Design by algorithm: does MarkMaker’s logo generator render designers obsolete?

MarkMaker is an online logo generator that learns what you like and automatically refines a design based on your feedback. Enter your company name, click generate, and browse through countless logo designs instantly. At first they vary wildly, but once you start “liking” certain ones, and feeding it information on the type of logo you want, the bot alters the design until you find an iteration you’re happy with.

This isn’t the first online logo generator by any means, with others like Tailor Brands and Squarespace Logo Creator offering customisable templates and toolkits to create a unique logo, but this is one of the first to learn from a user’s preferences to “understand the visual vernacular” and deliver more personalised results.

MarkMaker is currently a prototype, which works by splitting a logo into two parts, a base design and accent element. Using this framework together with a library of design modules, which the makers describe as a “gene pool”, the logos come together in a random variety of combinations. When certain logos are liked, these genes become dominant, and new logos are created by combining these stronger genes until the ideal design DNA is found.

The site also learns design trends from its database, which will evolve according to user-generated designs.