Many logos are instantly recognizable; practically anyone could tell what brand they belong to. Be it recall, familiarity, or just a great design, there’s a lot that goes into a great or memorable logo. Because it’s an important part of the branding and exists on all your products, it’s necessary that you get it right:
Nike
Nike’s logo is called the swoosh. Carolyn Davidson’s design has become iconic and is one of the most recognizable logos, perfectly representing Nike. A sports brand, Nike’s focus is on productivity, accomplishment, and pushing forward.
Their tagline is “Just do it.”, which fits perfectly with the brand’s logo. It’s a brilliant example of minimalism, saying a lot with very little to spare. Its design is also reminiscent of speed, fluidity, and motion, which resonate heavily with the brand’s image. It can be found in practically every apparel and lineup the company produces.
Chanel
Chanel’s reputation in the fashion industry has focused on Coco’s Parisian style, luxury, and the finer things in life. The bold font along with her initials interlocked don’t scream outright much but do a great job of conveying what it’s all about. A brand that’s stuck to its roots. There are also hints of perfectionism, something synonymous with the world of high fashion.
The symmetrical logo with a neat design has no artifacts that distract you from the main subject at hand. A logo doesn’t have to go all-out; it only has to reflect what the company is all about, something logo design services emulate and execute.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s logo or the Golden Arches was designed due to actual golden arches that were a part of the restaurant design for the chain. It’s a smart take to connect the two arches to form the letter mark M logo of the brand.
While the logo has had some variations over the years, it’s been present in practically every part of its history. You can find it in every element, which is a testament to the consistency of the design and the branding of the fast-food chain giant. Expect to see it in basically anything McDonald’s produces.
Tesla
Another great example of less is more would be Tesla’s logo. From a basic perspective, it’s a sci-fi-inspired T, which works fairly well with the company’s push towards futuristic vehicles. According to Elon Musk, the logo is a cross-section of an electric motor. Not only does it reflect the vision of the company and give a feel of electricity and fluidity that the brand is all about, but it’s fairly simple and easy to recognize.
The brand does have a unique “Tesla” logo that’s also in a unique font, carrying out the company’s look for the futuristic design.
Apple
Apple’s logo was shrouded in mystery for the longest time. While many people considered it to be a take on Adam and Eve’s apple from the garden of Eden, others speculated that it was a pun on the cyanide-laced apple Alan Turing took a “byte” out of. The truth is often stranger than fiction, but in this case, Rob Janoff explains that it was simply an apple that was meant to look different from any other fruit.
At the core of it (no pun intended), Apple’s logo is literal and speaks about change, wisdom, and an adage of the old ways, which fits perfectly as the tech giant’s logo.
Shell
While many people tend not to pay attention to Shell’s logo, it’s an interesting case study. Just like Apple, it’s a literal, single seashell with red and yellow. The basic image has always been the same, despite any variations that the logo has had over time. An interesting fact is that the shell is based on a Pecten Maximus, a mollusk with a big shell.
Shell strayed away from looking directly at its industry and looked at things differently rather than go with something out of a garage or related to oil. It can pay off to look away from the ordinary and be imaginative.
Starbucks
The Starbucks logo is a Siren, and the name comes from Starbuck from Moby Dick. Similarly, the image of the siren and the idea for it is based on the myth of the siren, which goes well with Seattle, the city Starbucks found its footing in. It’s an understatement to say that a lot of thought went into things.
But, the result is something that tells you a lot about the brand, is something unique, and can be an easy-to-recall image.
Toblerone
Toblerone is a classic example of a log done well. Firstly, it’s strongly representative of the brand. The Matterhorn Mountain represents the shape of the chocolate which works like mountain peaks forming a range. But what’s striking is if you pay attention to the mountain peak and look at the negative space, you’ll realize that there’s a bear in the image too.
It’s classic ingenuity and clever use of negative space that’s added another layer of depth to the classic logo.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s logo has always been fairly consistent. It’s an anomaly, as the logo has this retro look that’s never too dated. It’s been present across their branding and perfectly stuck to the brand.
NASA
While many people wouldn’t expect NASA, of all places, to be a great example for branding, there’s a great story to tell. While many people will know “the meatball” or the spherical blue logo representing the American flag’s colors as the new logo, it was the first. “The worm” or the red logo of curvy letters was a replacement. The worm is now mainly used for rockets and other products, and many consider it to be a bit dated.
NASA made the most of nostalgia branding and returned to its roots, using the meatball logo again. Many people associated the logo with a better time for the industry, bringing back a lot of positive influence and becoming iconic again.
IBM
IBM’s logo has been the same since its first debut. It was made by Paul Rand, who worked on logos for other famous brands. The 8-bar logo signifies being dynamic and focused on agility, which is a strong asset for any computer giant. The design has now become nostalgic as using negative space with fonts was a big deal back then.
The bold look wants to present itself as a strong brand capable of maintaining authority in the industry.
Prada
Like many luxury fashion brands, Prada has stuck to its roots. They’ve kept their watermark logo over the years and it’s become synonymous with maintaining the same grassroots tradition that made the brand what it is today.
It’s not a dull logo either, having this striking quality of looking traditional yet always modern. The R in the logo is interesting as it varies from the other letters, creating a movement in the style that can often seem fairly stationary.
PlayStation
The history behind the PlayStation’s red, blue, and yellow logo is very interesting. It’s the company’s shift towards 3D graphics that led designer Manabu Sakamoto to work on the logo. It’s essentially an optical illusion that relies on depth to give it a 3D look.
Sony wanted to push ahead of its rivals as the brand was aiming for newer technology, and 3D polygon graphics were all the rage. What better way to stand out than to embrace the change that will be relevant for years to come and incorporate it?
The Olympics
The Olympics are all about putting the best athletes in the world, unifying them on a single stage. All the rings and their different colors are for the 5 continents of the world. The use of rings connected represents the togetherness of the event, all of the continents coming in harmony. Something that binds us together.
Practically anyone in the world could connect to the logo. The logo is fairly accepted across all cultures and there’s a lot of research on various things that went into the final product.
Marvel
The Marvel logo changed in the early 2000s, donning the red and white logo that’s become synonymous with the brand over the years. The logo is white on a red background where the letters are close, creating a sense of urgency while being powerful. Everything that the brand represents in its lineup of characters.
Marvel often uses the old logos in some pieces of merch, which is a great use of nostalgia marketing to bring back the old image of the company. It’s worked successfully for them.
Amazon
Amazon’s logo is a smart one, which does well to give something simple with the right details to create a strong identity. It’s easy to read, and the arrow moving from start to finish represents the smooth experience that the platform aims to provide.
Many people call it a smile as well, which adds another layer to make the brand more inviting to people and offers a friendly touch. There’s also a sense of motion and movement, considering logistics and all.Amazon also has a very smart favicon for it, which only makes the logo more remarkable.
Barbie
The Barbie logo, with strong bright pink and the fun font in cursive, was something entirely new back in 1959. Looking back at it now, it’s a testament to the ingenuity of the founders. Its goal was to directly relate to kids with a fun, cute design that would resonate with them and it worked. The logo did go through some changes, but as they say, don’t fix what isn’t broken. The company came back to its original logo, sporting the retro look.
Whether Barbie has been heading to the stars or on a trip to the beach, the retro logo has been relevant throughout various iterations of the product and the brand.
Google has changed its logo over the years, but its main goal was to embrace the kind of responsive design that the brand talks about in its OS. A design that could work on all kinds of devices without looking any different. Google has made it a thing to use easier on eyes fonts to make their logo overall accessible.
The brand has also pushed for being open to alterations without losing the fundamentals. They’ve incorporated Google Doodles and their logo to represent and celebrate various events. It’s done an excellent job of helping the company stay relevant and celebrate a variety of events.
Pepsi
The Pepsi Globe is as old as World War II. The brand incorporated the colors to push for American patriotism through the trying times. It’s a unique case study as well as the company has always pushed to distinguish itself from its competitor. Initially, the brand also had a similar cursive logo, but it felt the need to distinguish itself from Coca-Cola and went for a newer look.
But the spherical symbol did stay on the branding, a reminder that despite a new look, it’s the same brand that the people love and trust.
What’s In a Design?
Designs can set identity and make a huge difference. If you’re looking for design services in Miami for your company, look no further than The Netmen Corp. We offer professional design services, helping companies leverage the power of branding, marketing, and carrying a strong image for their business. We offer professional graphic designers, logo design, NFT illustration, social media posts design, mascot design services, and more.
We also have services specific to certain aspects of businesses to help them stay relevant. Make your business more memorable by working with us today. Get in touch with us so we can get started right away.
