The butterfly is considered a symbol of femininity, sophistication, and elegance. Many see in it only a beautiful insect that flutters around the flowers. Therefore, logos with her image are often found in companies working in the field of fashion or cosmetology. But natural charm is only the outer side. In fact, the image of this creature is much deeper because it goes through a complex transformation, turning from an insatiable caterpillar into a gentle butterfly.
Because of such metamorphoses, the lepidopteran insect in many cultures is associated with the rebirth and immortality of the soul. Native Americans considered it a harbinger of joy, and the ancient Egyptians drew analogies between a butterfly chrysalis and a mummy. But in the modern world, it is a symbol of sophistication used in the appropriate emblems – where you need to show the brand’s connection with the beauty industry.
In today’s article, we have collected the most striking examples when a butterfly on a logo takes on different meanings. Considering how many species this insect can have, the companies’ visual signs differ in colors and shapes. Let’s see how skillfully designers beat the same image.
TOP Logos Featuring a Butterfly Symbol:
Galp
The Portuguese company Galp has a logo from 1999-2002. contains a stylized image of a butterfly. She has long, multi-colored wings: blue, yellow, green, and dark red. Due to their atypically elongated shape, they resemble flower petals. And the green circle on top represents the head, which hangs in space because most of the body is missing. It would seem, where does the butterfly have to do if Galp works in the energy sector and has nothing to do with the beauty industry? The fact is that the graceful insect on the emblem personifies positive energy; that is, it is a universal symbol for any brand. On the right side, there is a continuous inscription “Galpenergia” in dark blue. For visual lightness, the designers used italics. The first four letters are in bold so that the words do not merge.
Winx
The designers who created the logo for Winx proceeded from the fact that this is a children’s cartoon about fairies. Therefore, instead of the letter “x,” they depicted a figure of four petals or loops, similar to a butterfly’s wings. Most likely, fairy wings are meant here. But since the butterfly was the prototype of the creature from the German-Scandinavian myths, the connection between them is obvious. The handwritten font with non-standard glyphs was used for the inscription “Winx.” Above the “i,” instead of a dot, a four-pointed star is drawn – a magic symbol. The hot pink color matches the style of the wordmark and the theme of the cartoon series for girls.
Freshtohome
For the Indian online store Freshtohome, the logo is a way to show the freshness of products. Therefore, the butterfly presented there should not be taken literally: it is used only to arouse subconscious trust in buyers. Since the assortment includes fish, poultry, lamb, vegetables, and fruits, the insect symbolizes the connection with nature and the absence of chemicals. That’s why her wings are not colorful but green with a gradient. They are depicted in the upper left corner above the purple inscription “Fresh to Home,” divided into two lines. The artists drew only three wings in the form of leaves, but due to their location and shape, it becomes clear that this is a butterfly and that it sits on the letter “F.” The brand name is in a custom block font with rectangular strokes.
Smile TV
Smile TV has a 2005-2016 logo consisting of inscriptions. Even the butterfly was a stylized monogram of Janice Wendell Bethany’s initials. That was the birth name of Jan Crouch, who founded a free television network for children with her husband, Paul. Since all programs were aimed at religious education, the image of a butterfly turned out to be very appropriate. She symbolized the best human qualities: kindness, love, tenderness, and care. The antennae and body of the insect were a lilac “W,” and the wings were flanked “J” and “B” pink. To the right of the monogram was the lilac inscription “Smile of a Child” – the old name of Smile TV, used until 2017. The letters looked like they were written by hand. This was indicated by uneven, unevenly expanding lines of different lengths. They added playfulness to the logo.
CBC
CBC is the short name for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s oldest broadcasting network. It has operated radio stations since 1929, and in 1952 television stations also joined. In 1966, color television began, so the CBC emblem became bright and colorful. The artists painted the butterfly using almost every color of the rainbow. The upper wings are divided into three stripes: burgundy, scarlet and yellow. The lower pair of wings are painted in cold shades of green, blue, and dark blue. And the head of the insect is rich black. There are no inscriptions next to the butterfly because the drawing speaks for itself. This logo remained relevant until 1974, when it was changed to an abstract composition of fragments of the letter “C.”
Sigfox
The French company Sigfox provides wireless networking services for low-power devices such as smartwatches and electricity meters. She appeared in 2010 and, from the very beginning, using the emblem with the image of a butterfly, which consisted of many small dots. And in 2016, Interbrand created a 3D insect logo for Sigfox. A butterfly’s wings are formed by two intersecting ellipses arranged diagonally in the shape of a cross. One of them is light blue with a gradient; the second is dark blue. On the right side, the network operator’s name is written in the same dark blue color. All letters are lowercase, bold, and do not have serifs. The font looks exactly like Ubuntu Bold by Dalton Maag Ltd.
Caprice
In 2016, design firm Pentagram created a logo for the German shoe brand Caprice, which debuted at the beginning of the autumn-winter 2017 season. Here, the butterfly symbolizes lightness, even though it itself seems visually heavy. The winged insect is a reflection of the “walking on air” slogan written in the second line in the thin sans-serif type. And on top is the word “CAPRICE” with balanced letters. In it, all vertical and diagonal strokes have an uneven thickness: they taper towards the bottom, creating a feeling of plasticity, mobility, and airiness. Both the emblem and the wordmark are in dark blue. Butterfly wings are formed only by contours, and inside they are empty – apparently in order to enhance the effect of lightness.
Paramore
Paramore’s butterfly logo looks very dramatic because they are a rock band with their own special philosophy. Apparently, the insect is already dead: only two wings are left of it, located on the right and left. They have a symmetrical pattern that consists of white, black, and dark red spots that look like blood marks or scratches from sharp claws. This color scheme increases the degree of tragedy and vulnerability. The torn-off wings of a butterfly here symbolize life, death, and rebirth. The central two-level inscription “PARA MORE” corresponds to the chosen style. It is screen printed, but some of the glyphs are custom designed. For example, an “O” with a “paint” drip at the bottom or a slightly blurred “M.” Each element is outlined in white and additionally surrounded by a light gray shadow.
Butterfly
The Butterfly logo cannot contain anything other than a butterfly. But the designers had unusual ideas about this insect: they depicted it as two ovals of bright pink with a hint of fuchsia. The geometric shapes are angled and tilted in opposite directions, like a mirror image. Moreover, they have nothing to do with butterfly wings, either in outline or texture. The name of the brand is written at the bottom right. Black letters stretched vertically, the contrast in color with the pink emblem. And they are distinguished by their strict form because the font is rectangular. This visually balances both parts of the logo.
Noggin
Now the online training service Noggin has a logo consisting of a colorful inscription. But the symbol that was used before could contain anything, and not necessarily a butterfly. The concept of the emblem was that its base was the lower part of the head of a smiling man. His “thoughts” were projected above, which took on a variety of forms. One version had a butterfly. She looked like a fat green caterpillar with big eyes and a friendly smile. She had four blue wings, and they all varied in size because the image looked like a sloppy child’s drawing. This stylization was in line with the Noggin concept, as the modern streaming service used to be a TV channel for teenagers.
Butterfly Home
The logo created for Butterfly Home is made in a yellow color scheme. The vibrant hue combines all the components, including the wordmark and a stylized butterfly of four geometric shapes. Her wings are yellow pentagons with sharp edges towards the center. The upper fragments are almost twice as large as the lower ones. At the same time, the insect is shown only partially: the wings are separated by an empty white space. The minimalist style of the butterfly echoes the same minimalist lettering design. The company name spans two lines, right-aligned. The font is bold sans serif with low contrast. Among non-standard glyphs, the two “t” s that stand out the most are those that share a common horizontal stroke.
Nick Jr.
On the children’s TV channel Nick Jr. the logo has many options. Now, these are different versions of the inscription, but earlier images of animals, plants, objects, birds, and men were relevant. Each emblem consisted of a large and a small object, a symbol that preschoolers can watch shows with their parents. One logo used throughout 2003-2009 featured butterflies: on the left, a large orange one; on the right, a small blue one. The first one had “Nick” written in white; the second had the letters “Jr” with a registered trademark sign instead of a dot. The adult butterfly had a wide smile and eyes with long eyelashes. At the same time, the child could be recognized by a single tooth in the mouth. The mother’s wings were decorated with dark orange circles and ovals, and the baby had dark blue stripes.
MSN
The MSN website contains Windows content and applications. This platform has been around since 1995, but it wasn’t until 2000 that it introduced its first butterfly graphic sign. The version that we will consider refers to the period 2000-2010. Now MSN’s logo is minimalistic and black and white. And the old version, created by the joint efforts of Everbrand, FutureBrand, and McCann Erickson, was very colorful. There was a butterfly in the upper right corner. She flew, spreading her wings in four colors: blue, red, green, and yellow. For each element, the designers used a gradient, and new dark shades were obtained at the intersection of the wings. Butterfly necessarily combined with the blue inscription “MSN.” For the abbreviation, the designers chose a clear and understandable font Franklin Gothic Bold Italic.
Blue Butterfly
Blue Butterfly Coffee Co. Ltd. is a manufacturer of specialty coffees from the Irish city of Waterford. On its official website and on the packaging of the mixtures, a stylish emblem is presented, which, in fact, illustrates the brand name. That is, the Blue Butterfly logo contains the corresponding insect. It is depicted in a realistic style: the artists carefully traced the dark body and antennae and detailed the pattern on the azure wings. A delicate butterfly stands out against the background of a black circle with a white gradient in the center. Because of this, it seems that she is flying into the light. A horizontal line is drawn under the insect, divided into two parts approximately the same length. The brand name is written below, underlined by one solid stripe. At the very bottom is the phrase “COFFEE COMPANY.” In this version, absolutely all letters are capital and white.
Benchmade
The logo of the American knife manufacturer Benchmade may be incomprehensible only to those who do not understand stabbing and cutting tools. After all, it contains an image of a butterfly with dark blue outlines. Where did such an image come from? The fact is that this is a reference to a special type of knife – the balisong. Due to the special trajectory of the movement of the handles when opening the blade, he received the common name “butterfly.” The insect is not detailed, but its general outlines can recognize. It consists of uneven spots and lines on a white background. The drawing is divided into two parts with the black inscription “BENCHMADE.” The designers chose a strict, visually heavy font with massive glyphs to show the company’s seriousness. The angular letters resemble blades and actually “cut” the butterfly in half.
SK Hynix
For SK Hynix, as a manufacturer of semiconductor memory, it is important to show the reliability and durability of the chips. Therefore, the butterfly on the company’s emblem means immortality and rebirth. At the same time, it is a symbol of well-being and decorates the composition with its presence. Under two elegant wings is the name of the company. They are harmoniously combined because the SK Hynix logo is made in two colors: raspberry and orange. Both of them are used both in the drawing and in the inscription. The shape of the elements also has a lot in common. Some of the letter ends are rounded and even slightly curved, making them the perfect complement to graceful butterfly wings. Another notable feature of the font is the case. Only the first “S” and “K” are capitalized; the rest of the glyphs are lowercase.
Baby TV
The designers who created the butterfly logo for Baby TV did not put much meaning into her image. This is a funny character that should attract the target audience’s attention. Given that the channel is designed for babies under the age of 2, the design is very bright and colorful. The cartoon insect smiles affably. Moreover, he has not only a mouth but also a tongue, nose, eyes, and even eyelids. Butterfly antennae look like two antennae with pink dots at the ends. Green wings resemble an avocado in a section; only in place of the bone is a dark red circle with a scarlet halo. The head and body are light oranges. The wordmark uses an individual set of glyphs. Both parts of the name are written together, but they are separated by color: the first part (“Baby”) is dark red, and the second (“tv”) is orange. In addition, the letters “t” and “v” are tilted to the right.
Gas Natural
Gas Natural operates in the fields of gas supply and electricity. One of its divisions is renewable energy – something that does not harm the environment. To show its maximum environmental friendliness, the company uses an insect emblem. Designers developed a logo for Gas Natural, which depicted a red and yellow butterfly fluttering above the letter “u.” The mottled gradient makes it look like it was painted with watercolors. The lower inscription is in turquoise. It uses an elegant, bold font similar to Adobe’s News Gothic Std Bold. The name of the company is written together. It is visually divided into two parts only due to the case of glyphs: the word “gas” is completely lowercase, and “Natural” begins with a capital “N.”
Anastasia Beverly Hills
For beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills, the butterfly logo is a way to show off their individuality. The company’s very essence is to create beauty, so its symbol also looks stylish and elegant. Moreover, the beauty lies in simplicity because the emblem contains only the letter “A” with a crown put on it. From the “A” come four curved lines that are shaped like the outlines of a butterfly’s wings. The black figure is inside the same black ring, and the background is white in the main version.
