Editors Note: This post was updated on February 28, 2019

Customers often base their perceptions about a business or association on its logo. Therefore, a logo should align with your core values, as well as keep pace with what it represents. It also needs to resonate with the customer, which will vary depending on different factors including—if your target audience is millennials or boomers, consumer or B2B, and/or U.S. or globally based. All of this, coupled with staying current with the latest logo design trends, could be a challenge for many businesses and associations.

A business or association will need to refresh its branding through a logo redesign for many reasons. They range from just wanting to give it a facelift because it’s outdated, to doing it out of necessity because of new product and service offerings, change in leadership, different vision and mission, or a merger/acquisition, to name a few.

After 70 years, Ogilvy announced that it rebranded itself, following nearly two years’ worth of restructuring moves, staffing changes and new financial reporting standards, in addition to the usual ins, outs, ups and downs of the ad world. The rebranding included a new visual identity, logo, color scheme and positioning, which were based on key values determined by its leadership. The company revised its logo font, along with a brighter Pantone red and a subtler palette including grey, pink, blue and yellow. These developments symbolize Ogilvy’s desire to modernize, while adhering to the principles that made it stand out in the first place.

Here are some of the latest logo design trends, to refresh your brand:

Utilize a unique layout, like word or letter stacking

One of the most dominant trends for logotypes is word or letter stacking, which strategically places words or letters on top of each other, below and/or side-by-side to create a unique layout. It also makes long phrases easier to distinguish. This trend has been big since 2016 and is expected to continue this year, by pairing it with graphic elements. The condensed format also is ideal for businesses or associations that have longer names. When the letters are stacked, the font essentially becomes your entire logo. Letter stacking works well with contrasting colors and is an effective way to get the attention of your current and potential customers. Refer to the Jersey HVAC Pros logo below, as an example.

Make Geometrics More Friendly

One of the more innovative trends in logo design is to use geometrics. Although they provide structure and a modern touch, they sometimes can come across as being unfriendly or unapproachable. Some of the ways you can create more friendly geometrics in 2019, is to add curved lines and use bright colors.

Create Nostalgia by Using Vintage Elements

Logos imitating seals, emblems and/or stamps became popular in 2017 and continued throughout 2018. In 2019, the trend of creating nostalgia through vintage-inspired and classic logo design prevails. According to a recent AdWeek article, nostalgia still rules and continues to be popular with designers looking to create a logo that will serve as an authentic and timeless element of a brand. However, in 2019, it will be exaggerated even further. Research suggests that a feeling of nostalgia inspires consumers to spend more. Some of those changes include logos that are centered around a main image and are often enclosed in an emblem-frame—such as a crest or coat of arms—that includes the company’s or association’s name. If there’s room, sometimes the logo includes a slogan. The text can appear inside a circle, although there’s no rule that the seal should be circular or a semicircle. The colors are more established, as these types of logos are associated with heritage and endurance. This kind of logo also creates a sense of trust and loyalty with the customer. Vintage logos also can include an “established” year. Some of the latest vintage elements comprise a textured appearance, which makes the logo appear weathered and authentic.

Communicate your brand message through a tagline

The use of a tagline, as an element of the logo, has been on the rise. It’s not surprising, considering that the tagline is an added element of the logo that can solidify the brand message or vision and be the take-away with your target audience in the marketplace. FreeLogoServices Business Blog recently reported that you should use a tagline in your logo because your brand has to spark a connection. Sometimes, it takes more than a logo and business or association name to get your message across. In addition to the visual identity, it’s effective to have a tagline or promise with it. The tagline should be short, catchy and memorable. Consider using a complimentary font, rather than the same one, for the logo and tagline.

CMA utilized many of these logo design trends, on behalf of its customers listed below.

Jersey HVAC Pros

CMA created a logo for Jersey HVAC Pros, an alliance of renowned commercial heating and cooling, and industrial refrigeration contractors in New Jersey. The goal was to create a brand to unite 135 of the highest-quality commercial service contractors throughout the state. The logo design encompassed word stacking and a tagline. CMA also created a seal of approval, using a symbol that represented the five pillars in which the alliance was formed—Trust, Expertise, Reliability, Return on Investment and Accountability. In addition to the logos, brand guidelines and key messaging were developed. The campaign was complete with a website, branding, videos, digital marketing, social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, and content marketing. Results included 564 leads in five months.

Nottingham Insurance

This 100-year-old insurance agency worked with CMA to refresh its logo and tagline, to showcase its different areas of expertise. CMA created a shield of armor icon for Nottingham Insurance, which infers strength, protection and stability. It was a bit vintage, with a contemporary twist. CMA employed a dynamic tone-on-tone split, which created a three-dimensional symbol. The fonts also show a similar contrast, with a more classic serif font Brighton, which evokes a feeling of warmth and a simple graceful charm of its letterforms. The nested tagline is in a more complimentary, contemporary and geometric font—which is another design trend—Futura Condensed.

Abel HR

Abel HR, a family-owned and operated Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that offers human resources and benefits administration services to small to mid-size companies, retained CMA to clean up its logo and develop a new tagline. CMA modernized its existing logo and tagline, utilizing the latest design trends, including word stacking, complimentary colors and a catchy tagline, “Your HR Friends with Benefits,” which pushes the envelope in the B2B space. CMA used complimentary, as well as traditional colors and fonts in the logo and tagline, to offer a nod to its history, while giving it a modern twist with the tagline.

When it comes to logos, it’s important to remember that an effective logo should accurately represent your brand, vision and mission, in addition to staying abreast of the latest logo design trends. This will ensure that your branding will resonate with your customers’ needs, along with catching their attention and differentiating your business or association from its competitors. There are a lot of elements that go into logo design. As such, it would benefit you to work with professionals who have expertise in logo design, as well as brand strategy.

Is your logo getting attention and results or is it due for a redesign? Contact us today, to get the conversation started.