Logos create an entire brand story. No wonder companies allocate huge budgets for rebranding, hiring the best designers, and listening to customers. A company’s entire success depends on its logo, which shapes its recognizability and overall brand identity. The emblem should be detailed enough that customers subconsciously form associations and warm feelings. Colors, symbols, shapes, lines, fonts, and all details should reflect the business’s values. Interestingly, some famous logos were created several decades ago and still haven’t lost their relevance.
What is The 10 Best Logos of all Time?
The top 10 include logos from the Red Cross, Apple, IBM, FedEx, I Love New York, Target, Shell, London Underground, Nike, and Woolmark.
Red Cross
The most important logo in history is the Red Cross, which has saved thousands of lives. The laconic, neutral symbol was created in accordance with the 1864 Geneva Conventions. The emblem is similar to the Swiss flag, but with the colors reversed: a red cross on a white background. The emblem reflects the neutrality of medics and respect for the victims of military conflicts.
The bright, contrasting colors are visible from a great distance, so it is unacceptable to shoot a person with this emblem. International law supports all aspects. In 1876, the Ottoman Empire’s troops used a red crescent. The reason for changing the emblem was the connection with the Crusaders, which was considered offensive to Muslims. Later, in 1929, the Diplomatic Conference recognized the emblem, and most Muslim countries used it. In 2007, an additional logo, the Red Crystal, was introduced, combining the two previous symbols.
Apple
Everyone knows the Apple logo. Consumers associate the minimalist, seemingly simple symbol with luxury and successful technological solutions. Graphic designer Rob Janoff created the famous logo at the request of the company’s founders. According to the logo’s creator, Steve Jobs asked that it not be made cute. This is how the world-famous overbitten apple came into existence.
For the first logo, a wide range of colors was used; since then, Apple has produced personal computers with color monitors. During the change, the logo took on a white, chrome color. An interesting fact about the creation of the logo is that Rob Yanoff created only one “backup” version, namely a whole apple, in case “the founders of the company found the first logo too cute.” Some sources claim that the whole fruit resembled a tomato, so it had to be “overbitten”.
IBM
In 1972, Paul Rand 1972 created the logo that the company still uses today. The emblem is an updated version of the 1956 logo. It consists of the company’s name in blue. The letters have distinctive serifs and are set in City Medium. They are also separated by horizontal lines (8 in total), a reference to cathode-ray tube monitors.
IBM is a company that has earned the famous nickname “Big Blue,” i.e., “blue giant.” According to one version, the name was inspired by the famous emblem, which is bright blue. The brand’s logo, in line with IT principles, conveys dynamism and speed. By the way, next year, 2022, the emblem will be 50 years old.
FedEx
FedEx is a large American company engaged in domestic and international logistics. The famous emblem has won many awards for its simple yet unusual design. It is a perfect example of brand recognition through its logo. It is installed on all of the company’s vehicles, about 31,000 units, and on the parcels themselves.
The logo’s designer, Lyndon Leeder, experimented with fonts and colors to achieve the perfect blend. The logo consists of purple and orange, which symbolize rapid development, prestige, and quality. Inside the logo, between the letters E and X, you can see an arrow created by combining Universe 67 and Futura Bold fonts. It indicates the direction of the company’s activity in delivering letters and parcels. The emblem is consistently ranked among the best logos in the world and remains at the top.
I Love New York
This symbol, which can be seen on souvenirs, clothes, and other things, was created in 1977. Its creator, Milton Glaser, was so in love with his city that he drew the emblem in red chalk on paper while riding in a cab. The emblem is officially registered and is a trademark.
The I Love New York emblem consists of the letter I, a red heart, and the capital letters N and Y (an abbreviation of the city’s name) beneath it. To create the emblem, the designer used the Slab Serif font set. It should be noted that the text is black in color, and the letters are rounded at the ends. The logo idea is often used across different regions, with other letters used for N and Y, which may not always comply with the legislation.
Target
The Target logo is another that accurately reflects the company’s name. The bold and creative logo helped the brand make a statement at the time and achieve unprecedented popularity and recognition in America. The company’s core value is to hit the mark and deliver perfect customer service. Stuart K Widdess designed the first logos. According to one version, he and his team came up with about 200 variations, including the famous “apple”. The first logo resembled a red-and-white dartboard. The brand name was centered in the emblem. In 1968, a rebranding was carried out, reducing the number of rings to make the logo more concise. Since 2006, the company name has been removed from the logo because the symbol has stood on its own.
Shell
Shell is a large oil and gas company originating from the UK and the Netherlands. It is impossible not to notice the bright logo as you pass by a gas station. One can be sure that the company’s logo is among the most successful in history, as it is often used without the brand name and remains recognizable. The logo symbolizes the company’s excellence and superiority.
The creator of the legendary logo is the French designer Raymond Loewy. It was he who drew the first seashell, which remains the company’s symbol. The logo has changed several times and is currently a combination of red and yellow colors. The bright color scheme should attract the attention of drivers passing at high speed on highways. In addition, in 2015, the company created a sound logo, Sound of Shell.
London Underground
It’s not easy to imagine the UK capital without red phone booths and all those sights we’ve seen in school textbooks. It’s even harder to confuse the London Underground with any other in the world. The simple shape and laconic font so captivated the inhabitants that the emblem has remained virtually unchanged for decades. A red circle and white lettering on a blue background, it would seem what could be simpler, but the logo became a major brand. In his book The London Logo, David Lawrence states that “for many people, it [the logo] represents many things a city, transportation, culture, place, a unified system, a cool design.”
The logo’s creator, Edward Johnston, drew more than just a subway emblem in 1919. Now, it is used to designate all transportation in London. There is even a special guideline that requires adherence to all proportions and the use of appropriate fonts and colors to designate the transport system.
Nike
Can you imagine the legendary Nike logo costing only $ 35? That’s how much student Carolyn Davidson received in 1971. The company’s founders were impressed by the Adidas logo and felt they needed to develop their own unique symbol to keep up with the competition. After the brand’s considerable success in 1983, Philip Knight gave the designer 500 shares of the company and a gold diamond ring bearing the Nike symbol.
The famous emblem has a special name, “svush”. This word is associated with the noise of the wind when running fast or making other movements. The emblem itself went black and is still used by the company today. The emblem symbolizes constant, rapid movement. The main inspiration for the emblem was Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Her wing was depicted on the company’s emblem. The emblem, the history, the name, and all the details indicate constant movement.
Woolmark
Are you ready for a bit of a paradox? One of the best logos in history doesn’t belong to a commercial company. An Australian wool research and certification organization uses the logo. The company cooperates with many producers and highlights the high quality of its products.
The main logo comprises six black stripes that cross each other to form a ball of wool. The creator of the logo is a little-known designer, Francesco Sarolla. The logo indicates that the product is 100% wool. If the product has a lower wool content, other logos with two or three stripes are used. The symbol is very elegant, perfect for denoting a natural substance. In today’s world, most manufacturers have long since switched to synthetic fibers. The Woolmark logo emphasizes the product’s exclusivity and naturalness.