As the antithesis to those brethren of geometrically solid marks brimming with right angles, perfected radius, and precision symmetry, sometimes a client needs to let down their hair, and their guard. Perfected logos speak to perfection, and frankly not every personal or branding relationship is founded on perfection. Enter a trend of highly relaxed and very approachable marks that look as loose and comfortable as the entity they represent. There is smart design here with good symbolism, proportions, and positive/negative spatial rapport, and despite the fluid nature all hold their own as a logo. You may know that you’ve been initiated in this trend if the majority of your mark appears to have been drawn with a honey bear squeeze bottle.
That unconstructed liquid appearance may well speak to the spontaneous nature of the brand experience you’ll come to expect, or the flexibility you can anticipate. It’s often attached to natural or leisure-oriented products that want to dial down the wall of formality. To counter a too-loose persona, the attending typography or other contextual graphics may offer a bit more structure to assure consumers the brand’s brain does have a left side. Numerous fonts have been released with letterforms that flow neatly into this trend. In particular there are a rash of script wordmarks this year that are all droop and no points. Am I too late to rename this trend Pointless?
DESIGN AGENCY: SECOND MELODYCLIENT: SCHOLAR ROCK
DESIGN AGENCY: RAINFALLCLIENT: ASOCIATIA ARBORESCU
DESIGN AGENCY: YOUNG JERKSCLIENT: KIDDIWINKS
DESIGN AGENCY: GLASSHOFF