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Buh-Bye, Blands: Meredith Post Talks The Fall of ‘Blanding’ with Canvas8

Buh-Bye, Blands: Meredith Post Talks The Fall of ‘Blanding’ with <i>Canvas8</i>

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The peak days of millennial pink and san-serif wordmarks are finally behind us, says LPK Creative Director Meredith Post—and they offer important lessons for what brand-builders do next.

During the rise of digitization, many a brand embraced new aesthetic trends: among other things, swapping embellished logos for dramatically simpler, “screen-friendly” ones. The shift was the seed of a larger design movement known as “blanding,” where san-serif type, muted color and matter-of-fact messaging became the playbook for brands—or blands—across many categories, creating a veritable sea of sameness.

“Blanding was so ultra-restrained that brands started losing their souls.”

“Blanding was so ultra-restrained that brands started losing their souls,” says Meredith Post, a creative director at LPK who has analyzed the blanding movement for years. She spoke with writer and trends analyst Meaghan Beatley for a new Canvas8 report. “There was suddenly a void of character, texture, personality and creativity in the market. What once made a brand powerful for its simplicity and clarity turned into a bland abyss.”

“Businesses are selling joy,
and right now, we’re all buying it.”

Now, the pendulum is swinging back to a more maximalist, eccentric sensibility. “Fresh out of lockdown, consumers want the brands they choose to be bold and unique, as well as authentic and transparent,” explains Beatley.

The way forward? “A magnetic attraction to what will make you feel good,” says Post. “Brands are coming alive with experimental type, expressive patterning, loud color palettes and cheeky brand names. Businesses are selling joy, and right now, we’re all buying it”

To read Canvas8’s full trend report, head here.

Published On Jul 08, 2022

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The peak days of millennial pink and san-serif wordmarks are finally behind us, says LPK Creative Director Meredith Post—and they offer important lessons for what brand-builders do next.

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Innovation | Branding | Customer Experience

Buh-Bye, Blands: Meredith Post Talks The Fall of ‘Blanding’ with Canvas8

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The peak days of millennial pink and san-serif wordmarks are finally behind us, says LPK Creative Director Meredith Post—and they offer important lessons for what brand-builders do next.

More of Our Thinking

The Refresh Done Right

Always-On Experimentation

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Have a challenge? We’re all ears. Let’s talk about how we can partner.

Have a challenge? We’re all ears.
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Have a challenge? We’re all ears.
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