Typography in the graphic design industry keeps on evolving with each rising of the sun. In the last few years, we have seen exciting developments happening in the design industry. Whereas some of them were weak trends that were bound to die after a few months, some of the developments have stayed and are even growing much stronger. Watching out for such trends, especially the developments with the logo design font trends can be rewarding, but it is advisable that you don’t adapt your entire designs on such trends.

The reason for this is that you may be a victim of design fad when you used a trending font that died as quickly as it had come. Presented here are the major logo design font trends that are worth considering in 2016. These trends started picking up steam in 2015 and are expected to get popular and get more adoption as we get deep into 2016.

Sans Serif is there to stay

Designs in sans serif continue to dominate most of the market places for buying and selling typefaces. But while this happens, designers should not forget the history and the development of this typeface and why it is still a force to reckon with in the world of typefaces.

Back in the days, the low resolution used to be the greatest limitation of using serif typefaces, but with advancements in technology, this is no longer considered a huge limitation and designers are presently able to achieve a lot more exquisite designs using the sans serif typeface.

With the increased use of high resolutions screens and devices – whether it is a phone, a tablet or a high pixel density notebook, most of the digital devices now have the capacity to handle some of the nuisances that were associated with the sans serif fonts and this effectively placed the typeface to the right place where it belonged as far as graphic design is concerned.

Due to the limitations that were typical of the sans serif font, there are some specially tuned versions of the typeface that were released to compensate for the limitation of the font. But while this is happening, technological advancements are also in top gear to ensure that as many variations of the typeface as possible are supported since this is the only way to continue harnessing the power of the font in design and especially as a logo design font.

Continued awareness of custom typefaces

Other than placing the san serif font in its rightful place as far as logo design is concerned, there is increased awareness of the presence of custom typefaces. Whether you know it or note, digital typefaces is virtually everywhere and not just in logo design alone. For instance, your television, coffee maker and smart phone all use digital typefaces which in most cases are custom typefaces. With the increased awareness and the application of custom typefaces in such media, the same is also taking place in the graphic design world and especially in the design of logos.

Though it may not be apparent to the majority, continued awareness of the use of custom fonts in design are easily recognizable for anyone who has even the slightest knowledge in design. Big brands are turning to the use of these typefaces as they provide flexibility and robustness as well as the versatility needed to meet all their design needs.

As the design industry continues to evolve in 2016, the continued awareness and exposure of the custom fonts to the mainstream media can only be expected to result in the adoption of such typefaces. And since logo design is a core component for most of the designs, this is effectively one of the logo design trends that most logo designers are watching with a keen eye.

Anyone can design their own fonts

If you are a professional designer, then you already understand that designing a type requires a specific set of skills and to those who have this skill usually guard it very close to their hearts. The professional logo design font types especially. Similarly, to create a visually compelling and effective logo, there is a lot of visual power that is needed and this never comes out of thin air.

However, the advancements in technology in the graphics design world have simplified a lot of these things such that designing a font and using it to create a logo is no longer a preserve of the selected and skilled designers. For instance, with an application such as Glyphs, any designer can create fonts in just a matter of seconds and then use the fonts for whatever design applications they want.

But even with the presence of such easy to use tools, it is possible to create a professionally looking font but this is no indication that the font is indeed professional. There are certain levels of irreplaceable artistry and a specific production process which must be adhered to for the creation of good typefaces.

Check out these logo color trends for 2016.

The post Logo Design Font Trends for the year 2016 appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

In advertising, the logo is one of the fundamental pillars that support the company’s identity. By looking at some of the top logos in the world, they may seem to you just like the ordinary logos meant to give a face to the companies. However, to some of the seemingly simple logos, you will be surprised at the amount of thought and work that was used in creating them. Some of them have hidden symbols and meanings that you have probably never noticed or even imagined to have existed. Here is a list of the logos with hidden symbols you will be surprised to know about:

The FedEx Logo

The FedEx logo will always feature when talking about hidden logo symbol. It is a simple logo with only two colors, but the majority fails to notice the hidden symbol it has. The white space between letters E and X has been used intelligently to form a perfect arrow. It has been suggested that the arrow signifies that the company is moving forward and keen on looking ahead.

The Goodwill Logo

The Goodwill is another logo with a hidden logo symbol. What many people see when they see the logo is the iconic smiling face with the name of the company written beneath it. What people fail to notice however is that the smiling face is a letter “G”. Take a minute next time you look at it and it will be apparent to you.

The Old Milwaukee Brewers Logo

The Milwaukee Brewers logo is an interesting one as far as hidden logo symbols are concerned. If you are keen enough, you will notice the baseball, the baseball gloves and the letters B and M. The hidden symbol, however, is that the letters B and M have been used in forming the baseball glove. Though the brewers have changed the logo to a newer one, many people still prefer the old one which looked much better and livelier than the current one.

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Logo

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Logo comes with lots of hidden logo symbols. All these hidden symbols have been used wisely to indicate the various types of animals that can be found in the zoo and the aquarium. To begin with, a first look at the logo will reveal to you a tree with birds flying over it. The hidden symbols in this logo have been created with the use of negative space in logo design. Look at either side of the tree and you will see a lion and a chimp staring at each other in the face. Down at the roots, two fish are swimming away.

The Tostitos Logo

You probably enjoy every crunch of the Tostitos tortilla chips but have you ever taken a moment to see what the logo looks like? Well, of course, all you see is the writing of the brand. But next time, try and find out the hidden logo symbol in that design. To help you out, look for the two Ts with the I in between them. If you see it correctly, you will see two people formed by the T, dipping a tortilla chip into a bowl of salsa created by the letter I.

The Eight Logo

The Eight logo is another brilliant design with an impressive hidden logo symbol. In the clever design, each letter in the logo is composed of a particular part of the letter 8. It is so obvious that you don’t need to be keen in deciphering letters to see it.

The Amazon Logo

Amazon redefined the whole concept of online retail business. To help them achieve their e-commerce goals is a brilliantly designed logo which effectively communicates what the retail giant stands for. Other than the name of the company, the only symbol you will see on the logo is an arrow, and this is the important hidden logo symbol in the Amazon logo.

The arrow points from A to Z indicating that customer will find everything in Amazon, starting from A to Z. The arrow has also been drawn in the form of a smiley face, showing the superior customer care experience the company has displayed over the years.

The Atlanta Falcons

Looking at the logo of the NFL Football Team, Atlanta Falcon, the first thing that comes into mind is a flying falcon. The hidden logo symbol, however, is that the flying Falcon has been designed in such a manner that it’s shaping forms the letter F.

The Baskin Robins Logo

This is another logo with an interesting hidden logo symbol. The BR in the logo consists of two colors. The outer color is blue while the inner color is pink. The pink colors form the number 31 which is the number of flavors that Baskin Robins offers.

Check out these 10 nonprofit logos!

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Fonts play a huge role in graphics design. With a plethora of fonts to choose from, designers have the liberty to use fonts to their advantage and bring out a wide range of effects. But just as it pays to know the best fonts to use in your designs, it pays even much better to know the worst fonts to use.

Wrong font choice has the potential of not just ruining your design but also putting to doubt your prowess as a graphic designer. It is why it’s crucial to know which fonts to use for which project and the ones you should always avoid like plague and never use in any of your graphic design projects. Listed here are the 5 worst fonts to use when designing. Take keen note of them.

Comic Sans MS

This is the basic Windows font installed in your computer when you are booting up Windows. It was designed by Vincent Cornare in 1994, and it was intended as a child oriented font. Its inspiration came from comic books in his office back then and he thought that the font would be ideal for writing speech bubbles but not general communication. However, many people have fallen in love with this font until its use has now become a cliché. But this is not the reason why it is one of the worst fonts to use.

The main reason why you should never use this font is that it is childish. It doesn’t have any formality, though you will see it being used in formal events and some formal letters. Restrict its use only when you are working on a children website or designing kid’s birthday invitation. It will be a gross mistake to use it in for business sites or when working on warning signs or on other official forms of communication.

Papyrus

Papyrus font came into existence in 1983 as a result of Chris Costello’s work. Its inspiration came from the pre-modern writings on the leaves of the papyrus trees. It is true that the design and the subsequent use of this font were noble, but now it is considered as one of the worst to use in your designs.

The passionate hate on this font comes from that it has been duly overused, until its now saturated and very boring to look at. It has been the signature font for signboards, advertisements, captchas, books, banners and whole lot of other typographical designs.

As one of the worst fonts to use in your designs, you must stop using the papyrus font forthwith or else your designs will be generic, boring and will show that no life at all.

Curlz MT

The Curlz MT is another font considered as the worst fonts to use in design during this time and age. This loathsome font was the creation of Steve Matteson and Carl Corssgrove in 1995 and it was primarily intended to be used for party invitations. After its introduction and adoption, it took the same path as comic sans font in the sense that it became the mainstream font, until it reached a level that people were sick and tired of it.

Besides, it lacks formality and authority hence you can never use it where coat-and-tie events are involved. Again using it in designs like warning signs makes it appear like some kind of a sick joke and no one will ever take such a warning seriously.

Since the font has been overused and it appears virtually in most of the designs, you should designate it as one of the worst fonts in design and use better alternative even if you have a special love for it.

Courier New

Courier New is another font that makes it to the list of the worst fonts to use in design. It is one of the oldest fonts in the world, having been designed and sold to IBM way back in 1955. It was used for typewriter print and this why it was sold to IBM since IBM was manufacturing typewriters by that time. Other than being almost in a state of deprecation, the font lack dignity and prestige and since typewriters are no longer in use, it deserves to remain in the bin of worst fonts to use in design.

Bradel Hand ITC

Bradel Hand ITC font was designed by Richard Bradley and it was intended be a font for non-formal communication. However, the font makes it as one of the worst fonts to use in design due to the fact that it is readily available hence it’s being massively abused. It features heavily in designs such as school announcements, posters, bulletin boards, story books, invitation cards, etc. Due to the need for freshness and originality, this font no longer appeals to many designers since no one wants to be a copycat.

This is not exhaustive in any way but it gives an indication of some of the worst fonts to use in design. Do your own research to uncover more so that you can stay fresh and pragmatic in your designs.

Use these royalty fonts instead!

The post The 5 Worst Fonts That You Must Avoid appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

For many people just starting out in design, the process of choosing the perfect typography is usually such a bewildering task. The choices seem to be endless with no straightforward way of knowing what to select and what to ignore. For someone to get it right in choosing the right type-setting, however, a combination of firm rules and lose set of intuition, as well as a few of years of experience, is necessary. But this is not to allude that you have to be an experienced designer to become a pro in using typography. It is only that you become perfect with consistent practice, but anyone, including the very new in designing, can still get it right with their typography the first time. Here are five important guidelines on how to choose the right typography-:

Understand the context of use

One secret to choosing the right typography is first to understand the context of use. This is of grave concern because, as designer, you are working on a design that will be used by other people and not for your personal use. Many beginning designers are fond of considering their individual preferences in the choice of type-setting, and they focus on what appeals to them. This is a destitute approach because you are egocentric on the design.

As a designer, you need to have a set of workhorse typography you can always turn to when the project demands. Of course, you will be comfortable with other typography more than others, and you will be naturally inclined to use them as opposed to trying new ones. It is imperative that you understand different typography and know exactly the particular contexts when they can be used without ruining the entire design.

Group Fonts in Families

Learning to group fonts into families will not just help you on how to choose the right type-setting for each design project that lands on your desk but also will save you a great deal of design time. The secret to grouping fonts into families is to have some structure that you can use to categorize mentally the various types of typography you encounter.

Typography can be divided into different categories, but for a good designer, you need not to keep track of all the types. Most of the expert designers only watch about five groups, and these are the ones they work hard to become proficient in using so that they can always adapt them and use them for different projects. There is already several classifications of fonts, but you are free to classify some as you dim right and in a manner that will enhance your skills as a designer.

Decisive use of contrast

Now that you understand the context under which you will use the typography, and you have also grouped them to suit your project and design habits, it is time to apply the principle of decisive contrast in the use of the typography. This is a paramount principle because many designers are misled into believing that every design must have a high contrast to be considered great. This is grossly wrong and as a designer, it pays to know when to mix and match and it pays even much better to know when you need not to mix and match in the first place. Whenever you are in the middle of a design and you are faced with a situation where you need to add additional typography, the rule of thumb is that even with the addition of the typography, the design should remain the same and if it has to change, then it has to change a lot. This is what is known as correspondence and contrast in design lingo. Avoid incremental variations or being wimpy with the contrast.

Whenever multiple typography is used in a single layout, the aim is to make them coexist peacefully without distracting the attention of the viewer into thinking that they are more than one design on the item.

Don’t be afraid to bend a few rules

Good designers are those who follow standard fonts and norms in design, but the great artists are those who are not afraid to intelligently break some of the rules and come up with unique designs. Occasionally, you can go a little bit overboard and try what your intuition is telling you as far as the current project is concerned. You will never understand how to choose the right typography if you are timid to explore on your own and do what the books are not telling you.

“There are no rules,” really!

When it comes to how to choose the right text, it boils down to one thing – there are conventions but never iron-clad rules on which is the best typography for each and every particular project. As a designer, you need to know about the basics then you will adapt yourself to the conventions and create your rules as you move along. With experience, you will no problem in deciding on the typography but it is always good to be flexible enough so that you have the competency to work with different typography on a countless number of projects.

Use this guide for helping you pick the best colors for your text as well!

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