Why Complex Logos Have a Place in 2024
Making a case for complex logos in 2024
Since the 1960s, minimalism has taken over art, architecture, fashion, and even people’s lifestyle. Design hasn’t been an exception. If anything, the current desire to turn everything into an icon has resulted in an oversimplified and kind of boring design landscape.
But is there no room for complex logos in 2024? Let’s explore the other end of the logo complexity spectrum.
The Logo Simplification Phenomenon
As we saw in our previous article, there are a lot of positives when choosing a simpler design for your company logo. A lot of designers agree that keeping your branding simple makes it easier for audiences to remember your business. This is particularly important for tech companies that want to easily scale their logo from the tiny website favicon to large, imposing billboards. Having an easily identifiable logo that doesn’t get lost in millions of user profile pictures and concisely communicates your brand’s personality can also help grow your business in today’s highly competitive market.
Over the last couple of decades, many companies have tried to redefine their brand image and align it with this minimalist design approach. Despite efforts to rebrand, the public’s reception has not always been kind. Discord and Pringles, among others, have famously received a lot of harsh criticism and negative reaction for their redesigns, even though the changes weren’t particularly significant. If anything, the smallness of the changes seems to have made people even angrier.
Examples of logo simplification: Discord and Google.
Examples of logo simplification: Pringles, Taco Bell and Burger King.
In the cases of Pringles, Burger King and Taco Bell, it was generally agreed that the rebranding stripped the cherished company of its personality, dulling its character. Rebrand fails are a popular point of discussion among the design community, and there is a lot to learn from them.
Is there, however, a good reason why certain companies prefer to carry on with their more visually complicated branding? Complex logos are not the standard these days, and not because companies fear potential criticism from customers.
Complexity’s Place in Logo Design
Simple geometric shapes are not necessarily the best choice in every circumstance. Different design styles have evolved for specific industries due to the need of quickly communicating the types of products and services the audience should expect. For example, if you want to convey the idea of luxury through your branding, you would probably try to avoid bright colorful and playful designs. Alternatively, if you own a tech company, you probably want to indicate that through clean, sharp branding.
Complex logos are more common in certain business sectors such as fashion, automotive or movie production. This design choice can communicate heritage, a certain level of luxury, brand values and industry affiliation. History and tradition are typically important values for companies such as Hermès, Ferrari or Paramount Pictures, which is why they, and others alike, have continued to use this visual language rather than simplifying their logos. Other brands with similar aspirations and values benefit from adhering to the same strategy.
Examples of effective complex logos (left-right, top-bottom): Versace, Hermès, Rolex, 20th Century Studios, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Universal Studios.
Examples of effective complex logos are endless because in many cases there is little to gain from needlessly simplifying the company’s main emblem. Music genres for example are represented by very particular aesthetics, and their branding should reflect that visual style. Another great example is Wikipedia’s multilingual puzzle logo, which perfectly represents the organization’s mission: education for all, in any language. It’s hard to imagine how this concept could be better expressed with a simple icon.
Companies in the food or toy industries are also noteworthy cases where simple is not necessarily best. In these examples, colorful and bright branding evokes creativity, energy, youthfulness and optimism, among other positive emotions, which can resonate with the target audience better than a minimalist icon-style design.
Examples of effective complex logos (left-right, top-bottom): Slipknot, Wikipedia, Oreo, Play-Doh, Mars, Milka.
Bottom Line
There are so many directions your company’s branding could go that it’s nearly impossible to decide the level of visual complexity that best embodies your brand message and values. Logos can be simple, complex, as well as balanced, and still effectively reflect your business’ vision and mission.
The bottom line is that your company’s visual style ultimately depends on your industry niche and brand philosophy. Therefore, you should consider all factors and carefully define your key brand values and business objectives in order to establish a solid foundation on top of which to build your visual identity.
If you’re overwhelmed with all the options and want a team of experts to do the thinking for you, we know the right people to handle that for you.
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