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The Rise of ‘Blanding': Why Brands Must Stop Designing for Machines

The Rise of ‘Blanding': Why Brands Must Stop Designing for Machines

Design Design Week
Designers are warning that 'blanding'—the shift toward hyper-minimalist, machine-optimized branding—is eroding brand identity and customer connection.
What: The industry trend toward minimalist logos and uniform aesthetic systems is criticized for making companies like Burberry visually indistinguishable from competitors, favoring digital scalability over unique emotional impact.
Why it matters: This highlights the tension between designing for algorithmic efficiency (e.g., SEO, social media optimization) and designing for human brand recognition.
Decoder
  • Blanding: A derogatory term for the trend of brands adopting generic, minimalist sans-serif fonts and simplified logos that sacrifice personality for digital platform compliance.
Original article

Many brands are becoming visually indistinguishable by adopting minimalist, system-friendly identities that prioritize digital scalability over personality—a trend often described as "blanding." Research shows that distinctive branding improves recognition, pricing power, and emotional connection, while brands like Burberry and Liquid Death demonstrate the commercial value of embracing unique identities. As AI-generated design becomes more common, the challenge will be using technology to amplify originality rather than accelerate visual sameness.

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