At times, possession of a bright, memorable emblem increases the efficiency of activity and commercial success. First of all, the logo gives you the first, and often the fundamental, idea of the company’s attitude toward its corporate identity. With its help, the owner’s identity in a competitive market environment is formed, helping to create a visual image of the brand even before the proposal is acquainted with. However, creating a truly memorable and vivid visual image is not easy and requires appropriate knowledge and skills, as well as a creative approach.
Considering the history of the development of this direction, we can notice that, especially often, masterpieces of visual identification appeared due to a coincidence of circumstances. But this game of chance today can be used for good, having studied all the previous reasons for the emergence of such successful logos and applying these lessons in a creative, professional way to new developments. A list of today’s most recognizable brand owners, with unique, particularly attractive logos, confirms this.
Adidas (1967)
The logo of the world-famous sports shoe manufacturer Adidas was created by Edy Dassler, the company’s CEO, in 1967. However, the stripes were first used in 1947, which led to a dispute with the Finnish company Karhu Sports. The problem was solved for 1,600 euros and two bottles of whisky. In 1971, a shamrock was added to the Adidas logo, and in 1991, the stripes became slanted, forming the image of a mountain peak. The modern version of a circle intersected by curved three stripes appeared in the early 2000s. The stripes reflected the shoe’s design, ensuring its durability. The trefoil symbolized the diversity and international focus of the brand: each of the leaves symbolized the part of the world in which the company sold its products, North America, Europe, and Asia.
Apple (1976)
One of the most recognizable logos worldwide is the emblem of the American manufacturer of personal and tablet computers, software with a graphical user interface, smartphones, and audio players, Apple Corporation. Founded in 1976 by Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Jobs, it immediately announced itself with the original logo, a minimalist design that struck everyone with its brevity. The success of the emblem was so overwhelming that the bitten, striped apple with a twig and a leaf has remained the brand’s emblem to this day. Recently, the Apple logo has only been brought up to date and digitally processed, gaining clarity of line, the richness of its black paint filling its entire space instead of stripes.
BMW (1913)
Today, it is not easy to find anyone who does not know what the emblem of the world’s leading automaker, the German brand BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG), looks like. Founded in 1916 by Carl Friedrich Rapp and Gustav Otto in Munich, today it tops the list of the world’s largest automobile companies. Its emblem is directly linked to the company’s history, which began as an aircraft engine manufacturer. The central element of the composition of the round emblem is a small circular sector divided into four identical segments, made in white and blue colors in a diagonal design. These colors correspond to the flag of Bavaria, where the company’s history began, and are a tribute to that history. However, their placement is done in reverse order. The composition is said to resemble a rotating propeller, which also links the brand to its history, emphasizing its roots and experience. The larger circle of the BMW logo contains the text abbreviation of the name. The latest update features a minimalist design and the transparency of the large sector’s interior, symbolizing the mobility of the future.
Coca-Cola (1886)
The most successful and viable suggestion was that of Frank Robinson, a friend of the founder of the American giant food corporation, Coca-Cola, to create the Coca-Cola trademark and logo. Time has shown the correctness of the statement that the two letters C in his design would be a great eye-catcher. For 130 years, the emblem has remained virtually unchanged. Spencerian-shaped font, popular in the late XIX – early XX century in American business correspondence, the fancy lower tail of the first C and the upper curl of the second, all these elements have ensured the invariability of brand recognition. Since 1958, the letters have been executed in white on a bright red background. The lower white wave, adopted in 1969, will return and take its original form in 2007.
Google (1998)
The popularity of another American multinational corporation, Google, is not even worth talking about. The company, founded in 1998, and its logo are now known to every child who has just learned to find cartoons online. The attractiveness and originality of this brand were established when the name was formed: Google, which means “one with 100 zeros”. But the accidentally lost letter “O” was never returned, providing the name with its original sound. The first Google logo was created by Sergey Brin, one of the company’s founders. Its modern interpretation is a colorful, multicolored version of the traditional text module – the name of the brand, in which the letters are made in bright corporate colors blue, red, green, and yellow, in line with the visualization of the current owner of the brand, Alphabet Inc., since 2015. The text is in Product Sans font.
McDonald’s (1962)
The world’s largest restaurant chain, McDonald’s, was founded in 1940 by Dick and Mac McDonald in Oak Brook, Illinois, USA. Today, there is probably not a single person in the world who has not at least once tried this brand’s products. Its logo is known all over the world, even though there are no restaurants in this chain yet. The brand’s emblem is a stylized letter M in gold. This execution gave the logo its name, “Golden Arches.” To create a clear image and provide contrast, each element of the sign was highlighted with a rich, bright red border. This combination of colors increases appetite. Below the sign, the full company name is in bright red, set in a round, dense sans-serif font.
Mercedes-Benz (1909)
In 1926, Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, and Wilhelm Maybach founded the German automobile company Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, which later became one of the leading manufacturers of high-tech modern cars. Its emblem is known to everyone. The company was formed as a result of a merger of the firms Benz & Cie and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. The first emblem with a star was a drawing by Gottlieb Daimler, made in 1909. After the 2011 update, the emblem gained volume and took on a steel-gray hue with shadows, imitating the shine of metal. The emblem is a circle, symbolizing the steering wheel, placed on a traditional three-pointed star. Below the emblem is the full brand name in a beautiful Serif typeface, slightly compressed in width. The thin, classic letters provide high definition and readability in typographic or digital versions.
Nike (1971)
In 1964, the company Blue Ribbon Sports was registered, and 14 years later, it changed its name to the world-famous Nike sportswear brand. Today, it is the most expensive sports brand that does not need additional representation; its emblem is not just a reflection of quality. The company logo has become an element of style and confirmation of the high status of the owners of such clothes. The most famous emblem was developed by a young designer, Caroline Davidson, who received $37 for her work. The inspiration for the Jeff Johnson emblem was the image of the goddess Nike. But the well-known to all “tick” was not the only project. Her appearance was the result of the designer’s dissatisfaction with his variants of the brand, as he irritably crossed them out. This black stroke became famous and is one of the most recognizable logos today.
Pacific (1958)
“Bird’s Foot,” “peace cross,” or Pacific, created in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, became a worldwide emblem for peace, disarmament, and anti-war movements, including the hippie movement popular in 60s America. Designed for the nuclear disarmament movement in Britain in 1958, the logo became an international emblem. It represents the outline of a circle, within which are short lines resembling the footprint of a dove, a bird symbolizing peace. The logo’s color is black, which ensures ease of execution and placement on any surface and guarantees readability, including in typographic and digital versions.
Playboy (1953)
The founder of another recognizable American brand, the erotic magazine Playboy, in 1953, was editor Hugh Hefner. In the same year, the world-famous rabbit emblem appeared, designed by the designer and artist Arthur Paul. The monophonic silhouette of the head of a long-eared black character with an imposing butterfly gained the widest popularity. The rabbit embodied the magazine’s playfulness and boldness, while the bow tie added sophistication. At the same time, this animal is characterized by sexual activity and vigor, which perfectly illustrates the magazine’s characteristics. The bow tie spoke of intelligence.