Revisiting the Logo

“Logo Fatigue” has hit the Chinese luxury market, according to recent reports, which has some brands on edge, and rightly so: the top two percent of the Chinese population accounts for a third of the world’s luxury sales.  As China goes, so goes the world.

Case in point: just last March, Louis Vuitton shocked attendees of their Paris show – not with pyrotechnics, but with a subtle absence.  The brand’s trademark logo and “Damier” canvas weren’t featured anywhere on the catwalk.  We don’t believe it’s entirely coincidental that the brand generates 28% of its sales in China.

LV, which had reported slow growth revenue the previous two quarters, was essentially heralding a new aesthetic – one that appeals to a more discerning, savvy customer, who’s given up equating a high-price point with luxury.

What’s in a name?  Or a logo, for that matter?  Status, of course, or that’s been the case until recently.  If other big-name brands go the route of LV and distance themselves from increasingly antiquated trends – or reinvent their image on the whole – what will the market begin to look like?  It’s fun to imagine.

Antrepo, a multi-disciplinary consultancy based in Japan, generated these gradients in minimalist design as an exercise.  Is this how the market would look if “Logo Fatigue” were to spread virally?