As 2022 slowly rolled around many companies were left wondering what it is that they could incorporate into their brand strategy that would bring in new customers to their businesses. For this reason we have compiled seven trends most likely to be prevalent in the new year that will allow you to gain extra engagement on your content.

Scalability

The need for scalability has been emphasized by many in the design industry, yet a lot of companies still did not feel the need to adapt their visual identities accordingly. Let us show you with a couple of the most famous examples of what it can actually do, when implemented correctly.

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As you can see above, scalability allows the brand identity to be fully represented on the smallest of surfaces. Business cards for example can really benefit from having a down-scaled version of the logo on them, just like the ones that we made for Keytoe.

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Simplicity

Minimalism has been at the forefront of design for the better part of the last decade and we can see a lot of the big brands ditching their elaborate logos to easily understandable wordmarks. This minimizes the effort the customers need to put in to engage with your business.

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This is not to say, however, that it comes without downsides, one of the major weaknesses being forgetability as well as the identity potentially becoming uninspiring and dull. As much as it can be a strong and commanding presence, do contemplate whether or not simplicity is the right move for your brand. Or ask us!

Nostalgia

Long-standing corporations that have decades of market presence may reach back to one of their previous visual identities from a long-forgotten past much like Burger King. The fast-food giant has opted to readapt their corporate identity from 1994 which truly is only a revision of the 1969 classic.

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This move presents the brand as more natural and evokes strong nostalgia from the generations that grew up with this brand instead of the bright and loud version we came to love in the early 2000’s.

It is also a catalyst for other brands like Burger King, especially in the B2C sector to try and shift back as it generates strong emotions in the end users, making them connect and bond with the business.

Muted Colors

There has been a surge of companies opting to use softer tones in their identities as a way to invoke a sense of calmness and familiarity in their customers. With the correct relationships established between the different colors, muted tones can still be eye-catching, just not in the abrasive manner logos from the early 2000’s were.

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Two of the main players to jump on this brand were the aforementioned Burger King as well as the American snack manufacturer Planters. The company have redesigned their logo and their mascot Mr. Peanut countless times in its 116-year-old history, but for the first time they have muted their colors instead of saturating them.

Human Touch

If you have visited any of the biggest brand’s social media pages, you might have come across content that seems more personal and as if it was a private account instead of one belonging to a multibillion dollar company. This is the “admin” phenomenon. Companies have started mentioning each other and their customers as if they were their friends or acquaintances, thereby creating a trend of “admin memes”.

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This kind of human touch can really enhance a brand strategy as it appeals to the customers’ need to truly connect and interact with the corporation as a first-hand experience, rather than an advertisement or any marketing material.

Purpose-Driven Campaigns

People have become tired of the soulless and purely profit-oriented brands and began to express their need to support companies that stand up against the very same issues they do. Corporations that embark on a mission to better the world, be that through social justice, preserving the environment or any other cause related to their surroundings can expect greater sales and engagement from this year onward.

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This is also something that should not be forgotten in the future either, as people become less loyal, and switch over to the competitors of brands that they do not share values with.

Branded Memes

Memes have become a household name on the internet in the past two decades, and these funny images are now being used by brands to promote themselves. One of the great examples is Bugles posting a relatable meme about grocery shopping while also displaying their packaging.

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This smart marketing move can yield you massive amounts of engagement by a large audience worldwide. This, however, is also a major downside to this method as even though you might reach hundreds of thousands of people all over the globe, chances are not many of them are convertible to actual customers. Needless to say, branded memes will still be here and is something that can benefit your brand massively in the long run, just don’t let it be the only bullet point on your branding strategy.

Implement these seven tips in your marketing efforts in the new your and let us know how it went. If you still don’t know where to start, then you can always reach out to us on our social media pages, as well as through info@vyke.design!

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