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.

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In only a few years, Google has managed to achieve a lot in branding, something that would normally take other companies decades of work with millions of dollars worth of resources. Their colorful logo is now a staple of the online experience that’s enjoyed by millions across the globe. But behind the beautiful logo that’s now the trademark and benchmark for online search experience, there is a rich history. It has undergone lots of transformations though the concept has never moved away from the typeface logo we see today. Here is a brief explanation detailing how Google came to have their current logo.

The story begins in 1996 at Stanford University where one of the co-founders, Larry Page was fledgling a research project code-names “Back Rub”. The project was later renamed Google, following a misspelled version of the word Googol. The idea was to demonstrate that Google had far much processing powers than any other search engine during that time.

The first Google Logo was designed by Sergey Brin, a co-founder in 1998 using the Gimp Software. This marked the beginning of the several iterations that were to follow under the supervision of Ruth Kendar, a professional designer hired by Google to oversee the development of a logo that would connect with their audiences and also match their marketing needs.

By 1999, Google’s success was already dwarfing the competition, and the Google logo was becoming more and more popular. It was at this point that the company brought in Ruth Kendar, a professional designer to continue with evolving the brand. Back then, Kendar had no idea how big the company would be, but she was happy to take up on the task and continue with the evolution of the brand.

Kendar’s first attempt at redesigning the Google logo was done with the Adobe Garamond as the typeface. Kendar’s idea with this first attempt was not to meddle up with the text since it would have interfered with the eligibility of the logo. She simply added her whimsy using two-dimensional O’s and primary colors. She then used a small pattern to join the Os together as a symbol of infinite connection. This design was liked by Brin and Page.

The second attempt by Kendar on the Google Logo saw her focus her attention mainly on the Os in the middle of Google. She introduced a further hint on the infinite pattern as well as a target to symbolize the search engine’s accuracy in helping people find what they are looking for on the internet. Her reason for doing was that the founders wanted to pass a message to the competing search engines that Google was a reliable search provider, and most importantly, it had an algorithmic complexity but an easy to use application.

The next redesign of the Google logo saw a modification of the layout and the typeface. The designer decided to use overlapping circles and ITC Leawood and joined them with a cross hair to show that the business was intertwined and had a global presence. But Kendar thought that her new design was more like an Olympics logo and not that of a leading search engine. This made her thinking on how to change the logo to remain within the context of the business.

In the later version, Kendar came across Catull, the typeface that is now synonymous to the Google logo. This typeface gave the logo more corporate looks while at the same time appearing to be slightly playful in the sizing of the letters. Though this was a step towards the right the direction, the overall design appeared to be busy, and it was difficult to mark out the final meaning from the Google logo.

With the feedback from the previous design, which featured a magnifying glass and a crosshair Kendar simplified the redesign, eliminating the crosshair but keeping the magnifying glass and adding on it a smile – to reflect on the great user experience of the now world’s largest search engine.

Slowly, Kendar realized that she was on her way back to her very initial iteration, and once again reverted to the Leawood font. She introduced a touch of dimension as well as some shading to the top of the Google logo. The reason for this was to make the Google logo appear to be floating on top of the white layout. At this point, Kendar was advised to try more simplified approaches that will make the Google logo simpler while retaining its corporate look.

Finally, Kendar got the design right after playing around with the colors and never deviating from the typeface. She ended up using primary colors, but rather than having the colors go in order, she used a secondary color on L, to illustrate the idea that Google doesn’t have to follow the rules at all times. That is the current logo you see each time you use the giant search engine.

The Google logo has stood the test of time and is now an iconic mark that has helped the company realize the immense success they have had in the past few years.
Learn how to design a basic logo here!

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Choosing or pairing the right font for a logo design is usually a challenge to most designers, sometimes even the most experienced ones. It may be possible to use one or two fonts that will work well in your design, but there are no guarantees that they will collaborate to help you achieve the typographic aim you had.

But the process of choosing the right font for a logo should not always make you reach for your aspirin each time you design if you can understand the basics and always adhere to the rules. This is not to say that you should limit your creativity and stick to the rules at all the times, but using the tips given below will save you a lot of time and enhance your process of choosing the right font for a logo each time you sit down to design.

How many fonts should you use?

No strict rule restricts the number of fonts you can use in your design since there are a number of factors that comes into play when choosing the right font for your logo. But irrespective of the number of fonts you decide upon, you must have in mind the overall effects you want to achieve when the design is complete. Just like human beings, Fonts have personality, which might sometimes clash if you bring a lot of them together.

You are thus not limited by the number of fonts you can use in your logo design provided that you can manage to achieve harmony when using multiple fonts on the same design. If you will end up with a decorative and striking design, then go ahead and use as many fonts as you want but if you feel you can still use fewer fonts and still get stellar results, nothing stands in your way.

Whereas you are free to use whatever number of fonts you want in your logo, a quick glance at some of the best logos in the world will reveal to you that most of them prefer to stick with one font. By using a single font, they have a chance to send a strong marketing message to the consumer. If they have to use multiple fonts, then these will appear on their other advertising materials or in the logos of sub-brands of the same companies. For proven results, therefore, sticking to one font may be the right thing to do when choosing the right font for a logo design.

The Font Categories

Font category is another factor worth giving consideration when choosing the right font for a logo. The choice of a category should also be guided by the overall aims of the design as well as the particular effects you would want to achieve with the logo design. Once you have determined the objectives of your design, you will find it easy to choose a particular category that will work well for the project at hand.

Font Scale and Proportion

It is rewarding to pay close attention to scale, space and case when choosing the right font for a logo. This is especially important when you are considering using multiple fonts on the same logo design. It is imperative that all the fonts chosen for the design have congruency in terms of scale and proportion so that the final design may have strong overall coherence.

It is not a must that the fonts chosen must be identical in terms of scale and proportion, but you want to look for fonts that are nearly similar or fonts that are entirely different and which will make it easy and simple to create contrast in the logo design.

Use Fonts with Color or Style

Can you imagine using six different fonts, seven colors and four different styles on the same design? If the design is approved for final production, then whoever will be looking at it will have a tough time trying to find out what it is all about if they will have the grace to stick around for that long.

This is not to condemn you in using just a font with a single color or style, but you need to exercise sobriety and be careful not to overdo anything in the logo design. When choosing the right font for a logo, the recommendation as far as color goes is that, no matter the number of fonts chosen, you need to stick to colors in the same saturation or hue. This so that you can have the colors mesh rather than have them clashing on the same design.

On styles, you may have a little more flexibility when choosing the right font for a logo. However, the preferred style must make sense with the weight and emphasis created by the fonts.

Finally, choosing the right font for a logo is something you will be proficient at following a lot of practice and experience. You may get it wrong a couple of times in the beginning, but as you continue to do more designs, it will come second to nature in your designs.

Use this advice on picking the right colors for your fonts!

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