Logotrend 2007: Leaves
In modern logo-design leaves stand for fresh ideas or – more generally – for an innovative way of thinking. In Web they are mostly used to communicate light-weight solutions as well as clean and unobtrusive designs. In fact, leaves, plants or ornaments which appear to be related to the nature can be found almost everywhere; it’s a trend that will probably be reversed soon, due to an extreme overuse of the theme in modern designs. The sites themselves, using leaves for their logos, mostly do not have a relation to foliage – and even although often green color is used, that is not necessarily the case.
We’d like to present you some of them. The following logos aren’t supposed to represent the quality of logo designs with leaves, but the trend we observe on the Web. The images can be clicked and lead to the sites from which the logos have been taken. You’ll also find tutorials you can use to learn how to create “leaf logos” at the end of this post. Please notice that this post features only those logos which are related to the Web.
What do you think? Is an extensive use of leaves in logos a current Web 2.0 hype which will disappear soon or are the leaves here to stay?
Leaves on light background
(This logo isn’t used any longer)
Leaves on dark background
Bonus
- Leaf Logo With Adobe Photoshop
Learn how to create a Leaf Logo using Photoshop Preset Shapes.
- Leaf Logo Video Tutorial for Adobe Photoshop
Learn how to create “a leaf” logo with Adobe Photoshop with this video-tutorial.
Barend
August 31st, 2007 10:16 pmSome nice logos there. Nice small selection. It comes along with all the webdesign trends, the curves, the plant shapes, etc.
Aaron
August 31st, 2007 10:19 pmThis article seems useless IMO.
rd
August 31st, 2007 10:30 pmWhat about Coda
Brian Drum
August 31st, 2007 10:31 pmDon’t forget about Coda.
The Supermarket
August 31st, 2007 10:37 pmforgot one mint.
jwo
August 31st, 2007 10:37 pmCouldn’t help notice the “Marketing Consulting by ACS” leaf logo on the right column of this blog…
Steve B.
August 31st, 2007 10:41 pmYou forgot your very own “Marketing Consulting by ACS”. http://media.smashingmagazine.com/images/acslogo.jpg
Vitaly Friedman & Sven Lennartz
August 31st, 2007 10:42 pmMint is already in the list.
Coda logo was added, thank you.
Djurdjica Selec
August 31st, 2007 10:52 pmThey’re so fresh and easy. Really a pleasure to look at, esp. when landing on a site for the first time.
Almost as if they’re saying: “Making things naturally easy for you” (Don’t steal that line ;))
Vitaly, Sven – nice job collecting them all!
James
August 31st, 2007 11:01 pmWhat about the Coda leaf?
http://www.panic.com/coda/
Probably the best thing to arrive on my computer all year.
uv
August 31st, 2007 11:06 pmalso, the as-of-yet unreleased Versions – a Subversion Mac client.
Robert
September 1st, 2007 12:22 amAnd don’t forget the Mondo Mint from Mondo USA:
http://mondomint.com/
Andy Gongea
September 1st, 2007 12:27 amI do not think that this is a trend. This is a bad example of logos.
Definition: LOGO – A recognizable graphic design element, representing an organization or product.
So how would u call those – recognizable – they look the same?
Andy
September 1st, 2007 12:30 amWell, leaves are cool, but I do think that they’re just this quarters ‘reflected logo’. In time, they’ll just get used as appropriate.
Lica
September 1st, 2007 1:09 amI love this article for several reasons:
1. I’m going to be hesitant to use a leaf in any of my new logos
2. It made me realise that the words ‘trend’ and ‘logo’ shouldn’t really be in the same sentence. I would want my logos to be unique and easily identified with the product, not to be competing with a bunch of other similar logos. There shouldn’t really be such a thing as trend in logo.
3. I’m taking it as a market indicator, as to how the environment has started to play a major factor in selling things.
Igor
September 1st, 2007 1:12 amhttp://www.goincase.com/
Incase, the maker of Mac accessories.
Nate Cavanaugh
September 1st, 2007 1:15 amI think it should be noted that most of these, even the Mint logo, owe their inspiration to Jon Hicks.
Mint of course had it’s logo way before most of these, and at worst I would say that Shaun was an early adopter of this trend, if not a pioneer (his logo is actually superior to the Hicks one, IMHO), but most of these would fall into the late adopters to laggards arena of the fashion curve.
No disrespect to any of these guys, some of the logos are incredible, but the trend is near the end of it’s life-cycle.
Even I have some sort of leaf inspired stuff on my logo, THAT’s how old it is ;P
Ah well, it’s nice to see a little vegetation among the gradients and star shaped Beta stickers and oversized inputs :)
t3amBrian
September 1st, 2007 1:28 amMany of these logo’s were created before 2007, but yeah, the leaf is the new insta-logo treatment coming from a lot of experienced and in-experienced designers.
Wallpics
September 1st, 2007 2:12 amcool collection..
DvB
September 1st, 2007 2:20 amInnovative thinking. We couldn’t agree more…
And our logo proves it.
http://www.greenappleventures.com
ripe with ideas ™
MrsCommunication
September 1st, 2007 2:38 amFew more leafy logos I’ve come across. I thought I’d throw them in the mix as well.
http://logopond.com/logos/logocssmania.gif
http://www.blogactionday.org/
http://www.factorianorte.com/
Rob
September 1st, 2007 2:47 amThere is no such thing as “Web 2.0″ design. Web 2.0 is about interaction and networking and nothing about design. This is one of the most misinterpreted ‘buzzes’ on the net today.
brizbane
September 1st, 2007 3:14 amHey, check this one out too: http://www.applepeelz.com/
ekk
September 1st, 2007 3:27 amhttp://www.blueflavor.com/
Jason
September 1st, 2007 3:28 amAlso, mint.com!
adrianlbs
September 1st, 2007 3:56 amI see many people talking shit here. If you don’t like what you see, leave, if you don’t know what you are talking about, you don’t necessary need to make any comment. I am personally impressed about what Smashing Magazine is doing, cause it’s great resource and they are doing right what they’re doing.
My personal comment about these logos is that are mostly great, and there is no such thing about being experienced or not to make a logo like this, yes it is a trend, and it’s about web 2.0 and it’s design trends. Why green leafs, cause these are fresh, and as the article says in the beginning and web 2.0 means freash, like webdesignfromscratch says “Today’s web designs are so fresh, they feel like they’ve taken a deep breath.”
Igor Jovic
September 1st, 2007 3:59 amLeaf logos are great beacuse you can do all kind of modification to the leaf itself. koral.com is exampel that illustrates this. Hype or no hype, who cares as long as the logo is eyecatching.
Ronny-André
September 1st, 2007 4:36 amThis trend is on it’s way out. But what’s on it’s way in?
Pete
September 1st, 2007 6:03 amDon’t know what to think of these.. Think I prefered the ‘Speech Bubble’ trend a bit more..
…But then again I’m not much in to following trends..
Still, always nice to see pleasent logos rather than the 1000′s of ugly ones I see a day..
Russell Heimlich
September 1st, 2007 7:53 amYea go Refresh DC! Woo!
Jackstackma
September 1st, 2007 9:35 amSo, we’re in 20 year earth cycle. Think this has anything to do with it? Ask your hard core, spiritual artists why…
sean
September 1st, 2007 2:13 pmmyfamily.com
Pete S
September 1st, 2007 2:36 pmWhat’s on it’s way in?
~ gel ~ leafs :)
http://www.joinearthgreen.com
Razvan
September 2nd, 2007 12:15 amI’ve always liked these logos, and the the tutorial you posted is great, thanks!
Steph
September 2nd, 2007 4:30 amMore leaves than you can shake a stick at: http://thegenerationsnetwork.com/default.aspx?html=overview
Blagoj
September 2nd, 2007 8:39 amCSS Mania
Matt
September 2nd, 2007 10:21 amI think it’s because, not only do they look great, but they’re simple. there’s not a lot of detail to them, and they can be associated with anything…
Pete S
September 2nd, 2007 1:46 pmThis article was so inspiring I had to go back and re-do the logo on the 1st web domain I ever purchased back in ’95. Every logo I do from here on out is going to get a leaf. Or two,.. Or ten.
http://www.gardenview.com
Romy
September 2nd, 2007 4:56 pmPlease tell me the font used for “plasq” ??
Brian Hodges
September 3rd, 2007 1:09 amPhazm Webdesign also uses a leaf in their logo:
http://www.phazm.com/
I’m not sure what the trend is about, but Phazm goes a step further, as their “motto” is “Growing Inspiration”
Theron Parlin
September 3rd, 2007 10:06 amYeah, it has definitely become a bit humdrum, but it’s been that way for a while. This article is about 12 months too late…
Allan
September 3rd, 2007 11:17 amWhat about this one in black background?
http://www.turnthewebblack.org
:)
Rob Mason
September 3rd, 2007 7:52 pmAre leaves the new gradient fill?
lizard
September 4th, 2007 1:39 amwell i do think this is an improvement over the swirl / spiral / swish trend of a few years back.
it’s important to be aware of logo trends, in order to avoid following along with them — even inadvertently. I would not want any brand identity I was involved with to end up in a trend list, even a nice trend like this one.
Cris Pearson - plasq
September 4th, 2007 2:40 am@Romy – the plasq font is completely custom :)
cenourinha
September 4th, 2007 3:55 amAll beautifull… but are they just copies?
Jesper
September 4th, 2007 5:21 pmNorwegian community :-)
http://www.biip.no
Bubulonis.Aper
September 4th, 2007 6:19 pmOne of your sponsor..leaf as well….
Marketing Consulting by ACS
phil crissman
September 5th, 2007 2:26 amDon’t forget fortuito.us.
Zaki
September 7th, 2007 6:07 pmLogotrend 2008, will be root?
Geoff
September 9th, 2007 1:29 amForgot another one:
FreshBooks
Joey Shepp
September 14th, 2007 1:46 amAdd Green Maven, the Green Search Engine to the list:
http://www.greenmaven.com
Enjoy!
Vishal Agarwala
October 21st, 2007 4:24 amYou can add Sugar Free America to the list as well:
http://www.sugarfreeamerica.net/
lara
January 10th, 2008 3:09 amI didn’t know I was following some sort of trend when I designed the logo for this site…it just made sense.
I am just getting back to design after having kids and would appreciate comments…I need to make sure I’ve still got the ‘stuff’ to do this job!! I still love it, maybe that’s all that matters!
http://www.greengoldforestry.com for logo leaf design
http://www.explosivemedia.com for my site.
dan
January 26th, 2008 3:11 pmagree. completely. and that’s the problem with a lot of the 2.0 logo trends.
Kazelbli
September 5th, 2008 11:55 pmHi webmaster!
stephanazs
September 20th, 2008 7:06 amInteresting facts.I have bookmarked this site. stephanazs
teknas
October 7th, 2008 9:44 pmIts good. I am actually impressed by smashing magazine. I mean to do such a trend analysis on basis of such elements like leaf is an extra ordinary idea. Wud be great if the same sort of tren analysis could be done on other elements like a specific colour or a line etc could really do wonders for design people.
Paeon
August 21st, 2011 10:39 amIt’s now 2011. Will this trend ever stop. I’ve seen examples on green tech, social media, landscape architecture, software, and now even a dna clinic. What’s amazing is that anyone would be fool enough to pay for a leaf logo when you can just down load a public domain leaf dingbat font for free, pick one, color it green and voila, you’ve got your own “fresh, exciting logo design”.