Why are all fashion logos becoming the same?

Matteo Modica 17.12.2018 5 MIN. READ

Maybe you’ve seen it too: a few days ago on BoingBoing appeared an article entitled “Interesting logos are being replaced by boring ones”, which highlights, graphics in hand, how fashion logos are all becoming a bit similar. Let’s talk about recent redesign that have raised quite a few criticisms: YvesSaintLaurent, Burberry, Balenciaga, Berluti, Balmain (by the way, almost all with a B!). But we could also add Céline.

That they all look alike is incontrovertible. But BoingBoing‘s thesis is that it depends on a lack of imagination of designers. I don’t entirely agree with that, I think there are several forces at work.

luxury fashion digital experience

Photo by Derick Anies on Unsplash

The Millennials are a no-logo generation

The millennials, we know, are the luxury market’s future and partial present. And millennials have a special relationship with logos and brands: grown up in an overabundance of logos, they have developed a healthy resistance to the pressures of branding and prefer neutral and almost invisible brands that they can customize as they like. Logos are used ostentatiously only in an ironic way, while the absence of the logo is a value.

There is a strong need for modernity

Luxury is updated, like any other industry, but its logos often remain behind for understandable reasons of heritage and brand value. But if we look at the logos of Burberry and YSL we all agree that they convey an idea of ancient, aristocratic luxury.

The market is global

Today’s luxury markets are global: China, first and foremost, but India is also starting to make its way. And the logos of fashion houses often betray a strongly European heritage (Burberry was super British, YSL extra French). For a long time we assumed this was an advantage. Today, however, global markets are no longer in awe of European brands (think of the recent case of Dolce&Gabbana), so even luxury loses some of its roots and becomes global, therefore more neutral.

The digital drives

Do you want a logo that works well on mobile, can be read at every resolution and you have no time or desire to imagine it responsive? Well, then these logos are perfect.

luxury brands rush

Photo by Boris Stefanik on Unsplash

Even luxury brands are in a hurry

That’s a sore point. In a fast economy, nobody has time anymore. When Riccardo Tisci, Burberry‘s creative director, asked designer Peter Saville (who isn’t exactly the latest arrival) for a new identity, he asked him for four months. Tisci gave him four weeks. Not content, he also jokingly posted the email exchange on Burberry’s Instagram profile.

This is perhaps the saddest aspect of the story: while many of the forces at work are strategic, the compression of the time allowed for branding is, in my opinion, short-sighted. It creates very similar logos because designers, deprived of time, rightly rely on simplicity. But it is the same for everyone.

AUTHOR:

Matteo Modica —
Founder & Creative Director

A tireless purveyor of quality, Matteo manages every branding and communication project down to the details, leading creative teams to always express their best.

Virtual fashion events need real-world scenographers

As the pandemic grounded all events – including fashion events – to a halt, virtualization became sexy. But how do you make it immersive?

Strategy for jewelry brands: do you know your audience?

Jewelry customers differ wildly. Knowing who is going to buy your jewels makes all the difference for structuring your brand.

Fashion websites should be digital trips

Fashion brands have a long experience in breaking rules, inspiring us and taking us to distant worlds. Why does this not happen on digital?

How do you design a logo for the luxury market?

Entering the luxury market is not an easy feat to accomplish for a brand. Attempting it with the wrong logo can be an utter disaster.

How to choose the best branding agency for your project

Creating a brand is such a sensitive matter, you will want to make sure you pick the right partner for the job. Here’s what to look for.

How to define a brand tone of voice you will actually use

Tone of voice is essential for your brand identity, but will you ever use that nice document or will it just sit somewhere on your hard disk?

How we created a boutique branding agency

Sublimio’s founder Matteo Modica shares his experience in starting and developing a boutique branding agency over the years.

What can a boutique branding agency do for you?

Does branding require a large agency? Not really. Here is what brands can expect when working with a boutique.

Do you have to redo the logo? How to write the brief for the designer

A complete briefing helps the designer to work better and faster, and the company to get the logo it had in mind. Here are 11 essential points.

New logo vs. restyling: what is the best choice for a brand?

Like a custom-made suit, even a logo ages. And here the doubt often arises: change it completely or opt for a restyling?

What designers don’t tell their clients

There’s nothing more dangerous than a designer who just says yes. I say this as a designer, but I do it in the interests of my customers.

Why doesn’t your brand work?

When a brand doesn’t work every communication initiative is accompanied by enormous efforts. Here are some possible causes (and solutions).

Should luxury brands leave social networks?

A complete briefing helps the designer to work better and faster, and the company to get the logo it had in mind. Here are 11 essential points.

When a professional works for free

Are there situations in which it is legitimate, permitted or simply reasonable to adapt one’s professionalism to the context?

Five things I learned in 2018

Let’s start with number one: the importance of saying “I don’t know”.

Will digital flatten the world of luxury?

What does it mean to be a luxury brand in a world where everything is digital and free?

Fashion brands now live on stories

Something is happening, in the fashion world and specifically in the fashion brand communication: from image, fashion is becoming a story.

You’re already doing personal branding (even if you don’t do anything)

Some of us believe in it, others despise it. But all of us are doing personal branding, constantly. We just don’t realize it.

The founder’s effect: how much should your brand look like you?

Is it obvious that a brand should reflect the nature of the founder? The answer is blurred and comes from my personal experience.

BROWSE MORE ARTICLES

You read what we think.

Now see what we can do.

SEE THE WORK ABOUT SUBLIMIO