Unity Design

A logo can absolutely be clean, simple, and type-driven. Not every brand needs a symbol, mascot, or elaborate visual system packed into the mark itself. A well-crafted wordmark can be iconic.

But when so many brands started hopping on the same stripped-down, sans-serif bandwagon, the cumulative effect became hard to ignore. This was especially noticeable in the high-fashion world.

Simplicity and restraint are one thing. Sameness and the loss of distinction are another.

When enough brands shed their quirks, history, and visual specificity in pursuit of “clean,” the marketplace started to feel like a generic, lowest-common-denominator hellscape. What may feel refined in isolation can feel anonymous in a broader context.

At a certain point, you stop seeing individual brands and start seeing the same message over and over:

Conform. Simplify. Blend in. Obey.

This week's target: Yves Saint Laurent.

A brand simplifying its logo can be a perfectly valid move, and sometimes it’s just what the doctor ordered.

But when so many distinctive brands started arriving at the same stripped-down, “clean” aesthetic around the same time, it became cause for curiosity, and even a little concern.

Of course, plenty has already been said about this, but the fact that it keeps happening still makes me want to rant about it.

Burberry is one that really made my design trend radar go off.

To their credit, they’ve since moved back toward a more heritage-inspired visual identity. But this chapter still stands out as one of the clearest examples of what happens when a logo with personality and legacy gets reduced to something that could belong to just about anyone.

Have you noticed this pattern, too? Can you think of any examples where this kind of simplification was actually a win for the brand?

The “blanding” of logos isn’t exactly breaking news.

People across the branding world have been calling this out for years: distinctive logos with color, personality, meaning, and a real point of view keep getting flattened into generic “modern” marks that feel increasingly interchangeable.

I’m not the first to notice it. But I’m still not over it.

Of course, cultures change. Sensibilities evolve. What worked in one era may not work in another.

But evolving a brand doesn’t have to mean draining the life out of it.

First up: Taco Bell.

In 2019, Emily Oberman and her team at Pentagram spearheaded a bold modernisation of the legendary Warner Bros. shield. Recognizing the need for a versatile "digital-first" identity, Oberman streamlined the 1923 classic by removing the iconic sash and refining the proportions of the "WB" letters using the golden ratio. The redesign transitioned the brand from a static, heavy emblem to a sleek, flat-blue monogram that thrives across social media and mobile platforms. By introducing the custom "Warner Bros. Sans" typeface, Oberman created a cohesive visual language that successfully bridges the studio’s storied Hollywood heritage with a contemporary, minimalist aesthetic.