The pros & cons of branding based on trends vs. longevity.
Design trends come and go quickly. They signal that your brand is “in the moment”—and they generally look great. Trends in design certainly have their place, and it’s tempting to lock onto the latest design fads and market buzz. However, what happens when the trend fizzles out, or your brand now resembles several others in the same sector? You’re suddenly left adrift and outdated.
Building a brand that endures, one that transcends the noise and connects deeply with its audience, requires a different approach. In this article, we look at how timeless rather than trendy, strategic rather than reactive, and meaningful rather than superficial helps create an enduring brand that connects. Let’s unpack why this matters and how you can start building a brand that truly lasts.
The Pitfalls of Trend-Based Branding
Trends may grab attention, but they come with significant risks. Designs rooted in trends often have short-term relevance, quickly becoming outdated and leaving your brand looking stale and disconnected from your audience. Chasing every new idea that pops up can also dilute your brand’s identity. When everything feels inconsistent, trust and loyalty suffer—two things no brand can afford to lose.
The issue of “blending” complicates the branding landscape as many brands fall into the trap of adopting similar aesthetics that are trending. This homogenization, fueled by platforms like Pinterest and the urge to mimic industry leaders, affects distinctiveness and makes it harder for brands to stand out. As Thierry Brunfaut, Partner & Executive Creative Director of Base Design puts it in this talk on “Blanding,” differentiation and originality are essential tools to rise above the noise, principles antithetical to trend-driven branding. Source: BASE Branding Talk on YouTube
Beyond these challenges, trend-based branding comes with hidden costs. Constantly rebranding or redesigning not only drains resources but also weakens long-term equity and brand recognition. Instead of building a solid foundation, we see an endless cycle of reactive changes.
Why Enduring Design Matters
An enduring brand doesn’t just survive—it thrives across generations and market shifts. Enduring design is built on longevity, with a foundation rooted in purpose and values that remain relevant no matter what the market throws your way. It also prioritizes clarity, simplifying a brand’s essence to make it instantly recognizable and memorable. Lastly, it fosters trust through consistency, which builds credibility and strengthens loyalty over time.
Degrees of change and evolution over time make sense. But upending what your audience has come to believe about your brand erodes trust.
Consider Coca-Cola’s unwavering visual identity or Apple’s obsession with clean, minimalist aesthetics. Both brands prioritize consistency and clarity over fleeting design trends, ensuring their relevance for decades. (Source)
Timeless Brands in Action
Enduring design isn’t just a lofty ideal—it’s a tangible reality for some of the world’s most iconic brands. It’s important to understand the unique principles that set them apart. It’s about building brands that resonate deeply, not just today but for generations to come. Take for example Braun and Dieter Rams’ design philosophy of “Less but better.” This philosophy has positioned Braun, over decades, as a beacon of innovation and elegance. The brand’s minimalist approach has become synonymous with forward-thinking technology and design.
Burberry, on the other hand, showcases the challenges of navigating trends. While its heritage of trench coats and signature check patterns has anchored its identity, its recent logo redesign—adopting a more generic sans-serif aesthetic—failed to resonate with audiences in the long term. As a result, Burberry has now embraced its legacy branding in an even more recent iteration of its identity. This highlights the importance of staying true to a brand’s roots while balancing modernity. ([Source: Burberry Branding Analysis]
Conversely, Jaguar represents a brand that stepped away from its legacy in an ambitious effort to reimagine itself for the future. By adopting a sleek, digital-first aesthetic and aligning with its pivot to an all-electric future, Jaguar sought to appeal to a younger, tech-savvy audience. However, this transformation alienated many loyal customers who criticized the move for sacrificing the brand’s hallmark luxury and heritage. The backlash highlights the dangers of severing ties with a rich legacy to pursue fleeting trends—a calculated risk that can erode trust and connection with established audiences.
Practical Considerations to Build an Enduring Brand
Pinpoint the core aspects of your business that endure through change.
Start by gaining clarity on what your brand truly represents and the vision that drives it. Your values should act as a north star, shaping every design, message, and decision your brand makes. With a clear strategy in place, you can craft a visual identity that is appropriate and adaptable, avoiding reliance on fleeting trends. Focus on creating timeless assets—brandmarks/wordmarks, colour palettes, and typography—that remain impactful across platforms and eras.
To ensure alignment with your long-term goals, invest in a strategy that balances creativity with data-driven insights. Strategy provides the context and direction to make decisions that are not just visually compelling but also meaningful and effective. Design without strategy is simply decoration, but design guided by strategy becomes a powerful tool for growth and connection. (Source: The Branding Journal)
Consistency is critical.
From your website to packaging, your visual and verbal identity should feel cohesive and unmistakably yours. Consistency provides familiarity, which helps build trust and recognition over time. However, it’s important to balance consistency with adaptability. A consistent brand ensures that every interaction—whether through messaging, visuals, or experience—feels cohesive and reinforces the brand’s identity. This builds a sense of reliability for audiences.
Endurance, on the other hand, requires that consistency works in tandem with evolution. A brand must maintain its core essence while being flexible enough to adapt to cultural, technological, or market changes. For example, Coca-Cola’s visual identity has remained consistent in its use of red, white, and its iconic script logo, but its messaging and campaigns evolve to reflect the values and preferences of each generation. The key is not just consistency for its own sake but consistency in what matters—your brand’s values, purpose, and emotional resonance—while allowing other elements to evolve as needed. In this way, consistency becomes a foundation for enduring relevance rather than a constraint.
Lastly, leave room to evolve.
Enduring design isn’t static; it’s a dynamic foundation that should be built with adaptability in mind. Brands can leave room to evolve by building a flexible framework with room for subtle refinement over time. Messaging should focus on core values and key themes that can expand to reflect cultural shifts or evolving customer expectations. Even product offerings and services can be designed to integrate future innovations while staying rooted in the brand’s purpose. By keeping the brand’s essence at the centre of all decisions, organizations can adapt to trends, technology, and market changes without compromising their identity. This ensures the brand remains relevant and engaging, no matter how the world evolves around it.
Why It Matters Now
The temptation to follow trends will always be there, but the brands that rise above the noise are those that embrace timelessness as a core strategy. Crafting brand identities that not only prioritize endurance, but also ensure relevance and resonance through thoughtful, strategic design is the goal. Enduring design is a strategic investment in your brand’s future—one that builds trust, loyalty, and long-term relevance.
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Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates is an award-winning branding and design agency based in Toronto Canada serving clients nationally and abroad. For new business enquiries contact us at:
studio@stranoandpettigrew.com