A new logo was all on the table. The faux-painted Tuscan terracotta was traded in for a cleaner, organic look that aims to appeal to a wider audience. Plenty of other brands also flattened out this year. Which ones do think best handled this branding trend? Tech in the start-up sphere, quality design often comes after company success – when there’s more time, data, and funding to make better decisions on brand direction. For some tech companies, 2014 was finally the year for their makeover. Pale blue hues quickly fell off the color palette – deemed “too corporate” – and were replaced with dynamic pinks and more vibrant blues. Scripted fonts were swept away in favor of simple sans serif fonts. Linear shapes and outlines were all the rage.
For an industry that prides itself on “disrupting” the norm, it will be interesting to see where their designs take us next. Bold and beautiful wordmarks wordmarks2 You thought that Netflix’s new wordmark was the entertainment industry’s best makeover. Just as flat design pushed minimalism to new levels this year, wordmarks also reigned supreme. Icons and shapes were bypassed for clean, compelling type treatments. While some received small modifications (such as Netflix or Cricket), other brands found new life. Yet even the special leads designs can offer great complexity. Sagmeister & Walsh’s take on New York’s Jewish Museum is one of the greatest examples. Utilizing sacred geometry discovered in the Star of David, they were able to create fully working grids to lay out the logo, typeface, and collateral.
The result was a modern design based on a historically relevant foundation (see the full brand identity here). The travel industry takes flight airlines Airlines around the world made big changes to their identities this year. Southwest ditched the plane in favor of a small multicolored heart to emphasize their strength and “collective heartbeat”. Hotwire also abandoned its plane icon to better represent its expanding brand, which includes car and hotel deals. Frontier added an element of speed to their typography, while Spirit triumphed in the handicraft trend. So what does that mean for each brand? Fresh plane paint jobs, new kiosks, redesigned flight tickets, website, and app changes… the list goes on. Travel design is no small feat!