- I think that clustering this final group
of trends together under the heading of style
is terribly appropriate to what we do as designers.
The word style literally derive from the Latin word stilus,
or the tool they used to create the written word
or the drawn picture.
The word came to represent individuality of expression
because it was accepted
that the stilus created nothing on its own,
it was dependent on us to express or evoke
an essence that illustrated our intent.
If we imagine that stilus creating letter forms,
for instance, say letter S,
we know instantly that each of these are the same letters,
but look at the breadth of expression
based on the characteristics.
If you were designing a logo,
you could imagine a different client or brand proponent
that would respond to the style of any of these.
But as designers,
we take that same opportunity of expression
to another level completely.
Whether it's in the form of an initial or some other symbol,
we convey the essence of our client's brand using
the visual tools we know will extract
just the proper response.
This is mechanical with rugged precision.
This is sophisticated, artsy, handcrafted,
tech, aspirational,
soft, fuzzy, and a little bit creepy.
I think you get the idea.
We build multiple deep layers of connotations
into our designs by becoming matchmakers
between our client and the style we implement
to elicit the desired reaction.
I think the intuitive reaction
evoked by the dog tag trend goes back
to the unpretentious style in which they were created.
There's that certain charm, beauty, and finality
that attaches itself to the idea of cramming
all of your vital stats onto a small metal lozenge
with a limit of say 72 characters.
With limited space, decisions are made
as information goes through the triage
of suspect abbreviations, dropped details,
and just determining what's critical and what's not.
A cadence is evident when looking at these solutions
that disregards kerning, or lettering modifications
as words swing around the inside of curves
and tend to consume every iota of space.
And though dog texts may allow an additional typeface
just squeezed into the solution,
they're often crafted with an unremarkable font
with a single weight and point size.
For the client these logos represent,
they exhibit simplicity and functionality
that's forthright and honest.
The text itself becomes decoration
or a pattern used to define or repeat the shape of the tag,
which exhibits a certain level of resourcefulness.
As a rule, these logos avoid using graphic symbols
in the letter mix, which means the external shape
becomes the sole iconic signal.
Finding the client with just the right aesthetic
for these marks to represent is key.
Like the right style on the wrong person,
these logos unintentional nature is completely intentional.