A logo is a piece of graphic that speaks for the brand in many places. It is one of the first visual connections between a company and its customers. Naturally, no business that is serious about growth can take logo design lightly. There are brands that get a simple logo created with an online tool. Some have digitized versions of hand-drawn designs. While others spend millions of dollars creating a logo that sells.
We come across logos everywhere – on billboards, signages, digital ads, and business cards, to name a few. But how many of them do we remember? In fact, there might be products you use on a daily basis but if we ask you to recollect the logo engraved or imprinted on it, it might not be easy. But some logo designs, on the other hand, have stood the test of time. In this blog, we are going to dissect a few such iconic logos that are recognized by people young and old and in all parts of the world.
Apple’s minimalistic brandmark logo is one of the many reasons why people love the brand and associate it with sophistication.
Scrutinizing the Apple logo alone will give you a million lessons in logo design. Everything from the shape to how the brand uses the logo makes this design an inspiration for brands around the world.
Apple’s logo has evolved leaps and bounds from the time the first-ever logo was introduced. The brand’s first logo was far from the minimalistic design of bitten apple that we have gotten accustomed to.
The above logo had a story to tell. A metaphor referring to the Eureka moment for Einstein when the apple fell. It might seem like an apt connection for a brand that has emerged as a trendsetter in the world of technology. But would it have been a memorable design? Can you imagine seeing an elaborate logo like that one on a computer? Or much worse, on a small smartphone?
The current-day logo, on the other hand, is simple, stylish, timeless, and most importantly, versatile. It gives off a sense of sophistication wherever it is used. And has made a strong emotional connection with its audience as well.
Everyone loves a logo that has a story to tell. And the simple memorable combination mark logo of Airbnb is the perfect example of this.
With its 2014 rebranding, Airbnb was pretty clear with its direction for the company. The goal was to create a community that instills a sense of belonging anywhere and everywhere in the world. So, it created a logo that is simple and can be “drawn by anyone”.
At first, the symbol in the logo looks simple. But look at the actual meaning behind the symbol in the video below and you’ll understand how much meaning you can pack into simple iconography.
The logo nicknamed Bélo captures 4 elements – people, places, love, and finally the letter A for the brand name. Together it is meant to create a sense of belonging.
The three-pointed star of the Mercedes Benz logo is a symbol that most people instantly recognize. The combination mark logo used today works because the symbol alone or the classic font of the wordmark in it both are instantly recognized. What’s even more fascinating is that the symbol has remained more or less the same since the year 1909.
Below is the image of a Mercedes Coupé-Chauffeur Type 13-30 from 1909. Can you see the three-pointed star on the car?
And here is an image of a Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5023 from recent times.
As you can see, the logo has not changed much. There were a couple of revisions but the core symbol has remained untouched.
But do you know why the brand uses a three-pointed star? It is the story behind this star that makes this logo special. Gottlieb Daimler, one of the founders of the company, had sent a letter to his wife in the 1870s. And his letter had the symbol of a three-pointed star along with which Daimler wrote the message, “one day this star will shine over our triumphant factories”. His sons later trademarked this symbol for the company and it was introduced in the year 1910. The rest, as we know, is history.
Nike’s Swoosh is one of the most fondly recognized brandmark logos in the world. Simple and to the point, the design captures the essence of the brand.
The logo symbolizes movement and its inspiration was the shape of the wing of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory.
Today, the logo and the tagline “Just do it” have become strong identities of the brand.
Uber’s simple wordmark logo is one of the most popular logo designs in the world. And the brand’s logo evolution shows how the brand goes the distance to keep up with the changing needs of its people and the trends in the market.
Wordmark logo designs might look simple. But there is more than just words and fonts in wordmarks. The color, font styles, and overall visual theme of the wordmark logo can reflect what the brand does and what it stands for. The Uber logo captures this brilliantly.
The flat minimalistic design is recognizable and memorable too. And it fits perfectly on all the print and digital ad designs for the brand as well as vehicle decals for its cabs.
All these logo designs and the stories behind them are brilliant starting points for any brand looking to work on its logo. Use these ideas to create a design that captures the personality of your brand and you are sure to stay to make heads turn.
