How does the minimalist fashion trend shape branders?
Digital transformation and overload of the visual environment also play a role in simplification of logos
Photo: Delpixart/Getty Images
In retrospect, it is becoming increasingly striking how different the brands of logo looked like when I was a kid. They were more colorful, characteristic, with thicker lines and more powerful presence. Over the years, reading internet forums has become clear the contrast between the old and the current brand appearances.
Just look at an old-new logo comparisonand see immediately how much clearer and simpler the world have started.
My first truly memorable experience with minimalist logo changes was Juventus coat of arms. The Italian football club has replaced its traditional coat of arms with a simple “j” letter that has a huge outrage triggered in the support camp and among football followers. Nobody still accepted it to this day. Years later, in 2024, Jaguar took a similar step. The iconic jumping jaguar was replaced by a clean, modern design that radically have been changed The identity of their brand so far.
I was curious about what was moving this transformation? Is this a trend or a natural development of the visuality of brands that are forced to do so because of digital transformation? Do you really endanger the character of the brands if complexity is replaced by clarity? Among other things, I talked to Péter Serfőző’s brand strategy, a Brandguide.hu His founder, whose insights make him clearer, are not a mere fashion wave, but deeper cultural and technological changes.
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The age of visual noise
According to Serfőr, one key factor is modern visual environment. There are never so many stimuli in our lives with advertisements, apps, social media posts, digital displays. In this chaos, brands that operate with simple, quickly recognizable easy -to -remember signals can prevail. “A sign that is simple, easy to recall, can be burned much more into the public consciousness than we want something complex”He says.
This is how the bony -characteristic logos, seen in previous decades, have become clearer. Simplification is not only aesthetic reason, as they make it easier to submit to the digital environment. If we imagine what works better on the creative of a social media post, as an icon of an application, we will soon arrive at minimalist logos.
Evolution of Juventus and Brand
However, there are pitfalls, and for many, it can even become a moral issue. For Burger King or Renault, we will not necessarily have deep feelings (sorry for those who do!), But a football club is much more than a simple company. They are surrounded by long and deep traditions, and commitment to a club is for a lifetime. Soccer means something for amazing masses.
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One of Italy’s most popular and largest clubs, Juventus, made a daring and changed its logo in 2017 with nothing left of the former (s): it was replaced by a stylized letter « J ». The decision, as I mentioned above, was not well received by the support camp. Cooking is treating this example complexly. He thinks, by the very nature of a football club, a highly traditional community where
Visual identity is more of an emotional attachment than in other types of brand.
However, Juventus wanted to position itself not only as a club but also as a global brand. And for this, you needed a logo that works universally and can be immediately identified on any platform. The purpose of the new logo was obviously not to replace the club’s past, but to focus on the future into a new type of brand communication tool.
The color use and technological adaptation
The brand also pointed out that besides the shapes, the colors were clearer. It draws attention to the fact that the colors have not disappeared at all, but it is in their interest to build their visual identity on a characteristic color. Nowadays, vibrant « vivid » shades dominate a dominant color that helps faster identifiability. Telekom’s pink or Yettel Neon-green have built strong visual associations that carry almost independent identity.
This direction also helps to adapt to technology. Digital development allows you to display much more vibrant colors on the screen than in print. Therefore, in logo planning, they are increasingly focused on optimization for digital platforms. At the same time, minimalism or simplification is not only a mere design system, but also a technological compulsion. “We spin, we don’t have time to interpret things. These signs work under conscious« Said Serfs.
Does everything really become the same?
More and more, we hear the criticism that « every logo looks the same. » The visual unification of the brands is called « blanding » (bland = boring, meaningless – ed.), which « means that everything is blurred and becomes a mass. » According to the cook, this is the case, but it should be noted that a brand does not only communicate with his logo. It is a complex visual and linguistic system with an area of the logo. In addition, there are typography, language and visual narrative.
In high visual noise, the logos are simplified, but visually very strong messages are formulated. The jaguar new face For example, it combines a minimalist logo with an extremely rich visual world evoking fashion brands, so it can be distinguished. In connection with Jaguar, he adds:
« It will turn out whether this is functional or not, but they had to change big. »
So, if the question is that everything really becomes the same, then the right answer sounds yes and no. Simplification is not necessarily to give up uniqueness, but to rearrange the toolbar. A characteristic image is not necessarily made memorable by the detailed logo, but the whole effect of the whole brand language in which the logo as an element appears.
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However, cooking emphasizes that following simple design trends is risky. It is important for a brand to know what surfaces, to whom it communicates, how it does it, and then decide whether or not they start on simplification. If a brand simplifies only because of fashion, it can quickly become over time. It is not minimalism that is the goal, but the coherent, timeless communication. A good logo is not a self -serving style exercise, but a tool for a brand strategy decision. Therefore, the question is not whether it is worth minimizing, but in what environment, to whom and what we use the brand.
Where’s going on?
Trends come and go, will there be a return to the detailed, characteristic designer? According to the brandstrate, it is not, because everything develops with technological advances. THE to brands They must constantly adapt and stand on new platforms. The goal is always to send the message to the target audience as quickly and most clearly as possible, and to this end, they will resort to the most effective methods.
Artificial intelligence does not yet see what changes it will bring with it, but at the moment we do not see that phones or tablets will suddenly take a new form. “We will remain in this world for the time being. The character designer is still present, at most not for the logo, but in the colors, in the visual garnish » – Mérőző concluded.
The world is moving forward
So the minimalist designer is not from the devil. In connection with the old, more characteristic designer, you can’t forget the nostalgia factor, which is a simpler, cheerful and more colorful means in the minds. How real or not it is is another topic. It is also worth considering that the changes that have been shocked or shocking for some reason will be noticed sooner than successful transitions. That was the case with me about Juventus.
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It is true that all brands have become the same scheme, but the emphasis has been partially rearranged. The character is no longer necessarily in the details of the logo, but in the complex garnish. The essence of the brand, if you really have it, will address us, but with another strategy. It is worthwhile to look open and look behind the minimalist logo (admit it will not be difficult). It can be exciting to pay attention to how a brand tells you today, because if you do it well, your message can be even stronger and more efficient.
