Logo Design Blog - Corporate Logo Design - Custom Logo Design

A website is the online identity of a business. It represents your business, sells the company’s name and its products and attracts more visitors. A good website also helps you to gain more return on your investments by generating more business leads and promoting your products and services. In order to enjoy the full benefits of having a business website, you need to have a good website design. Several aspects of the website are developed at the design-stage― layout, color, sound, content, its functions, etc. Just as you won’t think of building a house without first considering its design, similarly it is very important to get the design of your website right.

Why Does Your Business Need To Have A Website?

Electronic commerce has become an important aspect of marketing strategy. Therefore, businesses need to have effective websites for gaining recognition. In today’s world online businesses face fierce competition from each other. Every company is constantly on the lookout for even the slightest advantage which can go a long way in keeping it ahead of its competition. Establishing a strong brand identity with an instantly recognizable website design is the simplest way to differentiate your online presence from the next one.

Features Of A Good Website Design

A good website should be well-designed and able to attract visitors. Since people are more stimulated by visual images than speech, the website has to be visually appealing to all. It must be easy to navigate and have high usability. Your business website can’t afford to neglect its content at the cost of visual imagery. The website content has to be strong and relevant and updated regularly. But most importantly, it should be able to retain the attraction of the visitors and compel them to come back for more.

Things To Keep In Mind While Designing A Website

Every aspect of the website conveys certain message about your business to the visitors. Since the site represents your business and its objectives, you must be careful that people interpret it correctly. Proper attention must be given to the choice of colors, lights, visual effects and size of contents, since they all have a particular significance.

Types Of Website Design

There are two types of website design―static and dynamic. The static website design is based on basic HTML code. But the dynamic website design is developed with advanced technologies, using the information given in the database. Dynamic website is gaining in popularity because it provides the administrator with quick self information updating facility. It also looks more attractive than the static website and has diverse applications.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The quality of Search Engine Optimization service is another important aspect for a well designed business website. This would ensure that your website ranks high in search engine result page and attract more traffic to the website. The website optimization process incorporates relevant key words to the website and thus, enhances link popularity. Therefore, it attracts more clients, resulting in a successful business.   To make certain that your business has a good website design; you need to hire a professional website design firm. The qualified and experienced designers are capable of turning viewers into potential clients. There are many affordable website design firms for you to choose from, but make sure you choose the best. To excel in your online business, you must have an enticing website design.

Logos form the brand identity of businesses. People recognize a business by its logo. There are many companies who don’t believe in changing their logos frequently as they think it could harm their brand image. But there are others who think otherwise. These companies come up with new concepts for their business logos to keep their clients interested and surprise them with a new look. Sometimes it works for them, sometimes it doesn’t. But these businesses are usually well established ones, who already have a strong brand identity and can afford to experiment. Pepsi is one such brand that has changed its logo several times over the years. Let’s see how. Caleb Bradham invented new flavors of soda fountain drinks back in 1890, to offer something new and refreshing to his customers. The drink became an instant success and people started calling it ‘Brads Drink’. In 1898, Bradham decide to name his product ‘Pepsi -Cola’. He used a scribbled logo script and introduced ‘Pepsi-Cola’ as his first logo. In 1906, the logo was modified and the slogan, “The Original Pure Food Drink” was added to it. The company was taken over by Loft, Inc., a giant candy company, in 1931. Pepsi Cola was sold for 10 cents in a 12 ounce bottle. At this time, the Pepsi bottle logo incorporated a new tagline, “Refreshing and Healthful”. This tagline was however dropped when the price of the soft-drink was reduced to 5 cents. A major change came over to the Pepsi logo in 1941, when they incorporated the colors red, blue and white to support the war. The logo underwent another transformation in the year 1973 and developed a boxed look. Minor typeface changes continued to take place over the next decade. In 1987, the logo font was slightly modified to a more rounded version. The company continued with this logo till 1991. In 1991, “Pepsi” adopted an italic capital typeface that was separated from the small blue and red Pepsi swirl. The fresh logo ran vertically up the package. Pepsi unveiled a new look in 1998. This logo comprised of a three dimensional globe against an ice-blue background. The globe signified the Pepsi family and its world leadership, as it entered the new millennium. In 2008, Pepsi re-worked its entire brand and also introduced another new logo, which is the current Pepsi logo. It has a minimalist label design that is simple yet appealing. 

Similar to all other businesses, car manufacturing companies need a logo to build their brand identity. Many car logos that we are familiar with have undergone little change since they were first designed. Companies come up with innovative logos to make their brand instantly recognizable and also to exemplify the special features of the vehicle. These logos generally appear at the front and back of the car.

BMW

BMW is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. It was founded in 1916 and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It is best known for performance and luxury vehicles. The company was forced to stop manufacturing aircraft engine after World War I and shifted to motorcycle production, followed by automobiles in 1928-29. The BMW logo commonly known as the ‘roundel’ was introduced and registered in 1917. Though the logo is simple, smart and sporty in design, its meaning is steeped in controversy. This circular logo is divided into four equal quarters of blue and white. One interpretation of this is that it portrays the movement of an aircraft propeller, white blades cutting through the blue sky. This symbol evolved from the Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW Company grew. Another version of the story narrates the fact that it stands for the blue and white flag of the free state of Bavaria.

Ford

The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation founded by Henry Ford in June, 1903. The company is based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Presently, Ford is the second largest automaker in the U.S. and fourth largest in the world in terms of number of vehicles sold annually. The new Ford logo was designed in 2003 for its hundredth birthday. It is known as Centennial Blue Oval and is a modern version of the original logo designed by C. Harold Will. The new logo uses a combination of light and dark shades of blue, while the earlier one used only a single blue shade. The logo stands for elegance, class and is easily recognizable because of its simplicity.

Ferrari

Ferrari is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Italy. It was founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929 as Scuderia Ferrari. The company is well known for its participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it has been immensely successful. Ferrari uses a black prancing horse on yellow background as its logo, usually with letters ‘S’ and ‘F’ which stands for Scuderia Ferrari. This jumping stallion is known as ‘Rampante Cavallo’. This horse honors an Italian flying champion, Count Francesco Baracca, who lost his life in World War I and is believed to be a symbol of good luck.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet, also known as Chevy is General Motors’ (GM) highest selling brand. The company was founded by Louis Chevrolet and GM founder William C. Durant in November, 1911. In 1917, Chevrolet was acquired by GM. The origin of the Chevy logo, also known as the ‘bowtie’ logo, is under some dispute. According to some, Louis himself came up with the design being inspired by the Swiss Cross. Others are of the opinion that it was created by Durant after seeing a wallpaper pattern in a French hotel. The two dominant colors used in the logo are golden yellow for background and black for the text. These bold and attractive colors add a young and energetic feel to the logo while the shape makes it appear decent and classy.  

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of automobile, based in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company was originally founded by National Socialist Trade Union, German Labour Front in 1937. In German, Volkswagen means ‘people’s car’. The Volkswagen logo is a combination of the letters ‘V’ and ‘W’ which stands for the abbreviated version of the company’s name. The logo uses blue and white colors and has a circular shape. It associates the car with young and sophisticated consumers.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is one of the oldest and most established automotive brands of the world. The company has introduced many innovative technologies and safety modes that later became popular with many other vehicles. The company was initiated by the merging of two businesses, Benz & Cie and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG), after the First World War. Mercedes is popular for its three-pointed star logo that symbolizes the company’s domination of the land, sea and air. It was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler and introduced in 1909. The logo is synonymous to decency, superiority and speed.

Our mind easily responds to colors. The choice of color in business logos become an important factor in attracting clients and building corporate identity. The color of your company can both impress your clients and develop wrong perceptions about your business. Blue is the most popular color when it comes to building customer loyalty. It is often a safe choice and many companies like to incorporate different shades of blue in their logo. The color signifies loyalty, authority, success, intellect and also relates to the corporate world. It is considered to be the most peaceful and neutral color on global stage. Let’s take a look at few blue logos and find out how far they are successful in communicating the message that the company intended.

IBM

IBM is a multinational computer, technology and IT consulting corporation. It is the world’s fourth largest technology company and second largest in terms of brand value. IBM is nicknamed Big Blue and a loyal IBM customer is called “True Blue”. The color is thus an integral part of the company. IBM has been using a blue logo since 1947. The striped logo, designed by Rand was introduced in 1967. It replaced the solid type with 8 horizontal bars that stand for speed and dynamism. The color establishes IBM as a stable and successful brand.

American Express

American Express is a global financial services company that is headquartered in the New York City. The company is famous for its credit cards, charge cards and traveler’s cheque businesses. It is the 22^nd most valuable brand in the world according to BusinessWeek and Interbrand. The simplicity of the American Express logo, with a blue background and easily readable text, suggests simple and smart services. The blue color represents quality, intellect and global acceptance.

Crestron Electronics

Crestron Electronics manufactures high-end systems for home automation and audio/video control. The company was founded in 1969 and now has 57 offices from which it operates across 90 countries in every continent. The Crestron logo contains a blue swirl that stands for efficiency, momentum and futuristic vision.

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank is an international bank founded in 1870 with its headquarters in Germany. The bank has its offices in all major financial centers of the world. In the 1970s, when the banking business was undergoing constant change, the company recognized the need of a new, dynamic logo. In July 1972, a group of 8 graphic designers were commissioned to design the new logo for the company. Finally the blue “slash in a square” logo was designed by Anton Stankowski. This logo is simple yet striking and successfully constructs the company’s brand identity. The slash symbolizes constant growth and development of the business and the square represents security and controlled environment.

United Way Of America

United Way of America is a non-profit organization based in Virginia. It focuses on identifying and resolving vital community issues. This blue logo has become a signifier of peace, loyalty and trust. It also contains a rainbow of hope and a human figure that symbolizes society.

HP

HP or Hewlett-Packard is an American multinational information technology company with its headquarters in California, USA. HP is one of the world’s largest IT companies and operates in almost every country. HP specializes in developing and manufacturing computing, data storage, and networking hardware, designing software and delivering services. The HP logo has been very consistent since its introduction and has undergone little change. It is simple yet well-recognized all over the world. The logo uses only blue and white colors. The blue background stands for class and elegance while maintaining a serious approach to the corporate world.

We will all agree to the fact that anything that is simple is also easily memorable. As the purpose of having a business logo is to build brand identity and recognition, a simple logo design can do it best. It stands as the representative of your company and makes it easier for clients to remember your business. If there are too many elements in the design craving for attention, one would not know which one to appreciate. So, it is always advisable to go for simple logo designs that are easily understandable. You can clearly get your business message across only when the logo is simple yet meaningful. Let’s go through a few such logos that have minimalistic designs but have worked wonders for their companies.

Nike Logo

Nike is an enormously popular U.S. based sportswear and equipment supplier. It is the world’s largest seller of athletic shoes and apparel. The company borrows its name from the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike. It was originally founded on 25^th January, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports, which later became Nike, Inc. in 1978. The Nike swoosh is one of the most simplistic and easily recognizable logos in the world. It was designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University. The swoosh logo is said to represent the wings of the Victory Goddess, a source of inspiration for the Greek warriors. Over the years Nike has tried out different colors but it has never parted with it’s swoosh logo.        

McDonald’s Logo

McDonald’s Corporation is one of the world’s largest chain of fast food restaurants. The business started in 1940, when two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a restaurant in San Bernardino, California. They introduced the ‘Speedy Service System’ in 1948, for the first time.  The McDonald’s logo, also famous as Golden Arches logo, was designed by Jim Schindler in 1962. The logo forms an ‘M’ by merging two golden arches. The letter stands for the company’s name while the yellow arches represent its grace and strong corporate identity. It is a great example that shows how a simple letter or symbol is capable of sustaining an entire brand.     

 WWF

The WWF is an international organization working on issues related to conservation, research and protection of environment. It is the world’s largest independent conservation organization that has over 5 million supporters and operates in more than 90 countries. It supports around 1300 environmental projects around the world. The first WWF panda logo was designed in 1961, by its founder Sir Peter Scott. In 1986, this logo was further simplified and the name WWF was added to it. The present logo was designed in the year 2000, with a change in font. The logo is simplistic in its choice of the panda (which is an endangered animal) image, yet it never fails to provoke the emotions of all animal lovers.                 

 Shell

Royal Dutch Shell Group, commonly known as Shell, is a multinational petroleum company. It was created in February 1907, when Royal Dutch Petroleum Company merged with Shell Transport and Trading Company, based in U.K. Shell is presently listed as the world’s eighth largest corporation and operates in over 140 countries. The present Shell logo used since 1971 is designed by French based designer Raymond Loewy, who has also designed that BP logo. It is a contemporary representation of the image of scallop that was adopted by the company’s logo in 1904. It has become so popular that the image can be recognized without the name of the brand. The yellow and red colors make the logo attractive.

Apple

Apple Inc. is an American company that designs and sells consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers. Apple was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit. The Apple logo, designed by Rob Janoff, is an apple with a bite taken out of it. Though it is one of the most simplistic brand logos, it has several interpretations. The “bitten” apple symbolizes seduction and is also linked to the Bible, as the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. It is also said that the bite was added to the apple to distinguish it from a cherry.

  Bayer

Bayer is a chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in 1863 in Germany that is famous for its original aspirin. The Bayer Cross logo was introduced by the company in 1904. It consists of the word “BAYER” written both horizontally and vertically. Both the words share the same ‘Y’ and are enclosed in a circle.   

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.