Since the logo is integral part of a brand (but, of course keeping in mind what Dustin said logo does not create the brand it merely encapsulates it, symbolizes it) LogoLounge.com published the Third Annual Visual Trends Report.

The word “trend” seems to raise the little hairs on the back of some designers’ necks. Everybody wants to be a you-know-what-setter; no one wants to acknowledge the aftermath.

Trends are not an accusation of some widespread lack of original thinking. Instead, they are a sign of design evolution in our ever-shrinking world.

Think of them as confirmation that designers are excellent thermometers/barometers of human thinking the world-round. That there are corollaries should be no surprise. So we note trends with these caveats:

1. Are these trends on the way in or the way out? We do not presume to suggest one or the other.
2. Do trends tell you where to go or, conversely, where not to go? Again, that is for you to decide

Consider those 15 logo trends (folly stars, amalgams, blow out, cmyk, flames, wicker balls, weaves, whips, puffies, line dots, good drops, leaf life, blur, swirlys, hot dogs) and discover new directions. But remember: With any trend, it is better to realize how you arrived than to know you have arrived.