• 26Jan
    The Best of 2006 Logo Trends

    With the end of yet another year, there was an end for yet another trend that had been taking over almost every aspect of our lives. From the causal clothes to party wears, from celebrities to latest fashion trends and even to logo trends, things never remain the same. Yes! At first I was sure too that there isn’t any term like “logo trends” ever exists so how can there be a change? But I was immediately corrected from my ignorance of knowing that there is a whole competition for this “logo trends” cliché.

    And why shouldn’t, I ask myself, there be logo trends? There are limitless logos that exist in the world and all can’t have different styles. So, I sat down to have a look at the last year’s Logo Trends at www.logolounge.com and found that many logos deserved better rankings and many don’t. Let’s look at some of the best logo trends of 2006 from my perspective.

    BEST LOGO TREND RANKINGS:

    1. Embellish

    This has to be one of the best logo trends ever. The elegant art and fine details are responsible for it being top on my list and attracting viewers. This genus of logo trends verbalize to a younger generation and offer the true artistic essence of the brand.

       

    Design Firm: Hammerpress Client: The Darling Room
    Design Firm: Howerton+White Interactive Client: Buffalo Saints.

    1. Dry brush

    I had to rank this logo style to top too because it’s equally competitive and artistic like the embellish ones. These logo trends however simpler than the previous one’s, challenge to be both graphic and mortal at the same time.

       

    Design Firm: M3 Advertising Design Client: Osaka Sushi
    Design Firm: Cheri Gearhart Graphic Design Client: Sarah’s.

    3. Filigree

    The filigree trend logos express quality, status and authority of a brand. Its appearance gives a sense of reliability and command that adds further value to its application.

       

    Design Firm: UNO Client: Minneapolis
    Design Firm: Cato Purnell Partners Client: Bank West.

    4. Splat

    This could have been in the top three, but the splattered image doesn’t really goes with every brand. This type of logo trends utters a strong chaotic voice that captures the visual concentration of the audience.

       

    Design Firm: Hesse Design Client: 2006 FIFA World cup
    Design Firm: KOESTER Design Client: Q ink.

    5. Vivid

    Bold, artistic and simply beautiful. Hues are more vibrant, and many logos are represented by the full range of colors. This led me pay extra attention to the name of the brand and thus this logo trend successfully fulfilled the idea to capture the attention.

       

    Design Firm: Duffy & Partners Client: The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
    Design Firm: Cato Purnell Partners Client: BenQ.

    6. Overlays

    I really like the clarity of colors and transparency in these logos. The multiple flat layers give life and saturation to the transitions in the logo. The artistic impression present in these logo trends rely on the illusion of an inner light which make it a driving factor.

       

    Design Firm: Iconologic Client: 2006 Winter Olympic Games
    Design Firm: Brandia Client: TAP Portugal.

    7. Blankets

    At no. 7 we have, the Blankets logo trend. The ‘rippling in the air’ effect of a draped textile helps play out symbology in a clear but fine manner.

       

    Design Firm: SD Graphic Design Client: Crabtree Lane Studio
    Design Firm: Chimera Design Client: Aquacon.

    8. Glow

    There’s something interesting about this type of logo trends. The technique employed in the creation of this type of logos turn ordinary logos into something special with certain softness, and this is truly attractive.

       

    Design Firm: Felixsockwell.com Client: Firefly
    Design Firm: Kaimere Client: Fairmont Hotels.

    9. Blenders

    Doesn’t this logo trend give you a sense of being swallowed by a black hole? The images are brilliantly blends with the text which makes the logo a favorite among the designers.

       

    Design Firm: Brandia Client: Galp Energia
    Design Firm: Shift Design Client: BP 75 Years.

    10. Transparent 3D

    These logos are made from transparent layers that give shades and highlights to the whole image. The lightning effect is rather engaging and the surfaces are tactile and textured.

       

    Design Firm:Gardner Design Client: MVP Architecture
    Design Firm: Shift Design Client: SDNM Originário.

    Get more information on Logo Design

    About the Author: J. Witte is the Vice President of Operations at an online logo design company, Logo Design Guru, which has designed over 7,000 logos.

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18 users responded in " The Best of 2006 Logo Trends "
    • Natalie Says:
      June 7th, 2007 at 2:26 pm

      Thank you for sharing the 2006 trends. I see logos being designed here on a daily basis and have noticed a lot of these trends from last year, even being used this year, so it’s interesting to read about. I like how you laid it out.

      Great article, I really enjoyed reading this.

    • MThree Says:
      June 9th, 2007 at 2:40 am

      Some insights for fellow designers regarding the Osaka Sushi Logo. I was using a Japanese bamboo paint brush to work on a simple stroke that would capture the essence of a fish. Unfortunately, all attempts to get the symbol to appear like a simple zen brush stroke failed. So in a fit of disappointment..I threw my brush down and went to go collect my thoughts while managing my set back by having a drink. When I came back to the pad and brush after a few hours I noticed the fish, scanned it in and voila, happy accident transformed into zen masterpiece!

    • A Nonny Mouse Says:
      September 26th, 2007 at 9:55 am

      James Willis, I sincerely hope your future posts will be LESS USELESS. If you have nothing to say, please do everyone on the entire Internet a favour and shut up about it.

      One thing I’ve noticed in the last year or so is that there seems to be a move away from logos as such to plain old logotypes. This reminds me of the METAFONT logo (see Wikipedia for background on this), and seems like a welcome return to simplicity.

    • Brett5 Says:
      January 29th, 2008 at 10:50 am

      I have been researching logo design lately because it has always been something that interests me. I think your site is great, thanks for all the logo info. I also thought your Logo Creator was pretty cool. This definitely gives me some ideas that I can use. I like the look of the embellish category logos, I haven’t seen too many of those before.

    • Amanda Says:
      March 9th, 2008 at 10:35 pm

      Great post! This is exactly the information I was looking for. I love the Q Ink logo! Just starting my own graphics/consulting studio and finding the development of my own logo to be a challenge. I’m excited for it though and looking forward to putting out something elegant and unique. Thanks for the inspiration :)

      James, Welcome to the blog-o-sphere. I know a lot of people who are afraid to try it out or speak up, and as a result, miss out on a lot of great information….and we miss out on their insights. Hope you’ll post your thoughts and background often.

      Nonny Mouse, I was sad to see the first part of your post. I can’t imagine that what you said was helpful to James or this community.

    • Srini Says:
      May 15th, 2008 at 2:23 pm

      Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts. Nice and crisp representations with comments. The Glow and Transparent 3D are fabulous trends indeed - modern and yet organic.

    • Amanda Vlahakis Says:
      October 10th, 2008 at 5:26 am

      Interesting blog, have you done one of these for 2008 logos? That would be good to see actually.

      I’m always concerned about doing overlays and tend to avoid them even though I do like them. I think it’s because an embroidering companies words keep ringing in my ears “You can’t embroider that!”.

      So I worry about it’s universal practicality to overlay graphics in that way.

      However the other day I was walking down the road and spotted a BT van and really their logo is an overlay now and they are a huge brand who can clearly cope with it’s ‘impracticality’ for one particular application.

    • Logo Designer Says:
      November 21st, 2008 at 1:15 pm

      Thanks for such a great trends. I agree with your ranking. The splat and vivid are excellent. I found this comminity very helpfull for the people who are looking for design companies and for the Logo Design companies to listed on a single place. Great…
      Logo Design Company

    • Chicago Web Design Says:
      September 28th, 2009 at 5:23 am

      Thank you for sharing this post of best logo design trends and regarding your ranking I am also agree with you. I think this list is too helpful for the graphics designer as well as business owners while they are looking for designing custom logos for their own business and brands.

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