2021 Brand & Design Trends
As we start to think about waving goodbye to 2020, and let’s be honest, all breathe a collective sigh of relief, we’ve taken a look at some of the brand and design trends we expect to see in the coming 12 months.
Trends that emerge from the creative industry are often a reflection or a reaction to external socio-economic influences and events; so it’s safe to say the creative barrel is full of opportunity!
In this blog we’ll explore some of the trends expected to heavily influence the branding space in the coming years, and how marketeers can make the most of them.
What are the top brand & design trends for 2021?
Muted colours
Muted colours are gaining increasing popululairty in many different industries from banking to social media management platforms. The reduced saturation and intensity evokes a sense of calm, understanding, and positivity; everything a customer wants to feel right now.
These more analogous color palettes are far from boring, and turning down the dial on the intensity of your colour palette doesn’t mean you’re reducing your options, there are just as many possibilities. Muted shades can blend together harmoniously, achieving an easy on-the-eye scroll friendly experience for customers.
Take a look at how Klarna & Crowdcube have alreday been using muted colours across their social media posts:
Image source: @Klarna and @Crowdcube
Animated logos
Brands are constantly vying for our attention; the simple fact of the matter is that longer engagement times dramatically increase the chance of a sale and us becomming a loyal customer. We’ve all seen the increase in video content over the last few years, but now it’s the turn of previously static logo’s. Bringing these iconic ‘stamps’ to life pique interest and help to add personality to a business.
Image source: UX Collective
While we see the likes of Google leading the way, you certainy don’t need to be a multi-million pound company to transform your logo into something exciting. Even the simplest of animations can create a great impact!
Text and animation video marketing
This year marketing teams have been forced to react to the way in which video content is produced. 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week, so it’s easy to see why video marketing cannot simply be ignored.
With standard filming and video production impacted by the pandemic, we’ve seen an emerging trend towards the use of animation and text. It’s quicker, simpler and easier to create in that all important ‘socially distanced’ way, and we expect this fashion to continue as we find our feet again in 2021.
Check out Samsung’s text based animation social videos:
Source: @Samsunguk
Authenticity
We all feel happier in the company of brands we feel like we can trust. It makes it easier to part with our money, and builds long term loyalty. Building authenticity into your brand means your customers don’t feel like you are hiding anything and humanizes the culture of the entire business.
The key to real authenticity is not just walking the walk, but also talking the talk. A campaign around UGC (user generated content), or a series of blogs that give interesting insights into the different parts of your business add layers of personality and builds that all important brand equity.
When Dove launched its Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004 (now the Dove Self-Esteem Project) it transformed itself from an everyday soap company a soap company with meaning. Their new mission statement was that ‘beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety.’ That mantra continues today and can clearly be seen through their marketing campaigns:
Source: @Dove
Key takeaways
Some of the 2021 design and brand trends will be a product of the current years events, while others will rise up in opposition to overdone fashions. Either way, the focus on inclusivity, hopefulness and positivity will be essential.
Watch out 2021, we’re coming to get you!