Oversimplified Logos NEED TO GO: Why They Are AWFUL

Here is the long awaited minimalism rant! I have planned this video for quite some time. But with the recent logos such as the Pringles guy, Firefox Logo, and many others, there is a rising problem with oversimplified logos. But why is that? I'll address all the issues I have with minimalism in this video.

[Demeech]

Viewable dislikes are gone. This video got mostly positive reception.

[Pixelcraftian]

Can we just have the old 2000s logos back? I've asked this countless times yet the answer is always no.

Wonder if we're ever gonna have a phase LIKE the minimalism phase, but it's back to skeuomorphism

[Tikltip]

The worst part is your fake logos look like real things companies would do

[nizzyjut]

Honestly, the new pringles logo makes me want to NOT buy pringles anymore

[lucassworldofletsplays]

“Unfortunately, this logo looks too appealing. Let’s fix it!” That line made me laugh harder than anything else in the video. And you said it right before ruining the logo of one of my favorite fast food restaurants, which somehow made it even funnier!

[Tricky_Nick]

They named it dunkin because the logo got diabetes and the "donuts" needed to be amputated

[EldrinOS]

One of the biggest problems with this trend is that they have a really bad habit of ignoring a basic design rule: to make a shape memorable it needs to have a unique silhouette. Apple can get away with it because the base of the logo they use is literally an apple, with a bite taken out of it. That reads cleanly with or without the rainbow gradient it used to have. McDonald’s can sorta get away with it because the Golden Arches are deeply tied to their branding identity already and it has a silhouette that stands off of the backgrounds it’s placed on. A lot of the minimalist revisions that are coming along just don’t have a unique or evocative shape to them, just a circle or a chamfered square - with the Pringles example simplifying and removing the hair means at a glance, I can’t tell that’s a Pringles can from a distance anymore without having to read the logotype. And I’m saying this as a guy who really likes minimalism as a concept: strip away what distracts from your point. But if you go overboard, all you have left is the beginnings of hieroglyphs, and this time there’s no Rosetta Stone for you to use.

[davymachinegun]

The problem isn't even the style itself but how EVERYONE is switching to it without even thinking "but does it fit with our product and brand personality?"
Many companies used minimalism in their logo long before this current trend. But they did it because their brand was associated with simplicity and comfort and they used the style to communicate those ideas to the consumer. Because that's what the style is all about. While the general shapes and mascots communicate what you do, the way you render those shapes and mascots communicate *how* you do it and for whom. The latter point seem to be completely lost on the current wave of graphic artists. They think minimalism is this ultimate style that magically fits anything. It doesn't.
A logo for a children's entertainment company should not follow the same design guidelines used for a banking app logo.
An icon for a free mp3 player should not give the same vibes as an icon for a thousand dolar design software (I'm looking at you Winamp)

[randyreynolds]

as a Graphic Designer I have been fighting this tooth and nail for 2 decades. It seams the schools are teaching non artist and giving them degrees as graphic designers. But sadly design they can not.

[Olivia-W]

The Mastercard logo _really_ didn't need a makeover. It was instantly recognisable, and was already almost minimalist...

[SoshiTheYoshi]

All this started because of one ugly redesign on a package for chips

[bheronz]

If Wendy's actually changed their logo into an oversimplified one, then the world is truly ending.

[insertaccountnamehere]

I guess Dunkin' doesn't serve doughnuts anymore...

[hideshisface]

The funniest part, that in cases of some of these logos, like mastercard - it makes it impossible to properly copyright, because of how generic it is.

The two circles overlapping is a literal diagram format used in presentations or... memes.

They basically claim that "less is more" forgetting that sometimes less is literally just less...
I mean.
Look at the current Patreon logo - what even is that? WHAT IS THAT?!

Also - you missed the opportunity with Wendy's logo - you could have gone with yellow background and red W - literally reverse Mac's logo. Because why not.

[graycosmics]

I am actually studying in advertising and marketing rn for university and I think minimalism makes sense in certain contexts if you want to change your brand image. Like imo it doesn’t make sense for Nick to change their logo cause their brand image was already solid and not a weakness but some companies you mention do need the changes like Dunkin’ Donuts because their brand identity needed to change as they no longer wanted identify with donuts. This is because they want to get more attention in the specialty coffee business and also want to stay away from donuts because more ppl are health conscious today. So their rebrand keeps the dunkin donuts identity but stops the negative connotation that comes from donuts. Minimalism can be effective but it needs to be either for a brand that already has a sleek and upscale brand image like Starbucks or brands that need to change to minimalism to change the brands connotation like dunkin.

[Ridter]

Instead of being all cool, flashy and eye-catching, Mario Kart 9’s logo is just “mariokart 9” written out in the Arial font, coloured red and the the M in Mario and K in Kart are not even capital letters

[kyandoesanimation]

I love how the end card has everything simplified. It just makes me laugh

[matthewyoung]

I love how such a small thing means so much to people that it is snowballing into an internet backlash.

Something deep down just insists that this is horrible and needs to be stopped, and I think it's so funny that others have the same impulse.

[UndefinedUser]

At this rate logos will literally just become solid shades of colors in a few years...

[ispaper]

who remembers when 'Firefox' was called "Mozilla Firefox"? and when the logo was pretty?
i do, and i miss it