What are the top logo trends for 2023?

Logo design is greatly influenced by overall design trends that shift from year to year. This year is certainly no different, with many brands looking to make their mark with bold colors and unexpected design elements. Whether you’re considering refreshing your current logo or you’re making something new altogether, keep these 2023 logo trends in mind. 

These are the top 9 logo trends of 2023

You’ll see some emerging themes this year that you can apply to your own designs while using the Namecheap free logo maker:

- More digital uses. As the online world becomes a bigger priority than ever for brands, companies are shifting their thinking from making their logo fit into a digital space to prioritizing digital applications. As an extension of this, you’ll find more black and white logos and monogram logos this year, which helps expand the number of ways it can be applied throughout the web.

- A nod to the unusual. With consumers craving authenticity and approachability this year, some brands are experimenting with innovative and unexpected logo designs. Expect to find more unusual, rule-breaking logos emerging in 2023.

- Cool fonts. Even typing your company’s name can be a work of art. This year is seeing several trends related to typeface treatments, three of which are detailed in this guide.

Keep reading to learn more about 2023’s logo trends:

1. Hand-drawn elements

Squiggles, doodles, and other logo elements that have that human touch are making a major comeback. The driver behind this trend is brand personality. In addition to expressing your company’s voice, sketch-like designs add a personalized, nostalgic feel to a brand. Expect to see perfectly-imperfect shapes, cartoons, and illustrations across multiple sectors in 2023.

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2. Y2K is back

Speaking of nostalgia, there’s a serious craving for turn-of-the-millenium designs right now, from bubble lettering to butterfly icons and beyond. Gen Z is particularly attuned to these types of throwback elements from the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Y2K aesthetic will be a popular choice for brands looking to appeal to this demographic, many of whom are discovering it for the first time, as well as Millennials connecting with the design trends from their formative years.

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3. Monochromatic logos

Monochrome logos are those that only include a single hue in their designs. While an atypical approach, selecting a single bold color and implementing that throughout the logo design is a 2022 trend expected to continue into 2023. Instead of going for the triadic approach or even the complementary color approach, monochromatic brand colors involve using various shades and tones of the main color. These tweaks to make shades lighter, darker, richer, or more faded in appearance come together to create a memorable logo without choosing any other shades.

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4. A refined take on 3D logos

Once a hallmark of the early ‘00s, the 3D logo is new once again. While they may not be literal 3D depictions of objects, animals, or people like they were 20 years ago, the 3D logo of 2023 is more refined and nuanced, bringing this bold design choice back down to earth. The use of techniques like blurring, softer edges, and gradients can help contribute to a 3D look and feel without the bulky, dated aesthetic from the early days of 3D logos.

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

5. Hyperrealist elements

This trend takes 3D logos one step further by making high-resolution logos that look impressively real yet futuristic at the same time. The inspiration for this trend comes primarily from the metaverse, with our offline and online lives starting to blur together into one. Hyperrealistic logos are often AI-generated and make a great fit for innovative, forward-thinking companies that want to be associated with the latest technological capabilities.

Photo by and machines on Unsplash

6. Use of negative space

Negative space is when a designer uses the white area in between elements of a logo in a clever way. The most well-known example of this is the arrow hidden within the FedEx logo, and although FedEx hasn’t rebranded in many years, great use of negative space is making a comeback in 2023. Closely related to optical illusions, negative space creates additional symbolism you can harness to further drive home your brand’s mission and vision.

Photo by Bannon Morrissy on Unsplash

7. Creative lettering

A logo that’s just a brand name is as straightforward as it gets. This year’s trends are taking these simple name-based logos in a new direction. Designers are playing around with how to take this style and elevate it to new heights, so it looks like a logo without adding shapes or other treatments. Instead, they’re purely by using fonts and typefaces in creative ways.

Some common creative lettering trends you’ll see in 2023 include:

- Lowercase lettering. Watch for brand names and slogans showing up in all lowercase letters this year. This design choice makes brands feel accessible and unpretentious while still looking sleek and streamlined. Lowercase can be seen as friendly and approachable without being too casual. 

- Playful serif fonts. This font family is composed of typefaces that include flares at the ends, called “serifs.” In 2023, designers are putting playful twists on this lettering style to make it feel fun and fresh.

- Innovative monograms. This year, some companies are simplifying their logos with the use of monograms, which are sometimes called letter marks. This minimalist approach still leaves room for creativity while resulting in logos that are easier to fit where there’s limited space available, like smartphone apps, mobile websites, and business cards.

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8. Breaking the rules

Think about the logo design elements that are considered foundational principles when creating a logo, like symmetry or simplicity. A lot of those foundational rules will be abandoned in 2023 in favor of more “chaotic” asymmetry or atypical symbols. After a few years of great change, certain values perceived as constrictive and old-fashioned are being thrown out, and flawlessness is often perceived as phony or insincere. By breaking some design rules, logos are able to stand out from the pack and help brands cultivate an identity centered on authenticity.

Photo by Anastasia Zhenina from Pexels

9. Animated logos

Now this is fascinating. In an increasingly digital world, some brands are turning to animations to transform a typically static image into a .gif just right for social media, video, and website use. Keep in mind, though, that an animated logo must have a static alternative: Not every platform or use case can utilize an animated logo, and you need to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward in those circumstances, too.

What about color trends in 2023?

Here are some trendy combinations you can try out as you create your logo or design your cards with Namecheap’s Business Card Maker:

Viva Magenta

It wouldn’t be a color trend guide without mentioning Pantone’s Color of the Year. In 2023, the color of the year is Viva Magenta, a crimson red shade that’s undeniably vibrant and captivating. This color was selected for its “vim and vigor,” according to Pantone. Viva Magenta is meant to symbolize strength, bravery, and fearlessness, creating an optimistic outlook for the future. This color is seen as powerful and passionate, marking 2023 as the year to approach branding with a bold and confident outlook.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Black and white

Even in a year that’s embracing the bold monochromatic look, black and white are still just as trendy. This color combo is certainly a classic, and it’s always been necessary for your brand, as a black and white version of your logo may be required for applications like printing your logo on company giveaways. In 2023 though, more brands are considering leaving color behind altogether for this unmistakably crisp and clear aesthetic. Just like in 2022, expect to see more black and white logos pop up as a brand’s primary design in 2023.

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Super saturation

Bold colors have been growing in popularity over the last few years, but in 2023, you can expect the saturation to be turned up even higher. Vivid neon tones are becoming more prevalent, and these instantly eye-catching, youthful colors can be great for building brand awareness. Expect to see hues like acid green and hot pink continue to make their way into logo designs throughout the year.

Photo by Moritz Mentges on Unsplash

‘70s tones

Sofer shades from the 1970s are also expected to pop up in 2023. Many of these tones evoke elements of nature and have a laid-back, groovy quality that’s both inviting and warm. Avocado green, harvest gold, rust orange, and earthy brown are some of the main colors you’ll find when exploring color trends in this family. 

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Are logos always on trend?

Brand logos are intended to last for several years once they’re made, so designers tend to embrace more timeless elements than tapping into “hot for now” trends. However, it’s only natural — and inevitable — that a logo design is a reflection of the era in which it was created. So when you’re designing a logo for your business, taking design trends into account is simply a part of the process.

Whenever you look at a logo and immediately place it as a relic of the ‘80s or a retro disco throwback, that’s because the design trends of that era played a part in informing how that logo was designed. It may seem hard to imagine this in the here and now, but in 10 years, a logo designed in 2023 will be clearly associated with that era.

Explore these logo trends with the Namecheap logo maker

With Namecheap’s free Logo Maker, you can try 2023’s logo trends for yourself to find the combination that works for you. 

Our easy-to-use Logo Maker lets you choose your shapes, colors, and typeface to create a unique mark that best represents your brand’s mission and values. The Logo Maker’s vast library of icons offers plenty of options to select the ready-made symbol that best represents your business, no design degree required. Export the logo as a .png file when done to upload it to your website, social media, and other digital applications. Best of all, Logo Maker integrates directly with other Namecheap tools so you can quickly and easily add your logo to business cards and websites as well.

Whether you opt for pops of acid green or earthy brown, make a play for creative use of negative space, or simply want to pick a memorable typeface, Namecheap’s Logo Maker makes it happen. Get started today by creating your free account!