Logo Design Blog - Corporate Logo Design - Custom Logo Design

Like any business or company, a city also needs to build its corporate identity. The logos of famous cities are used for their official purposes as well as for tourism. The logos of the cities should not only appeal to their respective citizens, they must reach out internationally. Through their logos, the cities express their unique features to the rest of the world and also attract tourists. This gives the cities economic boost as well as recognition. Therefore, the Government doesn’t mind spending considerable amount of time and money on these logos. The logo of a city can either bear its name or a symbol that describes it the best. Let’s take a look at few of the famous city logos…

New York City Logo

New York is the most important city of the United States. It has the highest population and is an important center for international affairs. As a leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over global commerce, finance, culture, education and entertainment. The I Love New York logo was designed by Milton Glaser and has been in use since the mid-1970s. It consists of the letter ‘I’, followed by a red heart symbol. Below it are the letters ‘N’ and ‘Y’, set in a rounded slab serif typeface, called American Typewriter. The logo was created to promote tourism in New York but has become a symbol of American pop culture canon. Today, the logo is used on t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. and has become the advertising campaign of the city.

Melbourne City Logo

Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia with an estimated population of 4 million people. The city’s motto is: “She gathers strength as she goes”. The present Melbourne city logo was revealed on 22^nd July, 2009. The logo is a flat block of ‘M’ and looks quite different and contemporary from the Melbourne earlier logo. The new design suits the city’s cool sophistication on the world stage. The logo design for the city of Melbourne was developed by the Sydney office of Landor and costs $240,000. The amount involved has raised a few eyebrows as some people think the money could have been used for better purposes. But this is another example to show how logos are gaining importance with every passing day.

Amsterdam City Logo

Amsterdam is the capital of Netherlands and also its largest city. It is the sixth largest metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of around 6.7 million. Amsterdam derives its name from Amstellerdam, which indicates the city’s origin― a dam in the river Amstel. The ‘I amsterdam’ logo creates the brand identity for the city and its people. The logo demonstrates the pride and confidence that the citizens have on Amsterdam. It is their means of personal endorsement of the city. And if you find some similarities between this Amsterdam logo and that of New York, don’t blame yourself!

Philadelphia City Logo

Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth most populated city in the United States. The name of the city, ‘Philadelphia’ literally means ‘brotherly love’. The city is witness to many important actions and events that took place during the American Revolution and Independence. The city logo was revealed by Mayor Michael Nutter on 25^th November 2009. It features the Liberty Bell and the words “City of Philadelphia: Life, Liberty and You”. The logo symbolizes the city’s heritage and the word ‘You’ calls for individual contribution to market the city. Many critics of the logo of Philadelphia are of the opinion that the history of the city doesn’t start and end with the Liberty Bell. Therefore, in choosing to promote one icon, the other aspects of the history of Philadelphia have been neglected.

Denver City Logo

The city of Denver is the capital and the most populated city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is nicknamed ‘Mile-High City’ because its elevation is one mile above the sea level. The Denver logo became the official trademark of the city and the county of Denver in May, 2007. The logo is rich in natural symbolism. The sun, mountains, the blue sky and the landscape, all stand for Denver’s energy, awesome weather, outdoor lifestyle and economic vitality.

A human face can reveal several ideas. Human face logos are becoming more and more popular by the day. This is because a face is easily recognizable and it becomes convenient for the people to remember it. Many companies use human face logos but one must remember that the selection is not random. A lot of thought and innovation goes into the creation of these logos and each conveys a different meaning. In this article I have rounded up a number of logos that have used the human face in a creative way. One has to see them carefully to get the story behind each face.

KFC

KFC is also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken and is based in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a chain of fast food restaurants, famous for its fried chicken. The company was founded in 1952 by Colonel Harland Sanders and the abbreviated version of its name was adopted in 1991. The KFC logo has had the face of the Colonel since its birth and still continues with the same. The face has become the brand identity of the company. In its initial days, his face was a bit serious and he wore a white suit jacket. But now we find the Colonel smiling; he has also exchanged his suit for a cook’s apron. This gives a friendly appeal to the company―they seem to be happy to serve!

Hope For African Children Initiative

Hope for African Children Initiative (HACI) was established in the year 2000. It is a pan-African effort to serve millions of African children, who are either orphaned by AIDS or living with parents who are victims of AIDS related disease.  Apparently the HACI logo looks like the African map but if we look closely, we can see the face of two people facing each other. This stands as the symbol of hope and care that the organization promises to provide.

Goodwill

Goodwill Industries International is a non-profit organization. It provides job training, employment services and other community based programs for people who have any disability, lack of education or job experience. Goodwill is funded by a large network of retail charity stores. The letter ‘G’ in the logo is that of a smiling human face. It suggests that Goodwill spreads happiness by providing relief to all those who need it.

Freidman Psychology Group

Freidman Psychology Group offers psychotherapy to men and women suffering from eating disorder or food and body related problems. It also addresses symptoms related to depression, anxiety and other psychological problems. This logo was designed by Mugar Mihai and consists of two faces in the form of a butterfly.

Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks is the largest coffee retailer in the world with 17,133 stores in 49 countries. The Starbucks logo is as popular with the people as its coffee. The Starbucks Coffee logo has the image of a mermaid with twin-tails and flowing hair. The objective of this logo is to show the alluring effects of Starbucks coffee and attract customers.

Royal Guide Dog’s Association

Royal Guide Dog’s Association is a community service organization which provides Guide Dog Mobility Services to blind and visually impaired citizens of Tasmania. It was established in 1965. This logo has an amazing blend of the face of a man and a dog. It conveys the true objectives of the organization.

Hello-LED

Hello-LED Ltd. is a U.K. based company which supplies energy saving LED lighting bulbs. The company’s logo features a bulb with a human face. This is perfectly in tune with the company’s promise to supply LED bulbs at a consumer friendly rate. The Hello-LED bulbs cost less than similar bulbs manufactured by other companies.

Smart’s Publishing

Smart’s Publishing focuses on the information and marketing tools for the insurance, employee benefits, real estate and title insurance industries. It was established in 1992, when James Whitaker purchased Smart’s Insurance Bulletin, started by Art Smart to report on the California insurance industry. This logo rightly uses a human face with hair like the pages of a book. This idea combines business with human requirements.

Public Broadcasting Service

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was founded on October 5, 1970. It is an American non-profit public broadcasting television service. Its headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. It has 354 member TV stations in the U.S. which hold collective ownership. The PBS logo also uses the human face, since the company serves to entertain people.

La Cerveteca

In La Cerveteca, you can find information on beer culture and brewing. You can also buy craft beers from different backgrounds or industries that are well-known in the world of beer production. It is an attempt to defend the existence of various regional flavors that are disappearing as a result of standardization of culture. La Cerveteca uses the face of a woman for its logo.

Superheroes are men who save our world from the enemies and we simply adore them. Right from our childhood, we have grown up watching them fight against the evil and somewhere down the heart all of us wanted to be like them. In spite of all their heroic qualities, the fact can’t be denied that they too need an identity. As our superheroes don’t have a recognizable face, they need some way to be identified. The superhero logos give this identity to our heroes and also help in distinguishing one character from the other. The superhero logos don’t necessarily need to have a name because their fans can identify them as they are. The logos generally tend to express their special qualities or characteristics. In this article we will go through a few famous superhero logos and see how successfully they reveal the character of our favorite heroes.

The Batman Logo

The character of Batman, originally referred to as ‘the Bat-Man’, was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. It was first published by the Detective Comics on May 1939. Batman became a popular character soon after his introduction and acquired his own comic book, titled Batman in 1940. Since then, Batman has been adapted into several media such as radio, television series, movies and also appears on a variety of merchandise sold all over the world. The Batman logo is a dark oval shape, on a yellow backdrop that draws attention. The bat represents the name of the superhero. The inclusive oval shape also hints at the fact that unlike most of the other superheroes, he doesn’t have any actual superpower. He uses his own intellect, detective skills, physical strength and technology to fight against crime.

The Superman Logo

Superman is another fictional character making its first appearance in the DC Comics publication, in June 1938. It was created by American writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster and gained immediate popularity after its publication. The superman logo was designed by its creators and they thought that the first letter ‘S’ of the character’s name would be perfect for this purpose. Interestingly, the logo is said to have certain connections with history, science and literature. How? Let’s find out…. The Superman logo is an inverted yellow pentagon with the red letter ‘S’ inside it. This elegant diamond-like shape of the logo reflects the dominant and the influential nature of the superhero. The red color in the logo symbolizes the red sun in Superman’s planet Krypton and the yellow stands for the sunlight in our planet. Superman’s powers are activated by the red sun of Krypton and the yellow sun of the earth. It is also interesting to note that the letter ‘S’ stands not only for Superman but also for Saving lives, Stopping crime and providing Super-aid when necessary. Superman still continues with the same logo with subtle variations.

The Spiderman Logo

Spiderman, the famous Marvel Comics superhero is the creation of writer and editor Stan Lee, along with writer and artist Steve Ditko. It first appeared in August 1962 and today features in comic strips and has been made into a film series. Spiderman is famous for his strength, agility and his ability to cling on to surfaces, using his “web-shooters”. He can also react to danger quickly because of his “spider senses”. The Spiderman logo defines all of these qualities. The logo features a spider, with a strong background of web, which resembles the major strengths of Spiderman. The red background of the logo resembles the alert nature of the superhero, while the silver-grey spider adds to the elegance of his personality.

The Flash Logo

The Flash is a name shared by many fictional comic book superheroes from DC Comics. The original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 in January 1940. It was created by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert. All the incarnations of Flash possess unique qualities like super speed and extraordinary reflexes. In their ability to run and move extremely fast, they seem to defy the laws of physics. In the Flash logo, we again see the extensive use of the colors red and yellow. The yellow lightening streak, inside a red box defines the hero’s superhuman speed and also gives the logo a bold appeal. The pointed edges of the lightening streak are included within a white circle that stands for friendliness.

The Wonder Woman Logo Design

In the 1940s, when the DC Comics was dominated by male superheroes like Green Lantern, Batman and most importantly Superman, Wonder Woman was introduced as a DC Comic super heroine. She made her first appearance in All Star Comics #8 in December 1941. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston as a feminist role model for bringing love, peace and sexual equality to the world. The Wonder Woman logo has a powerful ‘W’ inscribed within an oval shape. This ‘W’ not only stands for her name but also has the shape of a flying bird with bold wings. This connotes her greatest superhuman ability, that of flight.  The use of the red, white and blue colors, along with the white stars has patriotic overtones and is also in tune with the Wonder Woman’s costume.

The Fantastic Four Logo

The Fantastic Four is the first superhero ‘team’ to attract the attention of the audience. It first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1, published by Marvel Comics. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961. The four individuals, who make up the Fantastic Four, gained their powers as a result of an exposure to cosmic rays during a scientific mission to the outer space. In contrast to preceding superhero conventions, the Fantastic Four make no attempt to hide their identity. Instead, they maintain a high public profile and enjoy celebrity status on the account of their contribution to the society. The Fantastic Four logo has a circle which contains the number ‘4’ in blue. The circle is a family symbol and the number ‘4’ represents the four characters of the team. Due to the presence of four different individuals, it was not possible to highlight any particular feature in the logo. So they stuck to the number ‘4’. Although the Fantastic Four logo has used different color patterns over the years, the present blue color scheme seems to be the most suitable.

X-Men Logo

The X-Men are another superhero team created by Lee and Kirby. They were first published in The X-Men #1 by Marvel Comics, in 1963. The X-Men are a group of six, who possess superhuman powers because they were born with the”X-gene”, which normal human beings lack. This “X-gene” is an unknown gene which is said to cause mutant evolution and is the source of power for the X-Men. The comics originally dealt with common ideals of the good versus the evil, but later on introduced the theme of racism and prejudice in it. The X-Men logo bears the name of the superhero group, with a strong light at the center, which might stand for the light of knowledge and power. The letter ‘X’ is centered in the logo in such a way that it can’t be scene wholly and is in huge focus. This creates a larger than life impression that suits this group of superheroes perfectly. Also the use of the shining, grey color makes the logo look simple, yet attractive.

The Green Lantern Logo

The Green Lantern was created by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger. He first appeared in the All –American Comics #16, in July 1940. It was published by All-American Publications, which was one of the three companies that merged to form the DC Comics. The Green Lantern possesses a powerful ring that can control the physical world, as long as the user has the will power and the strength to use it. It is said to be the most powerful weapon in the universe. This ring has to be charged in every 24 hours by touching it to the lantern for a period of time. The color of the Green Lantern logo is green, as expected.  The central shape of the logo is that of a stylized lantern. The presence of the multiple circles in the logo is suggestive of the powerful ring that the superhero possesses. 

Designing logos is one of the coolest and most challenging jobs. We are introduced to a product by its logo. So it is important that a logo makes a striking first impression, as the old saying rightly points out: “The first impression is the last impression”. In the endeavor to form the right impression, various companies have changed their logos over the years to suit the changing taste of the masses. In this article, we mention a few such companies and the journey of their logo designs … a journey from the old to the new.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is one of America’s biggest online retailers. It was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and launched online in 1995. It begun as an online bookstore but soon expanded into selling of various other products such as DVD, MP3s, computer games, electronic goods, furniture, food and many more. Bezos named his company “Amazon” after the world’s largest river. The original logo of Amazon.com in 1995, showed a river running through the letter ‘A’. The logo was blue in colour and its meaning was obvious. It represented that the company aspired to become the largest retailer and paralleled itself with the world’s largest river. Over the years it underwent minor variations but stuck to the flowing river and the letter ‘A’. In 2000, the company came up with an entirely new logo. The logo presented the name of the company, with an arrow leading from A to Z. This implied two things: firstly, the arrow is in the form of a smile, representing customer satisfaction and secondly, the arrow moves from A to Z, which declares that Amazon.com is an one-stop solution for all that the customer needs.                                                                 

Heineken Beer

Heineken International is a group which owns over 170 beer brands. Among them the two largest brands are Heineken and Amstel. Heineken was first launched in 1868 and today it is sold in 39 countries over the world. The Heineken logo as it appears on the beer bottles is the Star-Heineken logo. It contains the name of the company, with a red star which stands for the company’s brewing quality and authenticity. The logo is quite simplistic and clear in its message but there is a twist in the tale or lets say in the letter ’e’. If one carefully notices, the letter ‘e’ in the logo is slanted. This change was suggested by Alfred Henry Heineken, the grandson of the founder Gerard Heineken. He came up with this creative idea to make the logo more customer friendly and attractive. It worked very well….a friendly beer with a smiling, friendly ‘e’ in its name.

Starbucks

Starbucks is the largest coffee retailer in the world with 17,133 stores in 49 countries. The Starbucks logo is as popular with the people as its coffee. But this logo has a long but interesting history. The mystery that surrounds the logo is about the mermaid like figure that appears at the centre of the logo. The original logo was designed in 1971, was modeled after a 15^th century Norse woodcut and contained the image of a mythical two-tailed mermaid, with a coffee brown colour theme. The objective was to show the alluring effect of Starbucks coffee and flatter the desire of the public. But it raised some controversies because of the bare chest of the mermaid figure in the logo.  This logo continued to be in use, until the company was taken over by Howard Schultz in 1987. The previous logo was remodeled and the bare chest of the mermaid was now covered by her flowing hair, though her navel was still quite visible. The colour scheme was also changed from the coffee brown to a soothing green. A third version of the logo appeared in 1992. It brought the image of the mermaid into focus and her navel was no longer visible. Even the tails of the mermaid were made obscure and it was different from both the earlier logos. In 2008, with the introduction of the Pike Place Roast blend, the company has re-introduced the original logo. Though it is not a replacement of the new Starbucks logo, it appears on the Pike Place Roast cups and bags of coffee beans.                      

MTV

MTV is an American music channel that was launched on 1^st August, 1981. The original purpose of this channel was to play music videos and it also launched the concept of VJs. Today apart from music, the channel broadcasts a number of reality shows and other programs.   The first logo presented by MTV, is unique in its own way and is still remembered by many. The channel was launched with a montage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. What is interesting here to notice is that the flag on the moon was shown to have the MTV logo on it. True to Neil Armstrong’s immortal words … MTV was “one giant leap for mankind” from the days of radio or jukebox music. The moon man is still used frequently, especially at the MTV awards. Frank Olinsky, along with his Manhattan team created the MTV logo, which still exists and has stood the test of time. Although the logo has gone through subtle changes over the years, the original ‘M’ gives it the flexibility to alter without hampering its basic concept. The logo changes in colour or text within the block ‘M’. Therefore, it gives the logo the liberty to change according to the changing situations or events.

Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. is the world’s second largest pizza delivery corporation. It was founded in 1960, in the United States by Tom Monaghan. Domino’s currently has 7,300 stores in 50 international markets. In 1975, Domino’s introduced its corporate logo, in which the company’s name appeared in red, against two blue rectangles. It is interesting to observe that the present Domino’s pizza logo was presented in 1997 on a very special occasion. The company opened its 1,500^th store outside the United States on the same year. 7 stores were opened in a single day on 5 continents consecutively. The company decided to change its logo as the company itself was undergoing a moderation and the shops were being brightened up. The new Domino’s Pizza logo bears the company’s name in white against a blue backdrop. It has two red rectangles, which carries three white dots. These white dots actually represented the three stores that Tom Monaghan had planned to open years ago.

Kodak

Eastman Kodak is an American multinational company which produces and supplies a huge range of photographic equipments and material. It was established by businessman Henry Strong and its inventor George Eastman. The Kodak logo has a long history of changes, since its first logo which appeared in 1898. Kodak was the first company to bring together its name and looks in the 1907 logo. In 1935, the company used its full name with the red and yellow colour format. It had a yellow background and contained the name of the company in red. In 1960, a curl was introduced at the corner of Kodak’s previous logo.

Designing a logo isn’t the easiest job in the world. A designer might mean well, his design may make sense to him and he might even convince the business to go with his logo design. But, some logos are just too loud, too ambiguous, too simplistic or just plain bad. Take a look at the logos below and see if you find some of them as offensive as we did.

Too Bright … Too Busy

The logo for the London Olympics is meant to depict the year 2012 in a graffiti inspired format. However, does anyone who has seen the logo actually realize that at first glance? Most people seem to be really confused by the jagged shapes and bright colors. There were reports that animated versions of the logo actually caused epileptic seizures.

If there ever was an award for the most obscure logo design the IRS logo would certainly be in contention for the top prize. To start, does the IRS really need to brand itself at all? Is there some doubt that people may not be aware of their existence? An olive branch, a pair of scales and an eagle are hidden in the logo somewhere. It seems more like something you’d find in a kid’s activity book – “Find the hidden shapes in the puzzle.” Figuring out your taxes could be easier!

Overly Simple

You would think that shelling out a cool $100 million on a marketing campaign would mean having a great logo at the very least wouldn’t you? Well you would be wrong, because that is the approximate amount that Microsoft reportedly spent to promote its new search engine Bing.  Perhaps this logo was the reason that Microsoft sold its interactive agency, Razorfish, in late 2009? After all, they came up with this over stretched graphic, which is widely considered to be the worst logo of 2009.

If you were to read the Arnell Group’s presentation on the new Pepsi logo your reaction would be a definite “Huh?” followed by a resounding “What?” ending on a “Yeah … right!” The logo is supposed to contain some pseudo-scientific babble on the golden ratio, the Mona Lisa, the Parthenon, the Gutenberg Bible, the earth and its magnetic fields, as a matter of fact the entire solar system/universe. Reportedly costing $1,000,000 to develop, does the change in logo justify the cost, especially in the current economic climate?

Really Bad Choices

Being a visual representation, sometimes a logo can be interpreted by an observer in ways that the designer never intended. Then there are logos that are just wrong where the designer really made poor decisions.

The first logo above is for a dance class. At first glance it looks like a male and female figure dancing. But look at the big picture (may need to squint a little) and a very different image emerges. The less said about the second logo (Institute of Oriental Studies), the better, though it was supposed to be an oriental house in front of a setting sun. Hmmm!!

What’s happening in medicine these days!! The first logo is for a dental clinic. The second logo is for a pharmacy. Seem to be some very different forms of medical examination going on here. We found these logos here.

I’m sure you’ll agree that the examples above bear re-examination at the very least. Some of you may agree and others not that these are cheap logo designs. That is the point of art/design in any case – to elicit strong opinions and to get people talking. Perhaps you have some “best of the worst” examples that you would like to share. We’d certainly like to see them.

Logo design is at best a creative and branding nightmare. A logo designer could have many a sleepless night trying to figure out how best to portray the essence of a company onto a small graphic while using as few colors as possible and keeping things simple. In such hard times, with the competition that exists, some logo design companies choose to be inspired by established brands and logos. Some examples of this inspiration follow.

Ford & Carrier

The Ford logo is one of the world’s classic and most easily identifiable logos. The logo has undergone minor changes since the early 1900s, when it was developed, though the basic structure and color have been consistent.

The similarity of the Ford Logo and the Carrier logo, which was created much later, is uncanny.

Sun Microsystems & Columbia Sportswear Company

The Sun Microsystems logo is a brilliant example of simplicity and symmetry. The use of the letters “U” and “N” to create both an “S” and the company name “SUN” when observed from different angles is remarkable.

In the Columbia Sportswear Company logo the arrangement of the main symbol seems to consist of shoe prints/soles arranged in a similar manner.

Unilever and Świat Zdrowia

The Unilever logo consists of a wonderful collage of icons within the “U” from the company name. Each icon represents an aspect of their business – brands, people and values.

The Świat Zdrowia logo uses a similar concept but within a “+” symbol. The “+” sign being used as “Świat Zdrowia” is Polish for “World Health”.

Chanel and Gucci

The Chanel logo is an interlocking double C – one facing forward and the other backward. This represented the initials of the name the designer was popularly known as – “Coco” Chanel. The logo was registered in 1920s.

The Gucci logo created in the 1960s is quite similar with the use of a double G representing the initials of the designer – Guccio Gucci. The distinction is in the direction of the Gs and the typeface used for the company name.

The interesting fact is that most of the companies above are multi-nationals with the best creative talent and teams of lawyers who are retained to do due diligence on copyright infringement issues.

Nevertheless, the old saying is probably as applicable here as anywhere else – imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery!

Nothing screams pure entertainment like a teen sitting in front of his living room TV playing the latest 3D shooter on his gaming console. Gaming consoles are the rage these days and are still evolving both in terms of hardware and software. Some of the major brands over the past few decades have been highlighted below. Many are established electronics and software brands who moved into the gaming market and have since established themselves as major players.

ATARI

They are the grand daddy’s of the video gaming system since the 1970s with the Atari Pong being the first really successful gaming console.

There are two generally accepted meanings of the Atari logo design designed by George Opperman in late 1972. First, it represents a stylized letter “A” to stand for “Atari”. However, the stylized “A” was also meant to represent Atari’s initial claim to fame – Pong. The two sides of the Atari symbol represent two video game players with the center line is the Pong court.

The second explanation reflected the Japanese origins of the Atari name, looking similar to Japan’s famous Mount Fuji. The logo soon became referred to as the Atari “Fuji” symbol.

NINTENDO

The company started out producing Hanafuda premium playing cards (see below) in the late 19th century. It was not until the mid-70s and early 80s that Nintendo established itself as a game software and console developer.

It is currently rated at third position in Japan in terms of brand value. The logo has been standardized ever since the gaming company was created to compliment its image. As most large multi-national companies it too uses a simple yet intelligent design. The company name is rendered within a capsule like casing. The only color used for the logo is a bright attention grabbing red. The simple bold typeface projects a simple, intelligent image.

The company through the ages has also created some professional logos for its game consoles. The Wii logo, for example, is said to represent two people coming together to play a game. Some of these can be seen below.

SONY

The Sony PlayStation has its origins in a joint development agreement with Nintendo in the late 80s. However, after a falling out between the 2 companies Sony went ahead with solo development using advanced hardware and released the first version in 1994-1995. Since then Sony has become a powerhouse in the game console market with sales in the 100s of millions.

As with the consoles themselves, the PlayStation logo has evolved over time. It started off as a colorful symbol … a combination of the “P” and “S” from the console initials using primary colors. Though the logo was attractive and easily recognizable, Sony wanted to develop a logo which reflected the evolving game console’s status as a home entertainment center, not just a gaming console. Recently Sony changed the logo of the PS3 (PlayStation 3) from the earlier “Spiderman” font to a simple curved typeface.

MICROSOFT

The new kid on the block as far as gaming consoles go, Microsoft recognized the growing gaming market and launched its first offering, the Xbox, in late 2001.

Though the original Xbox logo was blue, the company decided to replace it with a glowing green logo to coincide with its popular game Halo as well as to give it a unique extra-terrestrial feel. For the latest console, the Xbox 360, Microsoft continued with the glowing X, but placed it within a 3D steel sphere to highlight the better 3D capabilities of the new model which provided a player a well-rounded gaming experience.

There have been other players in the game console market, but most have been discontinued such as the Sega Dreamcast, which decided to focus on game software. The future of the gaming console market is bright with all the major players in research and development mode currently. We hope to see some great innovations in future as depicted by Microsoft’s Natal project. Hopefully we’ll see some great logo graphics too.

Is your organization an official non-profit?  Could your organization’s website and logo use a facelift?  Look no further! MyCorporateLogo.com announces its non-profit website and logo redesign contest.  We feel a sense of responsibility to help the community, and the winner of this contest will receive a new website and logo design. Prizes

• Grand Prize – Five Page Website Package and Silver Logo Design Package (Total value $1,648)
• 1st & 2nd Runners Up – Silver Logo Design Package (Total value $149)

Rules

• Must be an official non-profit organization
• To enter, add this sentence to your website or blog, “Give me a new website and logo design and link logo design to http://www.mycorporatelogo.com.”
• Leave a comment below with the following information about your organization:
  • Name
  • Cause
  • Website
  • Why you deserve to win
• May enter during the period of March 1, 2010 – March 31, 2010
• Top 10 organizations are put to a vote from the public. That means you should tell everyone you know when the time comes – Twitter, Facebook, email, word of mouth – you get the point!
• Voting will be open for 2 weeks

So give us the best reason why your site should be chosen, and help your organization’s website get a facelift!

“Go Green” is no longer a phrase that conjures up images of radical environmentalists waving their cardboard placards and shouting slogans in front of government buildings. Well it still might, but the point is that “Going Green” is now “happening” and almost everyone is making an effort to contribute in an effort to save the planet.  Graphic designers have always been a step ahead of current trends and have been conjuring up some great “Green” graphics for some time now.

#1 – Recycling Logo

Probably one of the most recognizable “Green” symbols in the world today is the Recycling logo above. This was designed in 1970 by Gary Anderson, a 23-year-old college student at the University of Southern California as an entry in a contest for art and design students at high schools and colleges across the country to raise awareness of environmental issues.

#2 – WWF Logo

Though not a “Green” logo in the true sense, the WWF logo perhaps comes in a close second in terms of brand recognition. The world renowned panda logo was designed by its founder chairman, the naturalist and painter Sir Peter Scott, in 1961. The logo is high on contrast and very appealing as it depicts the cuddly, almost teddy bear quality, of the giant panda. This was the intention of the designer in order to bring attention to the animal which was close to extinction at the time. Today the logo is a globally recognized symbol for animal conversation.

#3 – Energy Star Logo

More recently the logo above has become ubiquitous as the international standard for energy efficient consumer electronics, electrical appliances, even buildings. Though there are other standards this is the most common as it can be found on computers and other electronic products around the world. Devices carrying the Energy Star logo, such as computer products and peripherals, kitchen appliances, buildings and other products, generally use 20%–30% less energy than that dictated by U.S. federal standards. When you purchase a product that bears the Energy Star logo, you can feel good about saving energy.

Companies Moving Towards Green

Even companies which one would never have related to the “Green initiative” are looking at a change in brand image and logo design. Case in point – McDonald’s who has recently changed the background of their “Golden Arches” logo from a red backdrop to a deep hunter green to promote a more eco-friendly image in Europe. Though a small step, it is still a major image change for the fast-food giant.

Are you the owner of a business looking to develop a logo? Are you a designer trying to create the perfect logo? Chances are that in the course of logo development you would have asked yourself if a symbol only logo would work better than one with the company name alongside.

There are a couple of facts to consider before deciding on a symbol only logo. The questions you should be asking yourself are:

1. Are you an established business with a strong brand identity?
If your answer is no, it would probably not be in your best interest to select a symbol only logo. The reason for this is quite simple really. As a small business or a start-up your primary aim would be to establish the name of your company. You would need to develop a custom logo design that combines well with both your Company Name, as well as the nature of your business — your expertise. A symbol only logo would not convey the name of the company and as such the viewer not knowing the name would not be able to make any further enquiries regarding the products or services on offer. A logo with a company name beside it establishes trust and credibility with the customer. The symbol forms the “visual” expression of company credibility. The name is the “verbal” confirmation of the same.

Both Mercedes and Shell were established in the early 1900s

Companies such as Mercedes and Shell (logos above) have established themselves as leaders in their businesses – over a hundred years old – and do not need to add their name to their logos due to brand recognition.

2. Can you define your business within a single symbol?
Most companies (even well established ones) would find it difficult to project the vision and essence of the organization within a single symbol. The goal of any logo is to be able to associate it with the nature of business. The goal of the symbol becomes all the more important as there is no company name or text to describe the business. As a designer the task of designing such a logo becomes even more difficult. Even if you are able to come up with a symbol which does just that:

• Will the observer interpret the symbol correctly?
• Will they understand the meaning of the symbol?
• Or will they be alienated?

There is a lot left to chance and in the current economic climate one cannot leave much to chance. One has to be confident that the consumer gets what the logo conveys without a shadow of a doubt.

The IBM logo is instantly identifiable. IBM also nicknamed “Big Blue” has simplified its logo and company name gradually over the years. What started as “International Business Machines” is now just “IBM”. In the early 70s the company introduced a new version of the logo to include horizontal stripes replacing the solid letters to suggest “speed and dynamism” thus encapsulating their vision of the company.

3. Is the symbol easily recognizable and memorable?
The symbol, apart from conveying the message, must also be instantly recognizable. An observer must be able to recall the symbol and replicate it with simple outlines: the mark of a perfect symbol only logo. Companies that use symbol only logos that are both recognizable and memorable usually have massive advertising budgets to back their decision by getting the word out in various media, across the globe if necessary. Logos such as those of Apple and Nike below are instantly identifiable as these brands have been developed over time and no longer have to be related to the actual company name.

Both Apple and Nike have annual advertising budgets close to $500 million dollars.

In short, it is not advisable to exclude a company name from a logo, especially for start-ups or small businesses. A company name alongside the logo symbol promotes the credibility of the company while depicting the company’s expertise at the same time.