Deciding Whether Motion is Right for Your Logo
Deciding whether motion is right for a logo involves careful evaluation of your brand’s needs and context. As Becca Jones, a designer at award-winning agency Ilk explains, “It really depends on two key factors: where the logo will live, and the core concept behind it.”
01. Generation Logistics by ilk
Sometimes a brand naturally lends itself to motion, and here’s a clear example. Generation Logistics is a government and industry backed recruitment campaign in the UK, designed to encourage young people to pursue a career in the logistics sector. ilk was challenged to name and brand the initiative, as well as executing a cross-channel brand strategy covering digital, PR, OOH advertising and paid and organic social.
02. Mubi by Spin Studio
Cinema is another area that naturally lends itself to movement: they are called ‘motion pictures’ for a reason. And here’s a great example from Spin Studio.
03. KRO-NCRV by Thonik
KRO-NCRV is a public broadcasting company focused on serving the needs of Christians in the Netherlands. They turned to Thonik to create a fresh, colourful identity system that ties together 270 individual programs with a unifying, yet distinct, visual language. And the agency put motion at the heart of the redesign.
04. Boitano by Opening Hours
Logistics, cinema and TV are all topics with movement at their core, but that’s not the only reason to use motion in design. It can also convey a broader message, and here’s a great example of that.
05. Tesseract by Sawdust
Tesseract is a company that collaborates with artists, designers, musicians, celebrities, and luxury brands to create unique digital art. As Rob puts it: “They’re creators of new works inspired by humanity’s archetypes — a new space of ownership, distinction and culture.”
06. InMotion Festival by Buck and Playgrounds
In Motion is a festival in London and Rotterdam celebrating the art of animation, film and moving image. In 2023, Buck partnered with Playgrounds to create an identity for the event. The assets needed to be simple enough to work across a variety of digital and physical deliverables, yet vibrant and stylised enough to imbue the festival with creative energy and build excitement.
07. Sandisk by Daisy Chain
A subsidiary of Western Digital, SanDisk is known for producing a wide range of flash memory products, including memory cards and USB flash drives. Working with ELA on a rebrand for the company, Daisy Chain Studio took the idea of motion in logos and truly ran with it.
08. Google
You may feel that the examples we’ve shown so far have been on the niche side… in which case, here’s possibly the most mainstream use of motion in logo design you can think of. As Dan Rose of We Are Awesome says: “How can you not love the Google logomark animation? Its playful feel shows that Google is more of a personable brand and not just a search engine.”
09. Laravel by Focus Lab
We’ll end with one of the most creative uses of motion in logos we’ve seen for a long time indeed. Laravel is a free and open-source PHP-based web framework for building web applications, and this imaginative logo animation, crafted by Focus Labs, appeared a few years back on their website homepage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, adding motion to your logo design can be a powerful way to bring your brand to life and convey its personality and values. Whether you’re creating a logo for a niche audience or a mainstream brand, careful consideration of the context and core concept behind the logo is key to ensuring that motion is used effectively.
FAQs
Q: Is motion a necessary element in logo design?
A: No, motion is not a necessary element in logo design. However, it can be a powerful way to bring a brand to life and convey its personality and values.
Q: What are some common scenarios where motion is used in logo design?
A: Motion is often used in logo design for brands that are closely associated with movement, such as logistics, cinema, and TV. It can also be used to convey a broader message or to create a sense of dynamism and energy.
Q: How do I decide whether motion is right for my logo?
A: When deciding whether motion is right for your logo, consider the context and core concept behind the logo. Ask yourself whether motion is a natural fit for your brand and whether it will help to convey its personality and values.
