Luxury brands are common nowadays, but a few years ago, things were different. Luxury branding wasn’t an important task at first, when aristocrats and the upper class knew exactly where the best Parisian shops were located. In 1700, high-end logo design was as simple as a craftsman’s surname above his shop door. That was enough for the time being. Products and reputation were the real brand.
The initial luxury branding scenario turned into a jungle in the blink of an eye
In the good old days, things were easier for luxury brands. There were only a few of them, and they were known worldwide. It wasn’t until 1760 that the old luxury market began to disappear. The Industrial Revolution changed everything. The upper class grew quickly, and so did the demand for luxury products. Craftsmen realized that producing luxury goods was a great opportunity. Therefore, this quiet old market became a jungle in the blink of an eye.
Luxury companies needed a new brand design to make their products easier to recognize
Competition became increasingly fierce. In this overcrowded market, products and reputation alone were not enough. Luxury companies needed symbols to help consumers recognize their products more easily. They just wanted to differentiate products that were actually pretty similar. Initially, brands were typographical, but they realized that they were all very similar, so they hired famous artists to rebrand their companies with the first modern high-end logos. A few years later, graphic design became a professional job, and graphic designers replaced the old artists.
We’ve entered a new era of eclecticism. The old rules for designing luxury logos are irrelevant.
Over the years, trends and artistic movements have defined exclusive logos. Consider Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Surrealism, and Modern Design. Looking at classic luxury brands, it’s easy to track the evolution of artistic movements. Art was once considered cool and exclusive to the upper class. But then came the next revolution: Pop Art. Pop art opened a Pandora’s box in luxury branding design. Since then, art has left its upper-class status and moved into the middle class.
In the 60s luxury brands lost their lighthouse, art wasn’t an upper class hobby anymore
In the ‘60s, luxury brands lost their lighthouse. Since then, we have been immersed in an eclectic mixture of everything. There are no rules for exclusive branding agencies. This fact is not a problem, however. In fact, it is an incredible opportunity for designers because it gives them complete freedom to design whatever they want. However, the absence of rules or established knowledge has unleashed a flood of logos, making differentiation more difficult. The competition continues to escalate. Who knows what the future holds for the war in the high-end industry?