A smile has always been associated not only with positive emotions but also with a kind attitude. Scientists have found that there are at least 50 types of smiles that people have observed. Therefore, it is quite natural that logos that use a smile are popular. A good logo is not just an image that identifies a company these days. It is one of the tools used in communicating with the target audience. The friendlier the logo, the more likely it is to impact its image positively. It’s not for nothing that a smile is so widely used in the compositions of modern logos.
You can see a smile that is not immediately noticeable but is hidden on some logos. But if you look closely, the curved line suggests certain associations.
When designers work on creating the company logo, they consider many nuances. For example, it is the nature of the business and the expected image that should be formed by the target audience.
The curved line used in many modern logos is associated with a smile. It attracts the attention of customers, forms a positive image. And this is understandable because it is the smile that often conveys the emotion that can bring even strangers together. When a company uses a smile in its visual identity, it hints to clients that it strives to make them happy with its goods and services. Below we have given examples of TOP famous logos, in which you can see the symbol of a smile.
Top-25 logos featuring a smile symbol:
Amazon
This is one of the most famous companies specializing in selling goods over the Internet. Even though Jeff Bezos founded his company relatively recently, in 1994, it has been enjoying worldwide popularity for quite some time. Being the industry leader in its field and offering customers a variety of mass consumption products, the company quickly gained confidence. It became a giant in the segment in which it operates.
The Amazon logo is very stylish. You can see a yellow curved line with an arrow underneath the distinctive black font used for the company name. On the one hand, this indicates that the customer is in the right place and will find what they are looking to buy. On the other hand, we see a veiled smile in this logo, making it stylish and original, and friendly to the target audience.
The successful contrast of bright yellow and black gives this logo recognition, despite being made in the style of minimalism. It looks friendly and attractive. The stylization of the smile as an arrow is a good solution. At the same time, it is a convincing message that the company brings joy to customers worldwide with its products.
Amazon’s visual identity creates a consistent impression because it is well thought out down to the details.
Goodwill
This non-profit organization operates in the United States. Its mission is to help with training and employment for those people who have any obstacles on this path. Not for anything in the organization’s visual identity, a smile is used twice. It’s half of a smiling face at the top of the logo on the left side. And at the bottom, the same figure displays the stylized capital letter in the company name, only in reduced size.
Despite such benevolence, the logo is made in rather cold colors. And this is not strange because the color scheme, indicating the seriousness and professionalism, is appropriate in this case. The combination of black, white, and blue colors indicates the organization’s reliability. At the same time, the smile softens the semantic field of the logo and shows goodwill.
Goodwill organization back in 1902 was founded by Edgar J. Helms. It has religious origins and is associated with the Morgan Methodist Chapel in Boston. Previously, the centerpiece of the circular emblem was a black cross with inscriptions inside. On them was the name of the organization and the word “way.” And around the perimeter of the emblem was the inscription: “Not mercy, but chance. This largely reflects the specifics of the organization, which helps people with employment problems learn new professional skills.
Colgate
There are probably few people who haven’t heard of this kind of toothpaste. Although the company’s product line is broader – a variety of products designed to care for the teeth and oral cavity. The brand belonged to the Colgate-Palmolive Group and was founded in 1806. Probably even among admirers of Colgate products, not many of those have guessed about such a long history of the brand. And another interesting fact is that the logo’s color palette remains in the same colors, despite the multiple redesign options, taking into account trends from different periods.
The company has chosen a successful color scheme for the logo. The combination of white and red creates a nice visual contrast, stands out, and looks bright. Italics look appropriate, and the font with smooth edges of the letters gives the logo a message of loyalty and friendliness. And now, actually, let’s move on to the smile. With a beautiful white smile, most people associate with Colgate’s company. Even though today the company is present in different industries (from soap production to pet food production), people associate it with a healthy smile. This is reflected in the Colgate logo, which is recognizable and cute.
While not a literal depiction of a smile, the curved white line is a clever way to communicate this understanding and the necessary associative series. This means that the designer of the logo did a good job.
Telenet
This Belgian company works in the telecommunications industry. It was founded in 1996. As the largest cable TV provider in the country, the company is very confident in the market segment in which it operates. In addition to digital and analog TV, it specializes in cellular and fixed-line communications. The company works with household consumers and business clients, using the Telenet Solutions brand in this interaction.
The logo uses yellow and gray colors. The name of the company is depicted with the help of gray. And in front of it, there is an emblem. Inside the rectangular icon with smooth edges, you can see a smile and a wink. Something of it even remotely resembles a smiley face, but the shape of the emblem immediately returns to the associations associated with television.
Experts pay attention to how well the color scheme of the logo balances between boldness and modesty. The first appears in the cheerful and a little daring logo, and the second appears in the font’s color and its soft outline. All together, it looks attractive and harmonious.
Danone
The French company, which produces dairy products, is famous worldwide and is associated with healthy food. The Danone logo is known to millions of people in different countries, as it is regularly seen on supermarket shelves. The company name is depicted using a font colored blue with a gradient. Underneath it is a curved red line that symbolizes a hidden smile. This color scheme looks like a symbol of the manufacturer’s care, love, and warmth invested in creating their product.
Danone is one of those companies, which can boast a solid history. It has been in operation since 1919. Its founder was Isaac Carasso. By the way, the company’s name has an interesting origin – it was named in honor of the founder’s son, whose name was Daniel. The father took the shortened version of his heir’s name as the basis. This is very touching, considering that there are a lot of children among the Danone consumers.
Today, the scale of the company is staggering. Ten years ago, the company employed about 100,000 people.
Bledina
The smile in this logo is not accidental and is quite conceptually justified because Bledina is a sub-brand of Danone. Many kids like this baby food. And the smile on the logo looks elegant and gentle.
The color scheme combines green, white, and yellow colors if we talk about the color scheme. The arched contours in the badge design stylishly harmonize with the “warm” yellow line, symbolizing a smile. Above the letter “e” is a stylized accent icon in the form of grain. This hints at the high-quality organic composition of the products, which is pleasant and useful for kids.
TUI Group
This company, which has offices worldwide, was originally registered in Hannover (which is in Lower Saxony). The German tour operator reached such heights in its field, as many competing enterprises could not.
From 1923 to 2002, the company was called Preussag AG. It operated in the industry and transport and logistics segments of the market. Since then, it has sold many of its industrial assets, converted its activities, and bought several companies in the tourism industry.
Not only is the company a success, but it also has a stylish logo in red. In front of the company name is a stylized smile formed by joining and passing into each other all the letters of the word “TUI .”It looks like a winking smile. This visual device is very successful. It conveys an intriguing emotion and calls to join the company’s journeys to modern tourists.
A simple font without serifs is appropriate for this logo. It looks laconic and does not draw attention to itself from the visual device, which was mentioned above. By the way, capital letters were chosen for the font.
Kraft Foods
The company specializes in the manufacture and sale of packaged food products. It has achieved great success in its field, becoming the second-largest company globally in the industry.
James Kraft founded the company back in 1903. And from 1909 to 1953, he was its president. The headquarters of this American giant of the food industry is located in Northfield (Illinois).
The logo of the company looks very stylish and interesting. The blue font is used for the name. In front of it, you can see the original multicolored visual element, which looks like a flower or fireworks. No matter how it is interpreted, such a composition brings positive emotions. This visual device carries a message of friendliness and a lot of attention, which the company does not spare to keep its multimillion audience happy.
Beneath the first word in the company’s name is a curved line in a blue shade with a gradient. It resembles a smile, which further enhances the kind emotions conveyed through the logo. Not for nothing, the composition as a whole looks modern, relevant and successful.
Smile-Expo
This company specializes in the organization of large-scale business events. In its nearly 15 years of existence, the company has organized more than 270 events in 14 countries.
It is worth noting that there is a smile not only in the logo but also in the company’s name. Analysts in the field of visual brand identity consider this logo successful for two reasons at once. First, it is simple and clear, which is not unimportant for the business industry. Secondly, it is competently developed, so it is an effective communication tool of the company with its target audience.
There are no hidden meanings or difficult to analyze elements in this logo. This can be interpreted as the company’s ability to do business transparently and provide clients with a truly professional business approach, which is important in its industry.
The orange and white color palette is a good solution that conveys friendliness and specificity simultaneously. A gradient smiley with an open and pleasant smile disposes to cooperation and friendliness, suggesting thoughts about the good prospects of events organized by Smile-Expo.
Quite interesting is the visual device that makes the smile line look like a whirlpool. This can be interpreted as the constancy of a good mood and the dynamism in the development of the company itself. At the same time, the company’s message of readiness to provide clients with excellent emotions from the organized events speaks of responsibility.
The smiley is in a square frame with sharp corners balances the composition as if reminding that the company organizes events exactly in the business sphere.
Yummy United
This brand does not contain a veiled smile in its logo for nothing. Producing children’s products, the company seeks to evoke positive emotions in the audience and is associated with benevolence and reliability.
Here we see a combination of green, black, and white. The soft contours of the emblem smooth the contrast of the color scheme. The smile can be seen under the letter “Y.” It uses a bold line in white. By the way, this outline acts as an element that softens the vertical stripe of the letter mentioned. Therefore, it carries a positive sense and a functional value for the harmony of the composition.
The combination of colors in this logo shows the company’s loyalty to its principles and traditions and its reliability. By the way, the management of this international company has a unique feature – the presence of the so-called children’s board of directors. Its task is to approve the best tastes of products that go into production. This idea was first implemented in Italy in 2019; now, it is used by the company’s representative offices in other countries.
JoyToy
This is another well-known children’s brand. But here we are already talking not about food products, but about toys, which is quite clear from the name. The combination of different colors in the logo makes it fun and interesting. And the smile adds even more excitement, reminding of the main emotion of joy that accompanies all children’s games.
Another important aspect that deserves attention is the diagonal placement of elements. It testifies to the playfulness and lightness that the company wants to carry into the lives of the users of its toys.
Creative notes in this logo are combined with a serious and thoughtful approach, indicating the emphasis on the high quality of the goods produced.
PeoplePC
This company is a well-known American Internet service provider. Although its logo is one of the simplest on this list, it conveys everything you need. The thin blue lines in the sans serif font look elegant. Beneath the letters “O” and “P” is an arc-shaped line that resembles a smile. The composition looks elegant and stylish. And if you look closely, you can see not only a veiled smile but the whole smiling face. It is formed by using the already mentioned two letters. Not for nothing; this part of the logo composition is even highlighted in a lighter color.
The logo designers managed to achieve balance and creativity. And this logo is also perceived as implementing a complex intellectual concept, which is valuable and appropriate for the high-tech industry in which the company operates.
By the way, the company was founded in 1999. It is headquartered in Atlanta. It is considered one of the low-cost providers that are in demand by customers.
Argos
The company Argos is a chain of stores that specializes in catalog sales. Before the logo of this company acquired its current appearance, it had gone through 2 modifications. But despite this, the color scheme remained the same. The first logo of this company saw the world in 1972. At that time, a non-standard and complex font was used, and the first and last letters in the word were combined. This union of letters at the bottom of the logo could already symbolize a veiled smile, but it did not look clear enough.
Over time, the complex logo took on more and more minimalist features. The font became simpler, but this did not make the logo primitive. On the contrary, it became more expressive and recognizable. The same red and white color palette remained, which looks contrasting and confident. But the colors have swapped places. It is a white font of the brand name on a red background. And the arc-shaped line below the text resembles a smile, making the logo even cuter.
Hasbro
The history of this American company begins with the distant 1923. The company specializes in the manufacture of toys. In the manufacture of children’s toys and board games, it is considered the largest in the world. The logo of this manufacturing giant has changed seven times until it was approved its current version. Beginning in 2009 until today, the logo remains unchanged.
By the way, during different periods in the company’s development, its logo has changed and its name. Originally, the company was called Hassenfeld Brothers. Beginning in 1968, there were several transformations in naming until, in 1985, there was an extensive and effective abbreviation Hasbro.
The current version of the logo is a reflection of the visual brightness as well as the capacity for meaning. This logo can hardly be called minimalist. First of all, we should pay attention to the smooth font, which has no serifs. It conveys the loyalty and goodwill of the company. Beneath the company name is an abstract depiction of a smile. Fine white lines harmonize with the color of the font.
The whole composition is inside a blue and turquoise square with a gradient fill placed diagonally. It looks stylish, bright, playful, and interesting. The logo fully conveys the fact that the company values tradition, provides quality products, and strives to give joy to little users of its products.
Crayola
This U.S. company produces art supplies. Customers appreciate its products, not for nothing; the company has been successful in its industry for more than a century. The company was founded in 1885. The logo was changed many times – exactly ten times. The first version had a rather intricate design and many small elements. The current version was designed in 2006. It looks bright and stylish, so it is still relevant today.
The logo is arranged diagonally, indicating dynamics and creative impulse. It is optimistic and friendly. Over time, the yellow color in the company logo became more and more saturated, and now it looks especially bright.
For the company name, the color chosen is green, which is very in harmony with yellow. And, of course, there is a smile on this logo. It is painted in a rainbow, which is symbolic for this company. It can be interpreted as a boundless creative impulse. Thus, that logo, which was approved in 2006 and is used today, perfectly corresponds to the sphere of work of the company, which produces goods for art.
Playmobil
This German company specializes in the production of toys. Its logo was changed only two times. Now the current version of the design is from 1976. The brand itself was founded in 1974. To date, the company’s specialization is quite broad. It is not only toys but also collectibles. As for the toys, their main part is construction sets and small figures of people.
The brand’s visual identity is relevant even though the logo is decades old. Nevertheless, the logo is cute and interesting. It looks stylish and attractive.
The wordmark is arranged horizontally. The color chosen for it is bright blue. Even though the font itself is quite simple, it has one interesting feature – slightly flattened edges of the letters. We didn’t even need any serifs to make the letters interesting and visually appealing. An additional feature that stands out is the elongated and beveled point to the left above the letter “I.”
Above the lettering is an image of a smiling babyface. A darker blue shade has been chosen for it, which creates visual contrast.
The logo looks so kind that it immediately evokes a sense of trust. The different tones of the blue palette suggest that the company is serious and professional in its approach. And the good-natured smile is a reminder of the field in which it operates.
Gear Best
This company is based in China and works in the e-commerce segment. The large online store specializes in gadgets as well as clothing and accessories. Today, the company has grown so big that it has warehouses on every continent. Shipping from Gear Best is known for its speed and safety.
The brand’s visual identity is quite simple. Nevertheless, it is bright and recognizable. Next to the brand name, which is depicted using a black font, is an emblem. It represents a yellow square with beveled edges. Inside, a symbolic smile is formed by stylizing the bottom of the letter “G.”
The combination of black and yellow is quite common in the visual identity of large e-commerce platforms. This contrast looks modern and relevant. It helps to convey the message that the company is energetic and progressive to the target audience. If we analyze the symbolism of the logo’s color palette more deeply, we can note the emphasis on the safety of shopping and the high quality of the goods offered. These are the values of the company’s positioning.
Licious
This Indian company was founded in 2015. It specializes in the trade of meat products. The company operates in the retail segment. The founders of the company are Vivek Gupta and Abhay Khanjura. The company has a website and delivery service that operates throughout India. Meat and seafood are delivered to customers within 2 hours of ordering. The company even has its mobile app.
The visual identity of the Indian enterprise looks quite progressive. Black is combined with red – this color scheme looks contrasting, bright, and interesting. Above the letters “I,” you can see red dots, and under those letters is a red arc-shaped line, which resembles a smile.
Although the lettering itself looks quite austere, the smile balances it out and adds a more joyful emotion that makes the logo balanced.
Thanks to the successful logo, the company conveys a message of modernity, reliability, respectability, and a serious approach to its business. This is important for such a responsible sphere as the sale of food.
IHOP
The visual identity of this American company has undergone a huge evolution. The logo has changed four times since 1958. And if many companies are trying to keep some elements related to the company’s history in their updated logo, in this case, everything is fundamentally different. The logo has changed beyond recognition, and nothing reminds you of the original emblem, looking elegant and vintage. At the same time, it would be groundless to say that the logo has changed for the worse. It just became different. The company chose the path of minimalism in the transformation of its logo.
The original IHOP logo resembled a wooden entrance to a restaurant with a lantern on top. It was adorned with the inscription “International House of Pancakes. By the way, that was the original name of the company.
The current logo consists of the current name of the company, for which the blue color was chosen, and the arc-shaped red line at the bottom of the second half of the logo. This unambiguous line suggests a smile, which is appropriate for a restaurant chain. Despite its current simplicity, it’s as if the logo reminds us, “You’re always welcome here.”
Alibaba
This Chinese company, which represents the field of e-commerce, is a true giant. And it is no exaggeration because the company Alibaba operates in more than 200 countries around the world. For comparison, the profit of this company is more than all combined U.S. companies of the same sphere.
The conglomerate was founded in 1999. It has 18 co-founders, including the world-famous Jack Ma. By the way, he came up with the name.
In the company logo, in addition to its direct name, you can see a happy, smiling human face inside the letter “A.” If we talk about the semantic load of the logo, it is quite clear – the company works to make its customers happy and broadcasts this to the world.
However, the logo has many critics. They agree that the literal metaphor of a satisfied face is very predictable. Some suggest that this is the first version of the logo. Thus, they hint at a flawed and insufficiently thought-out concept.
Nevertheless, the logo does not prevent the company from being an industry leader and makes many customers happy. Therefore, its composition is quite consistent with reality.
Such was the selection of logos of famous companies that use a smile in their visual identity. Somewhere this smile is more obvious, somewhere it is hidden, but all of them are interesting as objects for consideration and analysis.
Wendy’s
Vegeta
Starbucks
KFC
Chef Boyardee
