You’ve seen rubber hose imagery. If you’ve ever played Cuphead or Bendy, or if you’ve ever simply watched a cartoon produced in the 1920s or ‘30s, you’ve seen rubber hose animation. And in 2022, you’re going to see it a whole lot more… in logos!Maybe we’re seeing a resurgence of the rubber hose aesthetic because it’s just
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1. Retro rubber hose logos
about a century old. Or maybe because this style lends itself to characters, and as brands aim to feel more personable and more human, character logos are a way to do it. In any case, 2022’s rubber hose logos are colorful, creating a contrast against the black and white cartoons of yesterday.By presenting these characters in color, designers can
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1. Retro rubber hose logos
incorporate brand color palettes and make this style feel fresh and modern. They’re also nearly universally non-human characters, which makes them feel whimsical and fun.
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2. Blurred logos
You’re supposed to be able to read a logo’s text, right?In 2022, that’s going to be a much lower priority as designers experiment with blur effects to emphasize fluidity and movement, rather than focusing solely on readability.You could blur only the edges of the letters, so the main body of the word is apparent. Otherwise, you could
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2. Blurred logos
accompany the blur logo with a clearly printed version of the brand name so the reader can get a fuller understanding of your brand identity.Creating a blur effect for your logo is so captivating and memorable; plus it welcomes the possibility to add animation.
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3. Stretched and continuous lettering
Blurred logos aren’t the only kind of distortion we’re going to be seeing a whole lot more of in 2022 logo design trends. Designers are also playing with stretched and continuous lettering for a boundaryless, infinite look and feel.
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4. McBling
2000s nostalgia is something we’ve explored on the blog before. Last time, we wondered if it was too soon to start incorporating throwbacks to the aughts aesthetic in designs. Now, the answer is clear: absolutely not! So what is McBling? It’s an aesthetic that embraces and exaggerates the stylistic features of the 2000s—
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4. McBling
specifically, approximately 2003 through to 2008. It’s a mixed bag of contrasts to sum up the highs and lows of that period—the devoted celeb worship, the dawning of twitter and cultural obsessions with the color pink, diamantes and gothic fonts.Now that we’re firmly into the third decade of the 21st century, designers and creatives of all stripes are
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4. McBling
revisiting the 2000s. If we’re not following documentaries about Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, we’re binging series revivals and nostalgic movie reboots.Design is following and innovating this maximalist period of aesthetics, paying homage to its emo culture, lavish displays of wealth and of course, bling.
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5. Scribbles and sketches
While some designers are riffing on simpler times in their logo designs by incorporating aesthetics from past decades, others are going in another direction for their nostalgia: shaky, scribbly, child-like art.In 2022, expect to see more scribbles. Expect to see more logos that have that rough, unfinished look, in contrast to cleaner, more “produced” logos
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5. Scribbles and sketches
you’ve seen in the past few years. This style is raw, yet sophisticated and simplistic. And for a world that’s ready to simplify and shed all the burdens from the past as it looks toward a more optimistic future, simplicity is exactly what the doctor ordered.
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6. Experimenting with line thickness
These logos stick with their brands through thick and thin… literally! In 2022, expect to see a lot of logos that have varying line thicknesses. By doing this, designers are playing with balance to give their designers additional depth and complexity.These logos have a dynamic feel that fits right in with our dynamic, forward-thinking
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6. Experimenting with line thickness
vision of the 2020s and beyondIn terms of fonts at least, letters are traditionally either thin or thick—in the cases where they aren’t, their weight varies in logical places. But as designers push boundaries and continue to innovate through their designs, they’re throwing old rules out the window and experimenting with lines, strokes and shapes
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6. Experimenting with line thickness
that don’t feel constrained..Perhaps this is a reaction to how constrained so many of us have felt over the past two years or so—or it could be that because 2022’s logo design trends are so font-heavy, it’s only natural for designers to look for ways to play with text.
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7. White space finds imagery
White space in your logo, also known as negative space, is often just blank. That blank space can do a lot of things, like create a “setting” for your logo’s focal point and balancing its composition to avoid looking cluttered. In other cases, blank space communicates a brand value like directness or openness. But in 2022, you’re going to see
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7. White space finds imagery
more logo designers working with blank space in a way you might not have seen before: treating it as a blank canvas to fill in different ways, depending on where and how the logo is being used.
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8. A groovy revival
One recurring theme in logo design trends, year after year, is logos seeking aesthetic references from the groovy years of the ’70s.This trend is retro yet futuristic, kitsch yet sleek. Bright, garish colors are contrasted with minimal layouts while fonts melt into curvy letter forms or bubble up into softie styles. When many people today think
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8. A groovy revival
of the 1970s—whether they lived through them or not—they think of inclusive attitudes and optimism for a peaceful future. And with everyone going on in the world right now, it feels kinda natural that we’d be looking to this period now for some smooth, retro relief.
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9. Layered elements
Another one of the key logo design trends we’ll see rise to prominence in 2022 is logos with layered elements. Designers are exploring geometric forms, fonts and color blends to create classic logos—with a twist.Like we saw with the blurred logos, legibility is taking a backseat to looks in many of 2022’s logo designs, and with
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9. Layered elements
these layered logos, we’re seeing abrupt color and pattern changes “interrupt” text and visually separate elements within a design.
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10. Typography takes shape
Once again, we see wordmark logos taking center stage, with the logos’ lettering communicating their brand personalities. These logos come in two varieties: logos where the typography reigns in the imagery, providing an emblem-like shape for the logo, and logos where the typography is nestled within the imagery,
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10. Typography takes shape
providing it with structure and shape.
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11. Grunge gets a revamp
We’ve just seen how designers are paying homage to ‘30s animation, ‘70s groovy optimism and ‘00s maximalism in 2022 logo design trends. But these aren’t the only decades whose aesthetics are in the spotlight this year. Designers are also throwing it back to the ‘90s with grunge-inspired designs.Think lo-fi and primitive versions of modern technology.
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11. Grunge gets a revamp
Think dark and brooding with a DIY feel. That’s grunge aesthetics in action. And with these logos, you see a broader trend at play: wordmark logos where the font is the defining characteristic. These typefaces have texture, and that texture is rough.