The 5 Hottest Branding Trends We're Watching in 2023
See examples of brands that are successfully using these trends and get inspired for the year to come!
In today's constantly changing business landscape, only the companies that successfully navigate branding trends and market shifts will stand out—and grow!
From purpose-based branding to branding centered around sustainability, it seems there are as many approaches to developing your brand personality as there are brands in the world!
Curious how you can build a brand that stands out and connects with your target audience? Read on!
Today, we're exploring five of the top branding trends 2023 has to offer
We'll compare the top five biggest trends that set brands apart, while highlighting the key branding tips that make these trends successful. We'll also share specific examples of how companies are using these branding trends in the wild, so you can get inspired for the year to come!
Branding Trend #1: Purpose-driven Branding
Many consumers want more than great products and services from their favorite brands. They want to know what your brand stands for! That's why brand activism is one of the most popular branding trends of 2023.
According to a detailed report by Snapchat, Generation Z (those 11 to 26 years old) want more brands to fight for social change, equality, positive workplace culture, and sustainability.
This group of purchasers, who have an estimated $4.4 trillion in global spending power, strongly influence branding trends by making the causes they care about known! And businesses who successfully build their brand recognition around a meaningful purpose have the opportunity to tap into this mega spending power—in 2023 and beyond.
Purpose-driven marketing has made these two brands particularly successful
If you want to make your brand stand out by following this branding trend, take a look at a couple of examples of brands that use a purpose-driven approach to keep their brand relevant:
Patagonia
This particular brand has a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, a purpose Gen Z and other audiences strongly relate to. It's clear from their visual identity and marketing materials what matters most to them!
TOMS Shoes
The shoe company's one-for-one giving model makes the brand's purpose clear—and its target market knows it!
Branding Trend #2: Interactive and Immersive Branding
Another of the latest branding trends we're watching in 2023 is highly interactive, tangible branding that engages potential customers in a memorable way.
We love how interactive and immersive branding offers a fresh and exciting take on traditional branding. It trades logo design and one-dimensional brand identities for holistic experiences, bright colors, animated brand logos, and unforgettable moments—catapulting brands to iconic status.
Interactive and immersive branding is about more than design trends and font trends
Many brands bring their brand experience straight to their customers, through an incredible event experience.
According to The Insight Partners, location-based entertainment (think popup events and art installations) is expected to become a nearly $3 million industry by 2028, as more and more brands leverage this experiential strategy.
While online branding engages virtual audiences, brands that use on-site advertising experiences can engage live audiences on an even deeper level.
A couple of our favorite examples of unforgettable interactive ad campaigns that take immersive to a whole new level include:
Hasbro's Hasbro City
This indoor immersive experience includes a full theme park and a chance to meet your favorite game characters in real life. Talk about nostalgic brand marketing!
Nike's Metaverse sneaker designs
Through its metaverse marketplace .Swoosh, Nike lets users create their own virtual sneakers and wear them around the platform. That's the kind of user-generated content experience that customers will never forget!
Branding Trend #3: Personalized Branding
One of the most popular ways to boost brand recognition and reach more customers is to leverage highly personalized branding.
Traditional branding focuses on building brand recall by positioning your brand perfectly for your target audience, then showing up again and again through social media posts, in online communities, and through ads.
On the other hand, more personal branding creates a wholly unique and customized experience for every customer that interacts with your business. And that's what makes it such an effective branding trend!
Personalized branding means your brand lives alongside your customers.
Building a personalized brand doesn't mean abandoning your brand personality to focus on the personalities of your loyal customers. It's about offering personalized product recommendations, specialized and niche online communities, and highly tailored shopping experiences, all while boosting customer trust and longevity.
Branding Trend #4: Minimalist Branding
Minimalist branding is one of those branding trends you have to see in action to really understand.
It's all about simple branding, clear visual identity, and muted logo designs. And in the world of wild and wacky fonts and designers embracing wild animated logo trends, ultra-simple product branding is a refreshing blend of white space and geometric shapes.
One of the big things that influence branding trends is what's happening in the world around us.
During the pandemic, chaos and disorder were everywhere (no wonder bold and distorted fonts are out!). For the past few years we've been surrounded by noise—and minimalist branding offers a refreshingly clean alternative.
How can your brand adopt a minimalist look? Follow these branding tips.
Brands who successfully adopt this design trend remove their in-your-face icons and bold and distorted fonts, and instead adopt more minimal sans serif typography, scaled-back packaging design, use fewer elements, and add greater negative space between their visual imagery.
It's important to note that minimalist design doesn't have to be modern—this is one of those branding trends that's ideal for nostalgic brand marketing, too.
Three companies in particular get minimalist branding right
Apple
Sleek, scannable, and extremely effective, Apple is one of those brands that will always be an example to follow. Adding to the experience is Apple.com's animated logo and interactive elements that move with every scroll.
AirBnB
This brand makes great use of simple pictures, white space, and one-dimensional graphics to keep the focus on the site's stays.
Levi
This clothing company is a great example of minimalist-meets-nostalgic brand marketing—from the company's website to print design, and every element in between.
Branding Trend #5: Sustainability-focused Branding
Some 2023 branding trends are all about graphic design, bright colors, animated logos, and pop culture trends.
Sustainability-centric branding is refreshingly different. It focuses on new eco-friendly packaging design, fair manufacturing, and ethical labor. And the humanized brands that adopt these new eco-centric trends have the opportunity to reach a huge market of planet-conscious shoppers.
The increase in planet-friendly initiatives influence branding trends
A study commissioned by Google revealed advertising aligned with industry trends of sustainability, fair trade practices, and eco-friendly manufacturing is particularly effective.
In fact, according to that report, a full 66% of shoppers actively seek out and trust brands that care about the planet. If your brand's message, design, and identity is focused on sustainable values, your customers will take notice.
By leveraging these top branding trends, 2023 can be your business' best year!
Successful branding isn't just about following new trends. It's about creating a cohesive brand experience your dream customers can relate to!
Remember, no matter your brand's design or core focus, every brand identity falls into one of 12 brand archetypes. It isn't enough to be sustainable and purpose-driven, or to use minimalist color schemes and animated logos. You have to know who your brand is, and why!
At the end of the day, humanized brands, the ones that choose a focus and leverage their ideal archetype, those are the brands that make a lasting splash.
