Every year there’s a new look doing the rounds. A typeface everyone suddenly uses, a colour palette on every other website, a style that’s everywhere for a few months and then quietly isn’t.
I like seeing it. Trends can be interesting, and it’s useful to notice what other designers are trying. But I’d think carefully before changing your brand because of one.
A trend dates quickly
A trend can make a brand look current. It can just as easily make it look dated. One of the reasons to invest in a brand identity is to create something that lasts, and that’s hard if it’s built around whatever is fashionable the month the project starts.
There’s another problem. If hundreds of businesses are using the same look, it won’t help you stand out. It will help you blend in, only more professionally.
None of this means a brand has to be dull. There’s a difference between being current and being fashionable, and I’d aim for the first. A good identity should suit the business and its audience. Whether it’s on trend comes a long way behind.
Your competitors are looking at the same things
If you keep seeing one style everywhere, your competitors are seeing it too. Before long a whole sector has similar logos, similar websites and similar social profiles. All well made, and hard to tell apart.
So before asking what your brand should look like, I’d ask what it needs to say and what would make it feel different in your market. That starts with understanding the business, not browsing design inspiration.
AI makes this more important
AI has made it easy to produce something that looks polished. It has also made generic work easier to produce.
If everyone has the same tools and the same references, looking professional isn’t enough on its own. A point of view matters more, and so does a clear position and a way of communicating that’s yours. The visual identity should support those things, not stand in for them.
AI can be useful in a designer’s process, for exploration, research and saving time. It can’t make the decisions that make a brand right for a particular business and its audience.
Four questions I’d ask instead
Rather than asking which trends will be popular this year, I’d ask these.
Is the brand clear? Can someone tell what you do, who it’s for and what makes you different without having to work it out?
Is it distinctive? Does it give people something to recognise and remember, or could it belong to any business in your sector?
Is it flexible? Will it work across your website, social media, presentations and print?
Will it still make sense in five years? Details can change over time, but the core of your identity shouldn’t need replacing each time the industry moves on.
Trends do have their place
I’m not saying ignore contemporary design. A good designer should know what’s happening around them. Trends can be useful references, and now and then they point to a real change in how people communicate.
The test is whether you’re using one because it solves a problem or because you like the look of it. The first is design. The second is decoration.
Sometimes bold type, strong colour or something unconventional will be right. Sometimes restraint will be. The decision should come from the brand.
A brand that belongs to your business
The best identities aren’t always the ones that looked most fashionable at launch. They’re the ones that feel like they belong to the business behind them. They give it a clear point of view, make it recognisable and can be used consistently as it grows.
That’s why I never start a project by asking what’s trending. I start with the business, its audience and what the brand needs to achieve. The design follows from there.
If you’re thinking about a new identity, the Frith Farm project shows how strategy and visual identity come together in practice. If you’d like to talk it through, get in touch.
