It’s no surprise that logos are on the move. The way brands communicate now is largely through digital mediums so it makes sense to bring motion to an identity. But the true skill lies in animating it in a way that represents the brand and helps integrate key messages.
We regularly create animated versions of our brand identities. The beauty in them is that they don’t just draw the eye but help to highlight the concept of the design while giving the viewer an extra level of the story and delivering the idea. Put simply – it shows why the brand identity was designed in the first place.
Take for example our brand identity for artisan bakery Bread Source, which responds directly to the name – taking you on an informative journey from ‘bread’ all the way back to its ‘source’. The animated logo features 24 words – each one, chronologically, telling an important part of the Bread Source brand story.
Our folding animated brand identity for Page Bros Group clearly reflects its core business (print) as well as paying homage to their name (Page). The ‘P’ icon not only lends itself to animation but also works well in terms of providing a design system in application.
And our animated brand identity for wealth management consultancy Chadwicks playfully alludes to the benefits of their work – increasing wealth, security and trust.
The recent work we did for artificial intelligence (AI) tech startup Rainbird is an example of an animated logo that works as a communication device, which in turn brings together key brand messages. Rainbird’s brand identity features a simplified graphic of a bird, referred to as ‘the wings’, which is strategically placed to highlight ‘AI’ within the company name. The wings icon is then applied throughout the brand identity, within campaign headlines, imagery, infographics and online to provide cohesion and continuity.
We rather like Jones Knowles Ritchie’s recent rebrand for charity Social Mobility Foundation which uses a core logo that relies solely on it being animated, which, in our opinion, is quite a bold decision. You can read more about it here via Design Week.