Truth bomb: Following trends can be dangerous for brands
Before we dive into why design trends may be dangerous for your brand, it’s important to note that if you aren’t aware of said design trends, you won’t know you’re sailing into troubled waters. Building trust with your designer is absolutely pivotal in creating an effective brand identity so you can ensure you have a unique brand identity that’s 100% tailored to your business.
Here are three burning hot reasons why your brand identity needs to avoid design trends.
You’ll lack originality.
When a brand's design is too similar to other brands, especially any competitor, it can be difficult for customers to differentiate YOUR brand and for you to stand out.
Your brand will quickly become dated.
Just like the script writing logo trend of 2012, following design trends too closely can make a brand look dated quickly, as trends come and go.
Your visuals won’t align with each other or with your brand values.
Following design trends without considering if they align with the brand's values, message or target audience can lead to a lack of coherence and effectiveness in your communication, leading to a skewed brand perception. This will ultimately leave your audience feeling confused and lose trust in your brand.
To be fair, there are some exceptions to this rule, but your brand identity should absolutely be unique and memorable.
When can following design trends be beneficial?
Marketing Campaigns with a short life.
Following design trends in short life span marketing campaigns or collateral can help a brand stay current and relevant in the market. As long as it’s still recognisable as your brand, using design trends can make your target market notice you’re in touch with today’s landscape.
Following design trends can also help a brand attract new customers who may not have noticed them otherwise
Updating your website.
Keeping up with digital design trends can help improve the user experience and SEO performance of your website. Google is constantly updating their SEO criteria which is often reflected in how websites adapt to new technologies and outputs. For example, video content is trending at the moment for obvious visual reasons, but it’s also favourable to Google in terms of increased engagement, dwell time and sharing, all of which wins brownie (ranking) points.
It's important to remember that while following design trends can be beneficial in some instances, it should not be done blindly and should always align with your brand's values, message, and target audience. It’s important to also consider the trend’s longevity and how it will evolve over time.
