Spotlight: Animated Logos as Primary Brand Signature
Logos are changing. As we approach greater levels of technological achievement, branding is adding another layer of depth to the fold. No, it’s not broad levels of adaptability a la the new AOL logo; this is something completely different. The trend I’m referring to is the animated logo as the primary brand signature.
In Current’s brand introduction video, shown after the jump, we see very organic motion with the “flag” that the logo appears upon. Something to note is that while stopping the video on most frames, the full wordmark is at least partially visible. It goes without saying that the identity is very dynamic. Wolff Olins should be proud.
The first thing I think about this concept is: how does it work with analog forms of media? You can’t animate anything that’s printed on a sheet of paper. The way that companies who’ve embraced this type of logo have handled this problem is by either developing a separate logo (defeats the purpose) or taken one “frame” from the animation and used it (jury’s still out). SECCA, the South Eastern Centre for Contemporary Art, is one of the examples of a brand-in-motion. SECCA has taken the latter approach–they take many “frames” of the animation and use them in different areas. Spacing, placement, and even color in some cases are different among these single-frame logos.
The lush, surrounding greenery of North Carolina, and lively, contemporary art create a supportive environment for such an innovative logo concept. I think this is certainly a case of good representation on the part of the Centre’s branding system, especially because of the logo being used almost exclusively in analog media. Nice work, Pentagram, as usual.
Another study can be done about the new logo of media outlet Current, which was just written up by Brand New the other day. Right off the bat I thought Current would have an easier time implementing this animated logo due to being a primarily digital brand. This identity was also developed in motion first and static second, however the static logo does not seem to be a frame taken from the animation (look closely). The logo featured on most printed media has a light fold as a nod to it being a flag, and reminds me of the New Era logo somewhat. It’s smooth, bold typography and stark black and white palette create a very nice mark. While I don’t think the use of the frames as secondary and tertiary marks make as much sense as SECCA’s, I do think they work.
The logo no longer has to be a one-color, static mark anymore. There will always be static applications for an identity, but in the cases of SECCA and Current, designers and companies are starting to think of dynamic applications first. Everyday, brands take measures to add visual dynamism, making it a very exciting time for designers, consumers, and the companies they represent.
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