Design is a bit like fashion, going through cycles where a particular style or ethos dominates for a time.
Check out Scott Hansen’s work as ISO50 for retro-organic, combining warmth with modernism (Hansen also records music as Tycho, which sound like the audio equivalent of his design — it’s worth a listen).
Then there’s corporate America. Here are some logos from the 80′s and 90′s:
Compare those to corporate logos of today:
When it comes to rules for good design, it can helpful for guiding the process and making logo use effective and efficient (especially for the many uses of a logo in digital form). But, do rules for design kill innovation? And aren’t they fluid? 20-30 year-olds probably recognize the AT&T logo circa the 80′s and 90′s as distinct from the current one. Same goes for UPS.

AT&T and UPS: Old vs. New
Goodlogo.com is, well, a good logo site for comparing corporate design trends. Check it out. What do you think about logo design and these 45 rules (or should we say: suggestions)?





Social media fad, frenzy, or fluff? What do you think?
Is social media just a fad? The Huffington Post breaks down the stats and claims behind a video based on Erik Qualman’s book Socialnomics. When your mom and dad are playing FarmVille on Facebook, you know this social media thing is the real deal.