Lookout for These Hot Logo Trends in 2020

A new decade has dawned on us, and no doubt you have “2020” visions for your branding this year. Now is the perfect time to freshen up the most important visual representation of your business—your logo. New logo design trends for 2020 are already surfacing, and we’re here for them.

Some are new on the scene, some are taking past trends in new directions, and some are throwbacks to a completely different time and place. If you want to give your branding a fresh new look for a fresh new decade, here are 11 of the hottest logo trends for 2020 to inspire you.

1. Collage of colors

Talk about brand transparency: 2020 is shaping up to be the year of translucent logos, with kaleidoscopic collages of simple, candy-colored shapes. Unlike solid, opaque design elements, these semi-transparent overlapping layers communicate openness and trustworthiness. After all, you can see straight through them.

2. Back to the ’80s

Consumers are snapping up old-school cassette tapes, vinyl records, retro computers, video game consoles, and arcade machines like they’re going out of style.  Logos with a retro 1980’s aesthetic are tapping right into this unquenchable nostalgia for the analog age.

You’ll see chrome, neon, and 8-bit inspired pixelation emerge from niche markets and returning to the mainstream this year. Keep your eyes peeled for the resurgence of that unmistakably ’80s confetti pattern: a splattering of zig zags, squiggles, and abstract geometric shapes.

3. Vintage tints

Colors themselves are riding on the coattails of the current rage for all things retro and returning to their earthy roots in 2020. Harvest gold, burnt orange, and avocado, the sweethearts of 1970’s home decor, are set to step out of the shade and into the spotlight in both fashion and logo design this year. Take the newly unveiled Formula 1 logo. A throwback to the old-school automotive brands like Pirelli, Michelin, and Goodyear.

Warming up your logo with some vintage hues will evoke a hint of nostalgia and familiarity while helping your brand stand out from the icy pastel palettes that dominated the past decade.

4. Sketchbook chic

These days, the idea of “perfection” is pretty played out. Anything can be faked with the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen. Flaws are filtered away, mistakes are deleted, and lines are vectored to oblivion. Now, as we enter a new decade of unprecedented perfection, it’s no wonder consumers are now craving the imperfect. Gucci took the queue and dropped a handwritten logo for their Fall/Winter collection that set the internet on fire.

 

Hand-drawn and human-made logo design elements are coming back in a big way in the 2020s. These raw logos proudly reject the sleek and symmetrical in favor of tangible, organic artwork that looks fresh out of a sketchbook — not a design program. You’ll see lots of cross-hatching, shading, and gritty organic lines on logos this year. We love these examples from a record label company Give Give, and women-led film production agency Light Layer.

 

5. Watercolor wabi-sabi

If you’ve ever painted with watercolors, you’ve probably noticed that the pigments seem to have a mind of their own, bleeding and running across the paper in unexpected ways with often whimsical results.

It turns out these “happy little accidents” fit right into that hand-crafted, perfectly imperfect on-purpose logo trend that people are loving right now. Watercolor slots in with other 2020 logo trends as well, like translucent layers and gradients of color. And, as an added bonus, it’s a creative way to convey to your target market that your company can color outside the lines.

6. Radiant gradients

When one color just won’t cut it, a zesty spectrum of saturated hues is where it’s at. Adding gradients of color to otherwise basic design elements makes them magically mesmerizing (and memorable), with a dreamy, ice cream-smooth aesthetic.

Though designs with seamless color transitions have been a mainstay in tech and corporate branding since the 1980s, today’s up-and-coming companies are bringing this spectacular trend to the forefront with a wider range of colors than ever before. In 2020, we’ll see rainbowy gradients expanding across every industry.

7. Sophisticated hyper-minimalism

Bigger brands are modernizing their logos by removing all ornamentation and stripping their branding back to the bones. In some cases, companies are dropping their names from their logos and going by a simplified graphic alone—we’re looking at you Mastercard. In other cases, only the typography remains—with serifs often sliced off too—Scotiabank, we see you. And more recently, we see newly released logos that look entirely unfinished!

These “new and improved” logos fit right in with the ongoing minimalist movement in design. But the reason major corporations are sending their logos to the chopping blocks in droves goes beyond a trendy design choice—it’s borne out of necessity. In an era where the small screen is supreme, businesses need logos that scale well. Check out automotive brand, Kia’s newly released 2020 logo. A refined, refreshed, and minimal look.

Graphic-heavy logos with fancy fonts might look beautiful on a billboard, but they simply don’t work on the platforms where consumers are most likely to see them: smartphones and tablets. To stand out from the crowd and rise above the cut-throat competition, the logos of today need to be readable to stay relevant.

8. Psychedelic fonts and colors

We live in times where what’s real and what’s not is often in question, so designers are looking to go surreal in 2020. Groovy colors that wouldn’t look too out of place on a tie-dye T-shirt are set to make a splash in logo design this year. Using a combination of gradients, layering and other up-to-the-minute design elements, this highly visual, trippy trend is almost guaranteed to grab a few extra eyeballs on your logo.

With a fresh logo release, Somersby captured a subtly psychedelic vibe in their multi-colored branding for their range of drink flavors. The results are quite compelling.

 

If colors weren’t enough, we’re also seeing a wave of psychedelic new-age hippie fonts trending in 2020. Perhaps as a rebellion against the stiff Sans Serif that took over the last decade’s branding. Regardless of the reason, we’re happy to see some logos with real personality immerging so quickly. Check out this logo released by the new Target brand More than Magic.

9. Interstellar inspiration

Consumers seem to have a crush on the cosmos like never before these days, and marketers are noticing. As a result, logos themselves have been taking a decidedly galactic turn. Drawing direct inspiration from the night sky with stars, planets, galaxies, and moons taking center stage in 2020 logos. Expect this stellar logo trend to continue its skyward trajectory in 2020 and beyond.

10. Maximalist logos

I know, I know. We just told you hyper minimalism is a thing. But it is often the case that two contrasting themes trend at the same time. While some move deeper into minimalism, others are rejecting the notion entirely and are inspired to bring back busy logos that convey as much as possible about a brand. Maximalist logos are sure to be a hot logo trend in 2020!

 

Which 2020 logo trend is right for you?

New year, new decade, and a new variety of fresh logo trends to suit any taste or brand identity. If you’re ready to kick off the decade with a new logo for your brand, there’s never been a better time than right now. Hop into our logo maker and try our app for free!