Top 7 Branding Trends to Follow in 2023

Brands should be regarded as living things. As with all living things, they must grow, change, and evolve. Simply remaining stagnant will eventually "kill" a brand. Consumers' needs and industry trends go changing as well. Your brand needs to reflect these changes to keep connecting with customers. People need to feel connected to a brand to stay loyal.

"While there are many things that may influence branding trends, one thing for sure is that the future is about showing how your brand lives its values." - 99desings

Without a doubt, it's necessary to keep your brand evolving. You may ask yourself: How can I successfully do this? No worries! We have the top branding trends to follow in 2023 to keep your brand relevant, fresh, and engaging for your customers.

Top branding trends for 2023

Here are the trends that we recommend keeping an eye on:

1. Nostalgic Brand Marketing
2. Humanized Brands
3. Overstimulated branding
4. "New Eco"
5. Substituting letters for icons
6. Statement Typography
7. Animated Logos

1. Nostalgic Brand Marketing

Unfortunately, many people feel overwhelmed by all the uncertainty and divisiveness we experience daily. This trend is all about embracing a different era. Your brand could transport your customer to a different time in history. Experiencing something familiar from a simpler time can be immensely comforting for people. This trend creates an immediate connection with consumers by presenting them with influences familiar to them from the past.

"The benefits of nostalgia are clear – it's a strategy that allows brands to express themselves in an engaging, vibrant way while pulling on the heartstrings and memories of their customers." -  Kelsie Rimmer, Envato

Another plus for using nostalgic brand marketing is you can improve the chances of boosting customer trust and brand recall. This is supported by a 2017 Nielsen study that revealed advertising aligned with emotions yields better results (Nielsen, 2017).

2. Humanized Brands

Unsurprisingly, customers don't always trust brands. Brands have to work intelligently to earn customers' trust and loyalty. However, humanizing your brand by attaching a personality to it can go a long way in helping to connect to audiences.

According to the Sprout Social Index, customers look for brands that show a personality.

"As could be expected, shoppers want companies to be honest (86%), friendly (83%), and helpful (78%). However, aside from these qualities, shoppers also like brands that are funny (72%), trendy (43%), politically correct (39%), and snarky (33%). These behaviors make it easier for customers to relate to a particular brand." - Finances Online

For example, Old Spice has become much more approachable by using quirky humor on social media:

3. Overstimulated branding

Have you ever heard the phrase less is more? Well, this trend is absolutely the opposite of that. In some cases, sometimes more is the way to go. This unapologetically fun trend uses visual imagery and eye-catching color to get attention and "explode" your senses.

"This trend often uses bright colors, bold and distorted fonts, and in-your-face icons or logos. Visually, these brands look like they have a lot going on through the use of patterns, scattered illustrations, and maxing out space." - 99designs

Plus, these designs give audiences a sense of joy from the powerful colors and fun energy.

"In addition, brands will be looking to align their visual identity with specific colors to boost brand recognition. Color can be branding all on its own; just think about the McDonald's red-and-yellow." - Kelsie Rimmer, Envato

4. "New Eco"

Basically, this would be the opposite of the trend we just looked at, overstimulated blending. However, it's not to be mistaken for minimalism design which focuses on using beiges, whites, and neutrals with a lot of blank space. Instead, this trend believes in doing more with less. It's all about making a bigger impact with fewer elements.

This trend focuses on using only what is necessary to communicate a brand's message, tone, and personality. It expresses the sentiment that we live in a time of excess when we should live more simply. Brands are responding by pushing back by doing more with less.

5. Substituting letters for icons

This quirky branding style can help your brand stand out and become more memorable to audiences. Changing a character for an icon or illustration can be a fun way to show your logo or brand name. If you decide to apply this trend, you must be very clever and ensure it's an integral part that helps bring all the lettering together.

"The added icon is a visual cue that allows people to quickly learn something about the brand. In a world where our attention spans are shorter, the quicker a brand can grab our attention and our understanding, the better." - 99designs

6. Statement Typography

Designers are now leaning into more typographic flourishes to set brands apart. The 2023 typography trends signal a move towards eccentricity and variety, in line with cinema, streaming, social media, and product branding in the year ahead. This trend is a sure way to make people pay attention.

"The fascination with minimal sans-serif typography is making way for statement typography, with plenty of designers embracing wild and wacky fonts to help their work stand out from the crowd." - Kelsie Rimmer, Envato

Take a look at this video that predicts what typography trends will be popular in this upcoming year:

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7. Animated Logos

Animated brand logos help to express your brand's personality. The shift to video-based content has changed the power of traditional branding. This trend is eye-catching and, if done right, can be fun for audiences.  

"Animation is a unique way for brands to tell their story and stand out from the crowd while allowing marketers to package a brand's message into a concise, intriguing, and entertaining narrative that will stick in consumers' minds like a static image cannot." Ruby, founder of The Brand Kit

New Year, New You!

While deciding which branding trends are best to follow, always remember who your customers are and their needs. After all, your brand should speak to your audience and connect with them. Whichever trends you choose to apply, keep in mind that they should help to build the relationship between your brand and your loyal customers. You'll even help attract new people to your brand if done right. Here's to having a very successful upcoming year!

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