Natural spirals

Refinement

Over the past few years, there has been a return to simplicity in major corporate logos, ala Chermayeff & Geismar, which has never really strayed from this post. There are many more marks based in geometries, mixed with the simple twist of visual phrase. Possible reasons abound: Is this homage to the 1970s and the days of classic logo design? A greater reliance on the computer's natural geometric tendencies? Or is it possible that there are fewer and fewer designers out there with the hand skills necessary to craft more illustrative marks?

1. Liska + Associates Communication Design for The Wexan Group, Ltd. 2. Chermayeff & Geismar Inc. for Multicanal 3. Prejean Loblue for 1st Intranet Bank

Pop

In the ongoing "Blast from the Past" tour, in which we trace a complete circle about every 30 years, companies that cater to the youth market as well as more boutique organizations have embraced the pop culture language of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Period letterforms, in particular, have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, possibly the result of ready availability from companies such as House Industries and from less common sources such as rave flyers.

1. Howalt Design Studio, Inc. for Work, Inc. 2. Adamsmorioka, Inc. for Nickelodeon 3. Braue; Branding & Corporate Design for Stylus Production

Natural spirals

Imagine a few drops of dark paint dropped into a gallon of white paint, and then stirring just slightly. Or picture the circle of light created by a child as he draws circle after circle against the evening sky. These are the less-contrived vortex or spiral shapes found in nature, not in a computer program. There is a mix of chaos and hard geometry in these marks that suggests order and freedom at the same time.

1. Cato Purnell Partners for Sydney Super Dome 2. Kontrapunkt A/S for Danish National Center For Development of Competence and Quality 3. Grapefruit Design forBoston Media Corporation