Sacrificing Legibility For Aesthetic
How clear do logos need to be?
There’s a new trend on the block that’s stirring heated debate: illegible logos. We’ll be taking a look into Kia’s and Nokia’s latest logo update and how many of us have a love/hate relationship with them because they’re new and cool but…really hard to read.
Let's start with KIA's (2021) logo. The concept behind this logo is based on rhythm, rising, and symmetry. Their new logo is a wordmark meant to resemble a signature implementing these values, but public complaints shed light on how difficult it is to read. The google search for KN cars spiked in 2021. But that car doesn’t exist…what people were looking for were KIA cars. People mistake the ligature between the I and the A for N.
So that begs the question: how good is the logo if thousands of people get it wrong?
NOKIA's (2023) logo presents a similar debate. Their new logo launch boasted a concept that is fresh, contemporary, dynamic. By simplifying the geometry and creating versatile letterforms arranged to create the wordmark, NOKIA’s move towards a B2B future is reflected with a focus on collaboration. With letters having ‘missing chunks’, people have mistaken NOKIA for AOKIA. Creative director at COLLINS, L. A. Corrall argues that though the NOKIA logo poses legibility problems, it remains very readable because of sufficient “context and established recognisability.”
Although simplification is all the rage, what makes a good simplified logo can be boiled down to 3 main points:
Uniqueness & memorability
Clear messaging
Good reception from audience
How far can illegible logos take a rebrand strategy?
