossed and get ready to see some unique logos from logo designers in 2018.

Which logo design trends will create the biggest splash in logo design in 2018? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.