As we embark into the year 2012, many fresh and creative logo designs are anticipated in the UK corporate world. Much similar to the logo design trends that transpired last year, we are bound to see a wave of new trends in the UK market this year as well. Trends are prevalent in almost every industry. Some are constant while others fluctuate every now and then. But in the case of logo design field, trends are difficult to analyze as they change periodically.

Being a logo designer based in UK, it is critical to learn the developments in the corporate logo design market of UK. This is because consumer behavior varies from one country to another. The symbols and beliefs that are shared in Asian countries may not be constant with the UK people. Hence, you must first understand your target audience before your design a logo.

Here are some of the most commonly noticed logo design trends in the UK market. I’m sure they will have a great impact on the corporate world in the year 2012.

1. Handwritten Type:

Handwritten logos are a mark of excellence and are commonly used in almost all industries in the UK. Also known as signature logos, this trend is mostly found among fashion brands of UK. Apart from that, it is also employed in other industries by companies who want to denote elegance and authenticity. Some famous examples of UK brands that follow this trend are Cadbury and Harrods.

2. Wordmark:

Wordmarks are text only logos that denote simplicity and elegance. They are used when the name of the company is easily recognizable among the target audience. Not only does this trend signify straightforwardness, it enables a firm to get their corporate name familiarized in the market. Even though renowned UK clothing brand Ben Sherman employed a signature logo, they redesigned it into a wordmark to indicate clarity and sincerity. Another prudent example of popularity this trend is Gap logo redesign. People preferred the wordmark logo of Gap as compared to the revamped one.

3. Interloping Effect:

Another increasingly trendy style that is being seen in the UK logo design industry is interloping effect. This is a unique way of giving the logo a 3-Dimensional effect by interweaving a symbol into a discernable shape. We have two prominent examples of redesigned logos in the UK market that have recently adopted this trend. First is British Gas logo that illustrates a flame through the interlope effect. Next, there is British Airways logo that displays a blue and red ribbon using the same trend.

4. Minimalism:

Minimalism is a trend that is highly admired in all generations. The concept of minimal logo designs is to communicate the company purpose using fewest possible design elements. More and more firms in the UK are adopting this trend of keeping their brand identity simple and memorable. One of the most popular examples of minimal logos in UK is Shelter logo that forms a house from the letter ‘h’. Another case in point, as shown below, is the logo for Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

5. Nationalist Theme:

Much similar to any other country, the people of UK are nationalist people. They prefer using UK brands more than their foreign counterparts. It is an unquestionable fact that UK consumers value their national culture and values more than anything. They have great value for the national flag and the colors that it bears. Sighting this patriotism in the UK people, many entities have followed a nationalist theme in their logo design. Cases in point are UK Space Agency and UK Border Agency that use red, white and blue colors to denote a sense of national pride.

A logo design can be categorized into three broad categories. First ones are symbolic which are purely based on symbols and shapes. The second category is wordmark, which is comprised of text-only, using typography to display organization’s name in a graphical manner. The third type of logo category is a mixture of both previous styles employing symbols and typography together. Of all the three forms, wordmarks are the most common logos. They graphically display the company’s name in a clever and memorable manner.

Famous Examples of UK Wordmark Logos:

Wordmark logos are also termed as typographic logos. We have various examples of famous UK brands that have employed wordmark logos. Some of the most successful wordmarks in the UK industry that have created an everlasting impression on the customers include Cadbury logo and Virgin logo.

When to Employ Wordmark Logo:

Wordmark logos are extremely useful in certain situations, some of which include the following:

For further inspiration and understanding, I have amassed a collection of 30 highly creative wordmark logos.

Ten hands	Bloopers
Oops	Doors
Down	Check
Nine	Cycle
Boy	Street Light
Spring	Ladder
Effort – Tools & Co.	Medialo
Swan act	swoopy
ask creative	HZ
PORK	Firearms Training
Focus	GR
Analoghand	Bowling
Peeled	Tropical Café
funkyowl	Fishy production
NINJA	Bubble

I have reiterated this time and again that being a graphic design student doesn’t mean you can skip math. Knowing your shapes and symbols is essential in becoming a successful logo designer. Some of you may not realize but most famous logos were created using simple shapes. Without understanding the geometrics and dimensions of common symbols, you cannot create a professional logo design.

Isometrics is a branch of mathematics that deals with shapes of equal measurement. It is a function between metric spaces that preserves distance using rotation or transformation of a surface. This geometric technique has also been adopted in designing corporate identities. Remember playing with a Rubik’s Cube in your childhood? An Isometric logo design is similar to the Rubik’s shape but is shaped creatively in a way to conserve space. They are not only restricted to the cubic shape and can be of numerous symbols.

If you are still confused as to how an isometric logo looks like, take a look at 25 remarkable examples of logos that follow the isometric principle.

Abu Younis Carpentry	URBANCARE
DiagBlock	Language in a Box
Peter Lea	LEAN
Lucid Form Architecture	Templates4You
Villen im Cottage	AMA | Ashok Mistry Associates
Envision CustomWorks	H, H and N
OSS BOX	UBOX
Marksmen Construction	The Independent Party
Archetype	Locate
Uranus Holdings	c4w
Create Studio	3D Generalist
T-Box	Gravity Architecture
fibralyte

It was in May 2010 that UK’s largest bookseller Waterstones redesigned its brand identity. It was created by UK creative agency venturethree. The philosophy behind the revamp was to transform the traditional design into a more contemporary one. The proposed identity displayed a “W” that stood resemblance to McDonald’s Golden Arches logo. It was designed using the lower case FS Albert Pro type font and was transferred onto only 25 of the bookstore’s 310 stores.

• New (Old) Logo – Back to the Future:

Two years later, the firm decided on reverting back to its old logo design. But this time around when the new logo was unveiled on 11th January 2012, it dropped the ‘apostrophe’ sign as well. The new logo redesign also restores the beloved Baskerville serif font along with ‘W’ in upper case. UK leading bookstore’s new boss, James Daunt, gave the following explanation for the startling move:

• Criticism against the New Logo:

This strange relapse to the old logo design reminded me of the Gap logo redesign saga, where Gap logo was similarly reinstated back to its old state. James Daunt was of the opinion that Waterstones is an iconic brand which deserves a capital W and an authoritative typeface like Baskerville. Even though there was not much criticism over the reinstatement of fonts and upper case, language experts were infuriated on the disposal of apostrophe sign.

Chairman of the Apostrophe Protection Society, John Richards criticized the move saying,

What is Your Opinion?

Do you think that the removal of apostrophe was a wise move by Waterstones, considering the examples of famous logo design like McDonald’s and Sainsbury’s?

Ever wondered how famous brands conceal their true identity under the cloak of their logo design? Even though companies portray themselves as being extremely beneficial and useful entities, sometimes you wonder if that is their real purpose. For instance, social networking site Twitter consumes so much of our daily time that frankly speaking it should have been name ‘Time Pass’. Similarly, Facebook is another addictive obsession that causes much distraction for logo designers. I’d say ‘Procrastination’ would be a better name for this social networking site.

Apart from my own suggestions for truthful brand names, artist Viktor Hertz has conjured up his own versions of candid brand identities called ‘Honest Logos’. The project reveals what the logos for famous brands should actually be. This project was originally done for the purpose of humor, but if you watch these funny logo parodies some of them are extremely apposite.

So have a look and decide yourself if these 15 ‘honest logos’ truly expose the company’s true purpose.

1. Dunkin Donuts Buildin’ Bodyfat

2. MySpace Noplace

3. Nokia Nokids

4. Olympics Money Rings

5. Walt Disney Pictures Very Cheesy Pictures

6. Harley Davidson Adult toys

7. Starbucks Sugarbomb combos

8. Hollywood Hollywood Recycle

9. Budweiser Bellyexpander

10. IMDB Nerd info

11. Nintendo Procrastination

12. Marlboro Money waster

Inspired by Viktor’s work, I created a few of my own versions of honest logos. Hope you enjoy them.

13. eBay Upay

14. Google Doodle

15. Twitter Timepass