Several cases have been witnessed where a rebrand received a hostile reception from the fanatic followers. The most recent one is by Uber, the taxi hailing app, whose rebrand was likened to toilet tiles, thus making the company receive a lot of backlash from the customers. The rebrand by Uber was designed to give the users a different logo based on the various locations where the services were available. So serious was the redesign that the CEO and co-founder of the company as well as the Uber design director had to resign due to the excessive criticism that the new logo had.

Customers love their brands, and they are ready to protect it should there be a need to do so. This is usually a significant challenge for many corporate organizations looking to rebrand. There is always an apprehension on the kind of reception the rebrand will receive with the most dreaded one being a rejection of the rebrand by the loyal customers. As a matter of fact, most businesses will have several tests to gauge the effectiveness of a brand before they finally release it to masses.

About the Uber Redesign

The new Uber logo is centered around a theme of atoms and bits representing the company’s focus on humans and technology. Instead of hiring an external design team to take up on the rebranding of the company, Uber decided to use their own in-house design team led by the CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick together with Uber design director, Shalin Amin. According to sources intimate to the redesign, the co-founder did not trust anyone else to make a good redesign, and this is why he decided to get on board with the rest of the design team.

The new redesign caused a storm worldwide, with the majority feeling disappointed by the sheer lack of creativity and the casual nature in which the new logo was made. Others have referred to it as “asshole” because it represents the type of tiles usually used in constructing toilets. The patterns on the back of the app icon when it is loading are the design of the company’s communications designer, and she admitted that the inspiration came from the small square tiles found in her bathroom.

One of the most disappointing things about the Uber logo is that it attempted to change the entire identity of the whole original logo. For instance, the conspicuous and well designed U in the initial design was taken away. Instead, it has been replaced by a circular motif and a hexagonal shape for rider’s and partner’s devices respectively. Both the patterns have a square “bit” right at the center, and this is what caused outrage on the design. Many people likened the bit to the anus.

The other glaring and potentially annoying difference about the new Uber logo is the conspicuous absence of the white and black theme present in the initial design. Instead, the company saw it fit to adopt a colorful palette which they claim that was inspired by the textiles, architecture, fashion and art present in the various countries where the company has operations.

For instance, in Mexico, the logo displays palettes of pink as well as the patterns present in the local tiles. In Ireland, the design was inspired the Georgian architecture and the lush green vegetation typical of the Irish countryside. The Nigerian version of the logo, on the other hand, was inspired by the Ankara due to its bright colors and the wonderful geometric patterns. The typeface used in the new logo design is also more condensed, thicker and simpler. The typeface was chosen to remove the curls that were present in the R and U on the previous logo.

With the new logo design, users in the various countries will see customized versions of the logo to match the identities and the colors of those countries. The company also has plans to roll out city specific logos which will depict the patterns and the colors of the cities. This is intended to enable the customers see Uber from a distance, and also to reflect on the fact the company has grown and is now more mature than it was a few years ago.

The resignation of the lead designers who spearheaded the Uber redesign is an indication of how sensitive a logo change is to the customers. It is the desire of every company to keep their customers as close as possible and would not admire for anything to make them unhappy. The storm is not yet settled on the perceived poor redesign of the Uber logo, and there are speculations that the company might as well revert to the old design as they think up of something new. Only time will tell.

Check out these color combination tips to avoid mistakes in your own designs!

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Logo design trends have gone a lot of transformation, adaptation and shapeshifting from the earlier days of cut letterforms through to the present times where there is a huge wave of digital technology. Every logo designer wants to improve their skills to match the ever growing demands of the modern day client.

Businesses and different establishments fully understand the power of visual representation and branding that can be achieved through effectively designed logos. As a result, therefore, new designs and concepts keep on coming and the following are the latest logo design trends that designers, as well as clients, tend to work with-:

Low Polygon Logo Design Trends

The use of low polygon logo designs is one of the logo design trends that gathered steam in early 2015. Its popularity is attributed to the use of 3D software such as Maya, C4D, and 3D Studio Max. Low Polygon Logo design has now become the most preferred method to create logos as well as icons. Due to the quality of the final output of this design concept, it is expected that many designers will jump on board and further popularize it as a top design concept as far as logo design is concerned.

Use of Custom Letterforms

The use custom letterform was rampant during the analog days, and it appeared to have taken a deep into the abyss of design when the design world woke up to the digital age. The digital age saw the introduction of a flood of tools and techniques that rendered the traditional letterforms obsolete.

However, recent logo design trends suggest that there is a backward shift towards the use of custom letterforms. The rise of these hand-cut fonts can be attributed to the fact that they are stunning, and they express a technical proficiency and artistic inspiration yet to be realized by the digital applications. More designers are adopting the use of custom letterform, and we can only expect that the practice will continue to grow strong as one of the logo design trends in the coming years.

Utilization of Negative Space in Logo Design

Logo design trends cannot pass without mentioning the increasing use of negative spaces by logo designers. Most of the time logo designs are beautified with complex elements that sometimes end up ruining the aesthetic appeal of the logo. Many designers now realize that using simple but essential elements can lead to the creation of stunningly beautiful logos. For instance, the addition of negative space has proven to make logos simple and spectacular, and it is one of the logo design trends that many designers are keen on adopting.

Creation of Dynamic Logos and Logo Sets

Designers and clients are always on the lookout on how to make logos look better. However great a design may be, looking at the same logo for 365 days in a year is likely to make it stale and pale. To combat this monotony and stagnation, designers are resorting to the creation of dynamic logos. Logo sets are also being used to bring in life and freshness to designs that would have otherwise been very boring following prolonged use.

Script Logotypes

Script logotype is among the strong logo design trends that most designers are keeping on their design radii. These types of logos are for businesses and companies who prefer simplicity and are not troubled with sophisticated graphics or designs. With script logotypes, a custom script font is used to create different variations using nothing other than letters and the company name.

Lower Case Logo Design

The present logo design trends won’t fail to mention the increased use of lower case letters in logo design. Most people are accustomed to upper case logos, perceiving lower case logos to look less serious than their uppercase contemporaries. However, designers are now finding creative ways of using lowercase to design friendly and professional logos. For instance, the current Walmart logo consists of lowercase, and it has given the company more familiar and more approachable appeal.

3D Metal Usage in Logo Designs

For clients and designers interested in rough but beautiful and responsive designs, a 3D metal design is a viable option as far as logo design trends are concerned. With this design, logos are given metallic looks similar to those found in car emblems and car logos. The use of this model is mainly rampant in designs featuring animals and birds.

Calligraphy and Hand Lettering in Logo Design

Hand lettering and calligraphy in logo design is becoming a common trend for designers making logos for hotels and restaurants as well as tattoo companies to make the logos look fun without losing their sophistication and professional touch. Such logos are simple, yet very powerful in promoting the business brand and this is what makes calligraphy and hand lettering logo design be something not to be ignored when talking about current logo design trends.

Learn more about common mistakes you can avoid in graphic design here!

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