Why are super brands abandoning their 3D shiny logos?
The real tea behind logo fashion- and how to make yours stand out!
I try to follow a variety of social media platforms, and I’ve noticed that many brands are rebranding themselves in recent years. As I read through the dynamics of why these mega brands have decided to do so, I found the possible answer to be really fascinating. So, in this journal, I’d like to discuss my thoughts on rebranding or the recent pattern of rebranding. But first, let me share three examples of mega brands rebranding themselves (to some extent) almost overnight, causing a stir among critics and customers.
Volvo
Volvo’s logo got a Silicon Valley makeover with a new 2D, flat, and minimalist design around 2021. The old logo used multiple colors to create the illusion of gleaming metal. With its first makeover in seven years, the black and white rebranded logo shines in a new light by bringing its visual identity into the modern era.
Although the rebranding was done quietly and without the usual fanfare associated with a launch, critics praised the update as electrifying. The classic iron mark not only represents the brand’s interesting and vast history, but the streamlined appearance also represents a forward-thinking company.
Mastercard
At the beginning of the year 2019, Mastercard redesigned their logo into a minimalistic 2D pop-of-color. The recognizable red and yellow circles were preserved, and the logo, which had remained largely unchanged since the company’s inception in 1966, received a subtle facelift to usher the brand into the digital age that the rest of the banking world had already entered. The rebranding was yet another vote in favor of trendy flat designs.
Swarovski was established in 1895 and still has its corporate headquarters in Austria. It produces jewelry, crystal glass, and a range of accessories for daily life. It earned about £2.3 billion in revenue in 2018. The company changed its logo in 2021 from a Swan that was resting to one that was flying but in 2D design.
The brand now has more depth and dimension thanks to the new look. But it wasn’t just a simple change of the logo; it was a new idea for the whole business. The indoor layouts of the stores, the packaging, and the introduction of a unique chroming technique were all inspired by the new creative director to radiate luxury and digital transformation. They wanted to create a dream-like world filled with Candy-like designs and Bella Hadid, the supermodel of our time.
So the question arises, “Why are brands abandoning their 3D shiny logos in favour of a 2D, flat, minimalistic one?” I have some arguments to make and I’ll try to keep my points brief (time is concentration).
First and foremost, there is the trend. Minimalism has become popular in recent years, and we can see evidence of it everywhere. Many factors contributed to the emergence of this trend, including environmental awareness, affordability, and ease of manufacturing and designing for this concept.
Second, the world is obsessed with artificial intelligence and technology. We want our products to look good on 2D surfaces as we become more reliant on 2D screens. These designs provide a cleaner look to the finished product while remaining relatively inexpensive. I remember seeing this type of design in the Microsoft Windows 8 UI design, and it was very appealing!
Third, it is simple to use and produce. Software updates are as frequent as weather updates, and businesses require interface and logo designs that can adapt to changes quickly and with minimal effort. More data is now being transferred wirelessly between mobile devices. Designers have removed unnecessary embellishments from graphics, icons, and user interfaces in order to conserve bandwidth. Pages load faster and take up less disk space as a result of this simple change.
People are no longer as fascinated with the brands’ logo and slogan as they were in the old times (ironically it was just a few years back).
To captivate customers, brands are launching new items. They are launching and relaunching, branding and rebranding. The companies are trying to associate the customer using the six human senses (including intuition; we value D&I).
When we come across any website, advertisement or campaign, the brands use words such as “World”, “Universe”, “Innovation” and “Evolution” to create a space that engages all the different senses.
In my opinion, the trend of rebranding isn’t likely to end anytime soon. The brand will undergo another major rebranding within the next three to five years. The current trend will quickly change to something the previous colour pops and retro styles (YES! Harry Styles’s fashion won’t be sore for the eye). A few years ago, the world was heavily dependent on artists. The value of true artistic touch will return as flat geometric designs, which are frequently associated with the machine and AI generation, gain popularity. In addition, as holographic technology develops, brands will soon adopt 3D holographic UI designs.
So to conclude, the future design might look somewhat like this (in words, I am not a good designer): There will be more chrome and popping colours as the creative designers try to bring back the reflections and shadows of life to create more interactive designs. Holograms and touchable 3D designs are not too far from today.
Also, may I dare to predict, soon we will have AI influencers (here you go, a new business idea) who will evaluate the product’s potential and recommend it to the customers. It might take more than 5 years, maybe 10 years but I get nervous thinking these things may be in the development process now and the changes may happen in a shorter span of 3 years. I can’t imagine such a progressive marketing industry but I am thrilled to know that the potential for marketers is on par with the technology developers.
