Do you know those one-smash-hit musicians releasing their one-smash-hit albums and then getting wiped out into oblivion? The 15 minutes shelf life of teenage queens? Don't let your design be a summer hit that makes everybody sick in the next season.

This is what Bogdan and I were talking about last night. Here are a few thoughts against visual hedonism.

Identity should be designed with a shelf life of twenty years in mind – endurance and graceful aging are becoming critical issues at this scale. I'm not saying we're going to be lucky enough to see many of our logos around for so long, maybe only one out of fifty, but that doesn't make it a dishonorable objective, on the contrary. And maybe one and only one out of our entire work will last for a hundred years. Which one?

It does take courage to make bold moves, but bold should not mean shallow, frivolous or trendy. If identity needs to mirror a certain spirit of time, contemporary wit will be recommended instead of a post-modern "quote" from pop culture. Corporate identity should never be trendy, at least not at the level of logo – a brochure layout can get away with line-art, red may be the new gray and a photo can be Taxi-looking – but a logo must be devoid of any sync with fashionable coolness or will wear off in a couple of seasons like a summer hit.

Any typeface (maybe except Hoefler & Frere-Jones typographic league) should be regarded with caution in its first ten years of existence. Talking about Frere-Jones, how does Interstate age? Was it trendy? Does it look a bit 'nineties'? And being so wildly overused doesn't mean it dilutes any identity statement set in it? Not an easy answer and definitely not a comfortable thought.

Emotional decisions are likely to be wrong. The younger and less experienced the designer – the wronger and shortsighted the emotional decision. That's why logos are best kept in a drawer for a few days – emotional attachment for the weak versions is likely to disappear and sacrifice becomes easier. Inexperienced means unable to see past your own emotions.

I won't say that this rules are sacred, actively breaking them may even push you into the light and even get you the awe of younger generations. Just like Britney Spears.