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(Fogra 39)Job:08-30930 Title:RP-Design Logo
#175 Dtp:225 Page:107
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For more than a decade now I have written the LogoLounge
Logo Trend Report, published annually to our site and to hun-
dreds of journals and websites around the world. As anticipated
as it is, there is always a fringe element that responds with a
missive that if it’s a trend, any designer worth their salt should
disregard it. Their premise is generally that great design ignores
the currents and sets a course diametric to the ow. Usually
these same comments come from the designers that profess
superior design is a result of batter mixed in a vacuum.
These reports are created to give logo designers a snapshot of
w h e r e t h e y a r e i n t i m e . Ev e r y r e p o r t s t a r t s w i t h a qu a l i e r , “T h e s e
t r e n d s a r e n o t r e p o r t e d t o b e i m i t a t e d .” T h e y a r e c r e a t e d s o a
c o g e n t f o l l o w e r o f t h e c r a f t i s a b l e t o m o v e a l i n e o f t h o u g h t
f o r w a r d —s o t h e y c a n m a ke a d e s i g n d e c i s i o n t h a t i s i n f o r m e d
a n d w i l l m e e t w i t h s u c c e s s .
A s k a s t u d i e d m e m b e r o f t h e i d e n t i t y f r a t e r n i t y a b o u t t h e
h i s t o r y o f a m a r k a n d t h e y w i l l b e a b l e t o t r a c k t h e s e m i n a l
i n u e n c e s b a c kw a r d l i ke a b l o o d h o u n d . T h e y c a n t e l l y o u w h a t
b e g a t w h a t a n d w h o b e g a t w h o b e c a u s e t h e y l i v e d t h r o u g h
t h e c h a n g e s a n d w e r e t h e m s e l v e s a e c t e d i n t h e i r o w n d e s i g n .
Wh y d i d l o g o s i n t h e l a t e ‘80s h a v e s p e e d l i n e s r u n n i n g t h r o u g h
t h e m (g a )? Wh y w a s m o s t e a r l y ‘90s d e s i g n r e p l e t e w i t h
zi g g u r a t s a n d p u l p y p a p e r ? Ho w d i d t h e L u c e n t T e c h n o l o g i e s
c i r c l e (g b ), BP o w e r (g c ), a n d t h e MSN b u t t e r y l o g o (g d )
s h i f t o u r p e r s p e c t i v e o f d e s i g n i n t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h i s c e n t u r y ?
Ev e n b e t t e r , w h a t d o e s i t m a t t e r ? I t m a t t e r s .
L i ke a Mo n d a y m o r n i n g qu a r t e r b a c k, i t ’ s m u c h e a s i e r t o r e l a y
h i s t o r y t h a n t o p r e d i c t t h e f u t u r e . I n a b a c kw a r d v i e w w e
s e l d o m a r e s u r p r i s e d b y f a c t o r s o f i n u e n c e o r t h e i r i m p a c t .
A l l t h e p o i n t s o f c o n t a c t a n d i n n e r c o n n e c t i n g c o g w h e e l s
m a ke p e r f e c t s e n s e w h e n t h e r e i s c o n t e x t . Bu t w h y c a n ’ t w e
s e e i t c o m i n g ? Di d t h o s e d e s i g n e r s w h o d i d d e s i g n t h e l o g o
t h a t c h a n g e d t h e l a n d s c a p e kn o w w h a t t h e y w e r e d o i n g ?
Di d t h e y j u s t g e t l u c ky o r w a s i t a b i t o f b o t h ?
T h e r e ’ s a n o l d l i n e t h a t s a y s “I t ’ s b e t t e r t o b e l u c ky t h a n i t i s t o
b e s m a r t .” I t h i n k i d e n t i t y d e s i g n e r s t h a t c o n s i s t e n t l y p r o d u c e
e e c t i v e f o r w a r d t h i n ki n g d e s i g n d o i t b e c a u s e t h e y h a v e a
d i e r e n t w a y o f r e a c t i n g t o t h e e n v i r o n m e n t . T h e y a r e n o t
l o o ki n g a t w h a t ’ s b e i n g d o n e t o s e e h o w t h e y c a n a p p l y i t . T h e y
a r e l o o ki n g a t w h a t i s b e i n g d o n e t o s e e h o w t h e y c a n m o v e i t
f o r w a r d . A n d t h i s i s w h e r e t h e s e c r e t c o m e s i n . Wh e t h e r i n t u i -
t i v e o r c a l c u l a t e d , t h e y l o o k a t h o w a c u r r e n t t r e n d c a m e t o b e
a n d d e t e r m i n e w h e r e i t i s g o i n g , b a s e d o n t r a j e c t o r y .
I f y o u s e e a s p e c i c t r e n d t h a t h a s b e e n e m e r g i n g o v e r a p e r i o d
o f t i m e a n d y o u i d e n t i f y a p r o g r e s s i o n i n i t s c h a n g e , t h e n y o u
c a n e x t r a p o l a t e w h e r e t h a t p r o g r e s s i o n i s h e a d e d . I l i ke n t h i s t o
s o m e o n e b e i n g s h o w n a m a p w i t h a d o t o n a r o a d r e p r e s e n t -
i n g a c a r o n a t r i p . A s k t h e m t o s p e c u l a t e w h e r e t h e d r i v e r i s
h e a d e d . I t ’ s l i t t l e m o r e t h a n a c r a p s h o o t . T h e n s h o w t h e s a m e
p e r s o n w h e r e t h e c a r w a s t h e p r e v i o u s d a y a n d s u d d e n l y y o u
kn o w w h i c h d i r e c t i o n t h e y a r e h e a d e d , a n d t h e i r s p e e d a n d t h e
c h a l l e n g e i s m u c h e a s i e r . Gu e s s i n g t h e t r a j e c t o r y o f a n o b j e c t i n
m o t i o n f r o m a s i n g l e s n a p s h o t i s i m p o s s i b l e .
Pl o t w h e r e a d e s i g n t r e n d c o m e s f r o m a n d h o w i t e v o l v e d t o
w h e r e i t i s n o w . I t ’ s m u c h m o r e l i ke l y y o u ’ l l p r e d i c t a p a t h t o
s h o w y o u w h e r e i t w i l l b e i n t h e f u t u r e . T h e s e d e s i g n e r s d o n ’ t
ke e p a f o l d e r o f c h a r t s t o a c c o m p l i s h t h i s . T h e y a r e j u s t t u n e d
i n t o d e s i g n i n s u c h a w a y a s t o b e s t u t i l i ze t h i s p a s t kn o w l e d g e
a s t h e y a r e l o o ki n g f o r w h a t ’ s n e x t .
T h i s i s w h y I r e p o r t l o g o t r e n d s . F o l l o w t h e t r a j e c t o r i e s o f a n
i d e a t o t h e n e x t d e s t i n a t i o n . I t m i g h t t a ke y o u s o m e w h e r e y o u
d o n ’ t a g r e e w i t h o r t o a p l a c e t h e w o r l d i s n o t y e t p r e p a r e d t o
v i s i t . Bu t t h e d e s i g n e r t h a t u s e s y e s t e r d a y ’ s a n s w e r s f o r t o d a y ’ s
p r o b l e m s w o n ’ t b e d e s i g n i n g f o r t o m o r r o w ’ s a u d i e n c e .
(Ray)
(Fogra 39)Job:08-30930 Title:RP-Design Logo
#175 Dtp:225 Page:107
001-272_30930.indd 107 9/2/13 11:03 AM
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