There are over 646 unicorns (the startups worth over a billion dollars) in Asia, as reported in the year 2024. The IT service market in Asia is projected to reach over $310 billion. That goes to show the competition you have to deal with if you are thinking of starting a tech startup. Among the many ways you can make your tech startup stand out, one is an appealing logo design.
But where to start? To answer the question, we have compiled a list of 8 common trends used by tech startups across Asia. Once we are done, you can choose a trend that aligns with your preferences and your audience’s expectations. Let’s begin.
- Minimalist Geometry Dominates
These designs rely on simple shapes, circles, triangles, and squares, arranged in clean, structured ways. The appeal is practical: minimalist geometry scales elegantly across different mediums and sizes, from app icons and favicons to large-format banners.
Many Asian tech ventures are born with an eye on global markets. They therefore lean into geometry because it speaks a universal visual language by giving it a modernized, professional, and forward-looking feel.
This trend is adopted by Granite Asia, a multi-asset investment platform, which rebranded its visual identity with strong geometric forms, including rock-like slabs and structured shapes. This was to represent its foundational, long-term investment ethos. The design is clean, bold, and scalable.
- Gradient and Neon Color Palettes on the Rise
A growing number of tech companies are layering gradients into their designs. These aren’t just simple two-tone flat palettes; designers are using smooth transitions and blends to evoke motion, digital flow, and sophistication. This technique is particularly common in fintech and AI startups.
AllTechBuzz uses gradients in its logo to ensure smooth tone transitions, such as blue-to-purple or orange-to-gold. This gives the brand a dynamic feel and futuristic look, without being distracting.
- Cultural Motifs Modernized
Another notable trend is the modern reinterpretation of cultural motifs. Asian tech startups are increasingly weaving local cultural or symbolic references into their logos, but in a way that feels simple.
For instance, some companies use abstract traditional Asian calligraphy and modern minimal geometry to produce a unique fusion of East and West. The Line Corporation logo uses this trend, as they often use speech bubbles in manga, turning a traditional cultural visual cue into a sleek, tech-friendly design.
- Motion-Friendly Logo Designs
In Asia, particularly in highly digitalized markets, many startups are designing animated logo systems from the start. These logos feature icons that move. Startups use these types of designs to give a digital-first look, with the logo appearing in app intros, website load sequences, and video content.
Among the Asian brands using this trend, Grab is a super app in Singapore offering a range of services. They use a flowing green “G” design and a wavy line to show a roadway. These strips suggest movement and connectivity, making the design easy to animate.
- Sans-Serif Tech Typography
These fonts are favored for their simplicity, versatility, and high readability across scripts. While many startups start with sans-serif fonts, there is a clear shift toward custom wordmarks, as founders are choosing bespoke letterforms for a unique identity.
For example, Xiaomi, a known mobile manufacturer, uses a sans-serif wordmark to reinforce clarity and neutrality. The design’s simplicity helps maintain legibility across packaging, product interfaces, and small digital touchpoints.
- Sustainability-Inspired Visual Themes
Sustainability and climate tech startups are fast gaining ground across Asia. In 2024, there was an inaugural Asia Climate Tech Venture Fair, which drew over 130 Asian investors. The purpose was to support climate tech startups.
The branding of such startups often features earthy tones such as greens, muted blues, and soft browns. Apart from the colors, these startups are also using organic, flowing shapes, such as leaf silhouettes, droplet forms, or curved lines that resemble plant growth.
Want to look at an Asian brand that uses this trend? We have the Taiwan-based ASUS, which has woven sustainability into its brand identity. Their brand messaging and visual identity follow the sustainability trend, with an earthy tone while maintaining a digital presence in logo design. This is to show the company’s focus on eco-friendly materials and its mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
- Bold Microicons for Hyper-Specific Niches
As more Asian startups focus on niche verticals, such as cybersecurity, healthtech, robotics, agritech, and logistics, the use of microicons has become more common. These are small, highly simplified symbols that visually communicate a specific domain of the startup.
TNB Aura, a Singapore-based tech startup, is one of the brands using bold microions in its visual identity. They incorporate science-inspired, pathway-like icons that feel precise and conceptual, communicating innovation.
- Variable Logo Fonts for Multi-Market Linguistic Flexibility
Asia’s linguistic diversity, spanning scripts such as Latin, Devanagari, Thai, Hangul, Kanji, and Arabic, creates a unique challenge for startups scaling across borders. To address this, more companies are adopting variable logo fonts, which are custom or semi-custom type systems that adapt to multiple languages or scripts while maintaining a consistent brand feel.
Baichuan is one of the examples of brands using variable logo fonts. It provides text logo variants: a “Text Logo” version in their icon set that adapts to usage. This suggests flexibility in how the brand presents its name across languages/contexts.
The Final Word
When a startup is formed, the founders want to send the right message to potential clients. This usually starts by hiring a professional logo designer to create a visual identity that connects with the viewer. Now that you know the common logo designing trends, you can decide on which one suits your preference and the nature of your startup.
