Guide / Expiration date on design

Most of you think your design would last forever. This might be on certain cases and certain designs. However allot of designs, logo's and more have an expiration date. However there are many kinds of factors that effects these expirations.

The major factor is the trends of the moment and the development of the techniques and technologies.

I have an example of my own concept for a Bluetooth headset. This design I have kept more then 4 years inside my blackbook. This headset is also a bluetooth usb-stick because sometimes you want to send files from your computer to your mobile phone, while not all the computer have Bluetooth built in it. This concept have still not been made by any company and I doubt it would be, because nowadays all new computers you buy already have bluetooth build in it. If this was made 4 years ago when people had to buy an bluetooth stick to get access to their mobile phones, it would had been a major hit, plus more people would had been walking around with headsets. Cause this would been easy to ad because only thing was to ad a usb part to the headset which already have the bluetooth chip sending info to the phone. This is an example when technology catches up, making your special part and usefullness is less needed. However this mostly happen with gadgets, concepts and things with technology.

An example of design with trends and technology are mostly with brand styling. When we go back in time logo's had to be simple without gradients, less colors use as possible, because it was hard to print those designs what we now make. Also when we look back in time when internet just started we only had low bit colors making it impossible to make nice gradient styles and or mixing it using almost photo realistic colors.

I can clearly say most logo that are made in the WEB1.0 period are outdated to the WEB2.0 .

However when they expire doesn't mean you need to throw it away and replace it with a total different design. You can easily update them to the right standard. Look at Apple, but not from the total start when they use that Isaac Newton design, but look at the change from the rainbow colored to the now full gloss web.20 design. This is a change that follows the path of trends and really made a big change, because the old one was becoming very cheap and now they became more chique and expensive looking. However this is also something that is not applied for all the logo's or designs out there.

But the choice of updating or replacing it all is often hard for companies. Often they are afraid people wouldn't recognize them anymore or it would scare away people. However a new design and a new face is not a problem, because your costumers who know you will comeback not because they recognise your logo. But the problem with your company might also be that the brand styling of your company isn't working and there by not attracting costumers or clients.

So when is it that your logo is outdated or not professional ienough. The best thing to do is to compare with your competition or look at design or the latest trends in logo land. Also one thing if you got a personal designer it is best too look at what others designers do too, this might sound like a bad thing to do even if you trust your designer very much. But your designer might be good and on top 5 years ago, but if he never follow trends or newest technology, he might be lowest ranked designer by now. Designers can expire too, it is just which mentality they got to keep themselves on the top. This is also something for the designers out there, keep your design fresh, keep learning the new tricks and get your head into trendwatching.

There isn't an exact date for designs to expire however keep in mind to checkup some of them every year. A website is probably one that need to be changed almost each one or two years. This is al due to the very fast changes in technology, because who would had though it was possible to have 3d on websites and streaming full videos 5 or 10 years ago. Probably only the trendwatchers or people who were developing all this.

I wrote this article because I was curious if there is an expiration date on design and how much it would be. And actually have not found any information or other articles because the search engines all give irrelevant results. This are all my own thought about design and things do happen in a period of time. So everybody out there keep track of your different designs and update and change them in time, before they expire. If you are unsure ask people around you about the looks of your design, or hire a trendwatcher or someone who have the an eye of a trendwatcher.