![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/27130629\/estefano1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05125700\/jdcreative.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05160214\/adriq.png\")
![\"logo](\"https:\/\/assets.crowdspring.com\/marketing\/landing-page\/logo-quiz-hero-optimized.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05123953\/screen-shot-2020-12-05-at-1.39.49-pm.png\")
Overused logo trends make your logo look like thousands of others. And, that makes your business tough to find and identify. Learn which logo design concepts are overused so you can steer clear.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Show me!<\/i><\/a> Soft-colored coaching logo created by crowdspring logo designer Janisa<\/p><\/div>\n Bright colors have a massive visual impact on laptop and phone screens.<\/p>\n For this reason, bright colors have become immensely popular for logo designs – particularly for web-based businesses.<\/p>\n But, a pendulum always swings the other way eventually. And, while bright colors are certainly still in use, softer colors are becoming more popular – helping to visually set brands apart from their brightly colored competition.<\/p>\n In some ways, this trend is counter to the throwback logos that became popular in the past few years, with lots of pixels, chromium, and neon, evoking a revival of the 1980s.<\/p>\n There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a stressful year. And, that may be the very catalyst that has inspired logo designers and their clients to embrace softer, more calming hues. Shades of jade green, buttercup yellow, mauve, lavender, rose, and periwinkle blue are soothing to the eye and appearing more frequently in logo design.<\/p>\n And, we expect that momentum to continue as more businesses use soft colors in their logos in 2021.<\/p>\n Sometimes, as in the example above, softer colors are combined with other elements to give the appearance of hand drawn logos.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a psychology to graphic design. Colors tug on our grey matter to produce different emotional results. To learn how to influence customers with the right logo design colors for your business, check out our previous article, How 21 Brands Use Color to Influence Customers.<\/p>\n <\/div>Read More<\/i><\/a> Elevated logotype by crowdspring logo designer Clodelab<\/p><\/div>\n Logotypes are logos created solely with typography and no accompanying icon.<\/p>\n These designs place the name (or initials) of a brand front and center. This ensures that the brand’s audience knows who they are.<\/p>\n This style of logo is particularly common among coaches, consultants, musicians, bloggers, artists, and other solopreneurs.<\/p>\n But, logotypes can be somewhat limiting in terms of visual impact. Logotypes – when too simple – can be bland, generic, and utterly forgettable.<\/p>\n And small businesses, in particular, need to visually distinguish themselves to stand out.<\/p>\n Heading into 2021, we’re seeing businesses demand more from their logotypes. Small but powerful visual flourishes (like the playful use of line weight and the abstract human figure standing in for the “I” in the logo above, or the effective use of negative space to create an image, like the FedEx logo<\/a>) that elevate potentially nondescript logotypes are appearing more often.<\/p>\n Take a look at crowdspring’s logo. It’s a logotype but we’ve done some creative things with the letters to give our logo a unique visual identity.<\/p>\n These visual accents can help to better communicate your brand and offer a great way to visually differentiate your logo from the thousands and thousands of other logotypes in the market.<\/p>\n So, if you’re considering a logotype rather than a traditional icon and text logo, push for stronger creativity and visual differentiation.<\/p>\n Sans serif financial logo created by crowdspring logo designer Clodelab<\/p><\/div>\n Sans serif fonts are clean, modern, and they’ve been steadily growing in popularity for the past several years.<\/p>\n We predict that they will continue to take center stage for logo design trends in 2021.<\/p>\n Serifs (small lines extending from the ends of letter strokes) became popular historically because they make the text easier to read in print. But serifs have fallen out of favor for many businesses because online presence has surpassed print advertising in importance.<\/p>\n Sans serif fonts’ clean lines are easy to read online (an important functional consideration for any logo) and make a strong visual statement.<\/p>\n There’s also an incredibly wide range of sans serif fonts from which to choose. That makes this a flexible and versatile trend that can communicate many brand traits – from bold professionalism and strength to playfulness and cheer.<\/p>\n If you want a modern web-savvy visual brand, sans serif fonts are a long-term trend worth considering.<\/p>\n Flat logo created by crowdspring logo designer octopusaga<\/p><\/div>\n For a time, as web graphics grew more sophisticated, logo designers challenged themselves to create logos that departed from retro style, using a 3d effect, often creating gradient logos in the process.<\/p>\n Now, those logos look dated – a relic of a time when such detail was celebrated simply because it could be done.<\/p>\n Today, businesses and logo designers have realized that such detail is unnecessary; and, in many cases detrimental. Flat design has become the standard.<\/p>\n Flat designs do not attempt to create an illusion of depth or dimension in any way. Semi-flat designs incorporate similarly flat shadows that imply dimension, sometimes utilizing negative space, without the full impact of a 3-dimensional design.<\/p>\n <\/div> Simpler, flat designs are easier to replicate on a wide variety of backgrounds, surfaces, and textures. This makes them more versatile and more functional logos.<\/p>\n And, by virtue of the visual contrast with the older style of 3-dimensional logo designs, flat designs look modern to most consumer’s eyes.<\/p>\n This logo design trend will continue full-force into 2021 as businesses seek to show their relevance in the modern marketplace.<\/p>\n Logo, stationery, and business card design created by crowdspring logo designer Esolbiz<\/p><\/div>\n Logo design trends don’t exist in isolation.<\/p>\n And it’s rare that their tenure is limited to a single year. Last year we predicted the rise of connect-the-dot logos that feature a series of lines and dots to create a design.<\/p>\n And we were right. This logo design trend continues to thrive as we head into 2021.<\/p>\n As we previously explained<\/a>:<\/p>\n This trend is interpreted in a variety of ways \u2013 playing with line and dot weight, experimenting with composition, and choosing between solid and hollow dots.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The example above features negative space connect-the-dot elements within an irregular gradient octagon. Geometric shapes continue to be a hot trend but as you can see in the example, they’ve become more sophisticated. Negative space has always been a fun and interesting technique when executed creatively by the graphic designer.<\/p>\n We’ve expressed concern in the past that the distinctive dot and line elements of this design trend may create logos that eventually look homogenous as more and more logos of this style arrive in the marketplace. But, so far, logo designers continue to innovate and produce new unique connect-the-dots designs.<\/p>\n We’re intrigued to see how far they can keep this up.<\/p>\n But, we do invite you to proceed with caution. As always, we encourage businesses to seek out unique ways of getting a similar visual point across that will stand out.<\/p>\n So if you’re in the tech, medical or HR industries, consider alternate ways to symbolize data moving between two points or connections between people before committing to this logo design trend.<\/p>\n Choosing a logo when you’re starting a business<\/a> (or rebranding an existing business) is tricky.<\/p>\n And, it can be tempting to follow trends for a sense of security.<\/p>\n But, if you really want to differentiate your business, make sure the 2021 logo design trends you follow – if any – truly represent your brand in an authentic way.<\/strong> After all, authenticity is important – it’s a key factor all investors and lenders evaluate when reviewing your business plan<\/a>, and it’s a key driver to help you connect with your target audience.<\/p>\n Prioritizing trends over authentic branding<\/a> will only hurt your business.<\/p>\n For example, hand drawn logos may work well for personal brands but could create friction if used by businesses in the finance industry.<\/p>\n When it comes to logo design, always let your brand guide you and set your logo design requirements based on your business needs, not based on what happens to be trendy.<\/strong><\/p>\n A strong logo can signal business expertise, while a poorly designed logo can confuse your target audience and fail to make a good impression.<\/p>\n After all, there’s not always a fine line between a trend and a fad. In the past, fads like motion graphics, retro logos, and other styles were popular but quickly became dated.<\/p>\n Ultimately, as we explained in\u00a0The Small Business Guide to Creating a Perfect Logo<\/a>:<\/p>\n At its most basic, a logo is a small, symbolic piece of artwork that represents a business\u2026 When you set aside all the design trends and fancy fonts, at its core, a logo must:<\/p>\n 1- Embody your brand.<\/strong><\/p>\n 2- Be instantly recognizable.<\/strong><\/p>\n 3- Be versatile.<\/strong><\/p>\n 4- Be timeless.<\/strong><\/p>\n Everything else is optional.<\/p>\n In fact, I\u2019ll go one step further. Every design choice in your logo should exist\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0to serve and strengthen the four items listed above. And, if you meet these four requirements, many other commonly cited logo must-haves, like simplicity and memorability, naturally follow.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So when you\u2019re considering logo design trends and logo design styles for your next business (or planning to redesign your existing logo)\u2026 make sure to ask yourself if that trend really<\/em> fits your<\/em> brand. If you’re not sure, we\u2019re happy to help \u2013 let us know if you\u2019d like a free design consultation<\/a>\u00a0with our team.<\/p>\n It can be hard to put a fair price on a great logo design. But, the cost of a poor logo is always too high. If you're not sure how much to spend with a graphic designer or agency on your new logo or rebrand, check out our comprehensive guide to logo pricing.<\/p>\n <\/div>Read More<\/i><\/a> >>Check out “Logo Design Trends 2020: Your Definitive Guide to Navigate The Biggest and Hottest Trends<\/a>” if you\u2019re looking for logo design trends and styles for 2020.<\/p>\n A good logo must reflect your brand, and be memorable, unique, and timeless. Discover the 7 biggest and hottest logo design trends of 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25522,"featured_media":29471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3155],"tags":[2525,439],"class_list":["post-37128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","tag-design-trends","tag-logo-design"],"yoast_head":"\n![](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/27125439\/logo-pink-blue.png\"\/){kind=logo}
<\/div>\n3. Soft colors<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05122552\/ba704c147ed54eea8c4466465e0ca834.png\")
Which colors are best for your logo?<\/h3>
<\/div>\n4. Elevated logotypes<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05125622\/codelab.png\")
5. Sans serif typography<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05162733\/clodelab2.png\")
6. Flat and semi-flat design<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05125541\/octopusaga.png\")
What is flat and semi-flat design?<\/h2>
![](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/27125439\/cs-200px.png\")
<\/div>\n7. Connect the dots<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/05164358\/esolbiz.png\")
Don’t forget your brand<\/h2>\n
How much should I spend on a logo?<\/h3>
<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/06164945\/small-business-blog-master-cta.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWant a closer look at all design trends for 2021?<\/h2>\r\n\r\nLogo Design Trends 2021: Your Essential Guide to Navigating the Biggest and Hottest Trends\r\n<\/a>
Want a closer look at all design trends for 2020?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n2020 Logo design trends<\/a>\r\n
\r\n2020 Web design trends<\/a>\r\n
\r\n2020 Product design trends<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"