Is a trendy brand design right for you?

What goes around comes around.

On a recent Pinterest-zombie-scroll evening, I was shocked to see a trending search term show up in my feed: “Y2K Fashion.” Time really does fly, because I still feel like as a society we just left the 00’s haute couture of garish bandanas, jelly shoes, and low-rise jeans (all of which I rocked at the time, thank you very much). Yet here is the next generation, vigorously embracing the latest trend of what must now be considered “vintage” Y2K fashion.

Unsurprisingly, I’ve also seen a resurgence of “Y2K-inspired” design hitting the branding scene as the latest trend. Neon green and soft lavender color palettes; collage-style web layouts; brand photos featuring models sporting tiny rectangular sunglasses. What goes around comes around: What went around the halls of high schools 20 years ago is now coming around the web browsers of 2022.

As a business owner, it’s tempting to see the latest trends and feel hopelessly behind the times. Is it time for a rebrand? Or, if you’re already considering a rebrand, should your business be the next one to jump on the latest branding bandwagon? (or the “brandwagon”, perhaps? Nope? Okay.)

From my experience and observation, there’s an art AND a science behind pulling off a trending brand design. 

Just like not everyone could rock the low-rise jeans of the 00’s, not every brand can (or should) rock the latest branding trend.

In this post, we’re going to ask if an ultra-modern brand design is right for your business and address the most important considerations if you decide to go the trendy route for your brand design.

Before you get sucked into the latest brand design hype…

It’s 4:00 on a Monday afternoon. Your coffee just wore off and you’re supposed to be working, which means you’re really just scrolling Instagram, and you see it: your biggest competitor just posted their new brand reveal. Even if you don’t know much about design, you know this looks super trendy, and you feel that suddenly, by comparison, your brand is falling behind.

It’s tempting to succumb to branding FOMO (fear of missing out) when you see the next latest-and-greatest. But this is a slippery, slippery slope, one that can cost you much more than you believe you’ll gain.

Before you get sucked into the latest brand design hype and start calling your neighborhood brand designer (*cough* schedule a call with us *cough*) for a makeover, ask yourself:

Is your brand actually evolving, or are you just chasing a trend?

Before pursuing a trendy brand design, it’s critical to ascertain if you are making a strategic decision or one that’s based in fear of being left out of the market.

You see, trendy brand design is actually strategic, as we’ll see in the following sections. In order to be done well, it has to be done right. It’s not for every business, and it may or may not be right for yours. Trust me, your target audience will smell a mile away whether your trendy rebrand is the real deal or just trying to follow the in-crowd.

So then: who can pull off an ultra-trendy brand design, and who shouldn’t?

What kind of business should have a trendy brand design?

Whether or not your brand should go trendy is actually a strategic choice that is based on—you guessed it—a solid brand strategy. This decision must be made consciously, intentionally, and never from a place of “keeping up with the cool kids”.

Pursuing a trendy brand design is never a question of personal aesthetic—it’s a strategic, intentional decision.

Let’s take a look at some of the qualifications I would recommend for a brand that would be an ideal candidate for a trendy, ultra-modern brand design:

Serves a young demographic

With their TikTok dances, e-girl aesthetic, and taste in music that slaps, a younger target audience is the prime market for ultra-modern, trendy brand design. It’s no secret that pop culture belongs to the young, and the trendiest of brands fit right into the cultural zeitgeist of the day. If your ideal customer is in or around the 18-24 year-old range, you should consider adopting an ultra-trendy brand visual identity.

Cultivates a strong internet presence

It goes without saying that today’s pop culture is heavily influenced by the internet. In order to stay current, your brand will need to maintain a strong online presence through frequent social media usage to stay abreast of the latest e-trends.

Disrupts the market or breaks stereotypes

I most frequently see the brands that successfully pull off ultra-modern visual identities being ones that offer a product or service that either disrupts the market or breaks a stereotype of some sort. A trendy brand design often goes hand-in-hand with this tone of rebellion or social disruption, going against the grain of tradition or convention. While this can be done by any brand, it’s best carried out by those that strike a unique edge in their market.

Employs a marketing and branding team

It’s going to take a lot of time and resources to stay on top of an ultra-modern brand. The amount of content needing to be posted in order to stay relevant online or the time needed to become familiar with the latest digital trends is enough for a small (or large) team to handle. While a one-man or one-woman show can get the job done, I wouldn’t recommend solopreneurs going down this path unless internet culture comes easily to them.

Which businesses shouldn’t try to pull off a trendy brand design?

It’s a fact of life that rules are meant to be broken. While I believe any business can pull off a trendy design, similar to the section above, we’re going to dive into characteristics, not industries, that wouldn’t be a good fit for ultra-trendy branding.

Serves an older or more conservative demographic

If your brand aims to serve a more mature demographic (say, 40+ years old) or a more conservative demographic (for example, moms seeking safe products for their children), a trendy brand design may be off-putting and alienating.

Has a sense of trust or respectability

Brands that seek to communicate a sense of trustworthiness or respect would find their efforts diminished by a very modern brand design. Note that this doesn’t mean specific industries: for example, a financial institution that seeks to bring banking into the 21st century appealing to Gen Z or younger Millennials would benefit well from a more modern brand design that nods to the brand’s attempts to break industry norms. On the other hand, a bank that seeks to assure its customers that their financial assets are secure would not benefit from a trendy brand design.

Struggle from brand insecurity

Is your business actually evolving, or are you just chasing fads? When your brand is built upon a solid brand strategy before visuals, you will know if a more edgy, trendy brand design is right for you. However, businesses that try to build a brand without this foundation in place first will continually struggle from brand insecurity, constantly chasing the next hot trend in branding or worse, always lagging in their competitors’ footsteps. If this sounds like you, let’s bring clarity and stability to your brand identity - book a free consultation with us today to learn more.

Critical considerations before pursuing a trendy brand design

So you’ve gone through the qualifications above and you think your brand would look ah-mah-zing with an ultra-trendy aesthetic. Great! 

Not so fast…

Before you commit to neon green and ‘90s-inspired fonts, let’s consider a few critical components to pulling off an ultra-modern brand design:

Trendy brand aesthetics have a short shelf life

Unsurprisingly, what’s in vogue today will likely be outdated (or cheugy, as Gen Z says. See? I’m learning!) tomorrow. Brands that pursue a very modern, trendy visual design will find themselves going out of style more quickly than those that pursue more timeless or classic identities.

If you want to pursue a trendy brand design, you have to be able and willing to change it up every few years.

True—every brand at some point will look outdated, as everything is a product of the times they’re in. However, brand identities that are intended to endure longer are designed with a more timeless aesthetic that is less dependent on the hype of the day. 

It’s an unpopular opinion, but I actually believe brands that intentionally choose ultra-trendy as a strategic aesthetic can and should go through this evolution process—as long as it’s intentional and strategic. It can be as simple as a gentle evolution every few years so as not to confuse your audience.

Believe it or not, this can be done well! What’s critical is having a brand strategy in place to ground the brand. This way, it’s simply the visual design changing (and not changing dramatically except in the case of a clean-sweep redesign) while the overall foundational tone of the brand stays the same.

Don’t go it alone

For brands pursuing a trendy aesthetic, it is essential to have a brand manager on staff or on retainer to continually assess your brand and guide any evolution that needs to take place. There is a very fine line between evolving with the times and brand identity crisis that risks alienating your customers or presenting a sloppy, unconfident brand image. A brand manager will keep your strategy in mind first and foremost, assessing the aesthetic of your brand over time, and preserving the foundation of your brand strategy as your brand’s visual identity evolves.

Without a firm foundation, the house will collapse

If you can only remember one thing from this blog post, remember that trendy brand design is only appropriate for brands that choose it strategically.

Trendy brand design is only appropriate for brands that choose it strategically.

Only if your brand fits the mold of serving a younger demographic, breaking industry standards or stereotypes, or evoking a bit of a rebellious or youthful identity should you consider pursuing a trendy brand design.

If you’re unsure about the strategy of your brand (or don’t even have a strategy in place), that’s exactly what we at Author are here for! We help businesses just like yours understand who they are, what they do, and who they do it for and build an intentional plan for growing and maintaining a brand upon that clarity. Stop chasing fads or leaving your brand up to whims: let’s strengthen your foundation today.