What makes just a good logo legendary? Big dreams, creative minds, and, of course, exciting stories. Some iconic logos appeared almost by accident, some have undergone radical changes over the years, and some are fraught with secret messages that you never knew existed.
If you’re thinking about creating a logo online, take inspiration from iconic brands and learn 20 fun facts about world-famous logos.
1. Amazon
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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos personally oversaw every stage of the logo creation – from the first draft to the final version. Designer Turner Duckworth introduced a modern version of the logo in 2000. The logo represents the company’s name with a small but memorable detail – the orange arrow, which has become the symbol of the brand.
Fun fact: The Amazon arrow has two meanings. Firstly, it starts with the first letter of the English alphabet – A and ends with the last – Z. The message hidden in the logo: “Amazon sells any goods from A to Z” (which is equivalent to the Russian “from A to Z”).
In addition, the arrow also symbolizes the smile that appears on the faces of Amazon customers when they receive a long-awaited package.
2. Disney
Any child from 3 to 90 years old knows the Disney logo – florid and quirky, as if from an old book of fairy tales. In 1995, the famous castle silhouette was added to the logo, which by 2006, thanks to the efforts of Pixar, became more voluminous.
Interesting fact: it is generally accepted that the company’s logo is an exact copy of the signature of its creator Walt Disney. This is not entirely true. The logo is indeed a stylized version of the company’s founder’s handwriting – but the signature itself was changed by Disney so often that it was impossible to copy it.
Disney relic collector Phil Sears wrote: “The Volt deliberately changed his signature over and over again – just as he changed the face of Mickey Mouse. Each decade, Disney’s murals have been significantly different from previous versions. “
3. Nike
Nike’s Swoosh is perhaps the most famous sports logo. Brand owner Phil Knight wanted to create a logo to symbolize dynamism and speed. In addition, it was important for Nike to differentiate itself from Adidas, the company’s main competitor.
The young designer Carolyn Davidson was the creator of the Swoosh, inspired by the wing of the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, for the logo’s shape. Phil was not impressed with the logo, but the owner accepted the job due to the tight deadline, saying he would “warm to the logo over time.”
Fun fact: Carolyn received only $ 35 for her logo work, roughly $ 200 at the current exchange rate. However, in the 80s, the company’s management presented her with a gold ring with diamonds and a block of shares, the value of which currently exceeds $ 4 million.
4. McDonald’s
McDonald’s golden arches are so popular that they have become an independent pop cultural phenomenon and a symbol of the entire fast-food industry.
Over the years, the logo of fast-food restaurants has gone through a series of redesigns, the last of which was carried out by the German agency Heye & Partner in 2003. The modern logo is minimalist, with a dominant yellow and a subsidiary red, often accompanied by the slogan “I’m loving ‘it.”
Interestingly, although the first McDonald’s restaurant was opened in 1937, golden arches as an interior element appeared only in 1952. They became part of the logo even later – in 1961 when businessman Ray Kroc acquired the restaurant chain.
5. Gucci
Gucci created the first version of the logo in 1933 – 12 years after founding the brand itself. The fashion house’s symbol was two intertwined G’s, to which a red and green ribbon was added in the early fifties – a tribute to Gucci’s Italian roots. The last modification of the logo took place in 2015 – then, both letters G were turned in the same direction.
Interesting fact: the logo was created by the son of the designer, Aldo, who imprinted on it the initials of his father – Guccio Gucci. In addition, the logo has one more meaning: the intertwining Gs symbolize the clasps of the bracelet.
6. Chupa Chups
The legendary brand of Spanish lollipops, takes a special place on our list – after all, the famous surrealist Salvador Dali volunteered to create a logo for it. He chose the bright red and yellow palette and decided to place the logo on the top of the lollipop – where it will always be visible.
Interesting fact: the brand’s name comes from the Spanish verb chupar, which means “to lick.”
7. Coca Cola
Another logo that needs no introduction. Despite minor changes, the Coca-Cola logo has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 1886. The font used in the logo is so recognizable and unique that it is easily recognized even when translated into other languages.
Interesting fact: the logo was created by the accountant of the company’s founder, Frank Mason Robinson. He convinced the management that double “C” would look spectacular in promotional materials.
8. Google
Designer Ruth Kedar created the original logo for the world’s most famous search engine. Her work was a Google symbol for 16 years until it was replaced by a more modern version in 2015.
The Google logo is a design element and a wholly interactive experience. To celebrate holidays and important dates, the company turns its logo into doodles, which are unusual images, animations, and even small full-fledged online games.
Interesting fact: the blue-yellow-red palette of the logo with a prominent green L, as conceived by the creators, symbolizes rebelliousness and unwillingness to play by the rules.
9. Instagram
Now it seems almost unbelievable, but initially, Instagram positioned itself as an app for professional photographers. Therefore, the first version of the logo was voluminous, white, and brown and resembled a vintage camera.
However, the app quickly gained popularity and became home to many users, including bloggers, celebrities, and well-known brands. Therefore, in 2016, Instagram got a new logo – modern, bright, and concise, which should be the case for an application with an audience of one billion people.
Fun fact: The first version of the logo was designed by the app’s CEO, Kevin Systrom.
10. Dove
The logo of the famous cosmetics brand appeared in the mid-fifties. Following his example, you can see how the trends in logo design have changed over the decades: the font became more elegant and thin, and the silhouette of the Dove became minimalistic and streamlined.
Interesting fact: the logo’s colors – white, blue, and gold – symbolize tenderness, purity, and luxury. This is a logical part of the brand’s identity – after all, Dove, for example, was one of the first to use non-model women in advertising.
11. Lego
The Lego logo went through a series of radical changes that we decided to show all versions of the logo, starting with the first one.
The Danish constructors appeared in 1932, but the usual red-yellow-white look was acquired only in 1973 when the company began to supply products to the United States. Lego opted for vibrant colors and frivolous, almost cartoon-like typography to please American kids.
The logo was last updated in 1998 – the font became denser, and the colors even more saturated. The rounded letters in the logo are a reference in the form of details of the designer itself.
Fun fact: The word Lego itself is an abbreviated version of the Danish phrase leg godt, which roughly translates to “play well.”
12. National Geographic
A logo can be called truly successful when its elements become no less recognizable than the overall composition. In the case of National Geographic, such a detail is a yellow rectangle, which, even without the verbal part, evokes associations with the legendary magazine.
Interesting fact: the rectangle was chosen as a logo for a reason. It follows the shape of a magazine page and copies the photographs’ format that made the brand famous. The yellow color of the logo represents the sun, which illuminates every place on earth – just like National Geographic does.
13. Audi
The four rings on the Audi emblem symbolize the four companies of the concern: Audi, DKW, August Horsch, and Wanderer. Initially, the logo of each of the companies was located inside each circle, but over time they disappeared, leaving only laconic geometric shapes.
Fun fact: In 1995, the Olympic Committee filed a lawsuit against Audi over the similarity of the two logos. The carmaker won the trial and retained its famous emblem.
14. Facebook
The Facebook logo has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 2005. Why fix something that works – especially in the case of a social network with a daily audience of two billion people?
The capital letters in the logo hint at Facebook’s ease of use. Saturated blue is also not chosen by chance: it is associated with optimism and IT companies in color psychology. The auxiliary white color adds freshness and dynamics to the composition.
Interesting fact: The New Yorker magazine claims in its article that Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg chose the blue and white palette because of his deuteranopia – a form of color blindness in which yellow, red, and green colors merge.
15. Guinness
The Guinness logo is one of the finest in the beer industry. The brand emulated the 14th-century national harp known as “O’Neill” to highlight its Irish heritage.
Interesting fact: the same harp is the national emblem of the Republic of Ireland. Since Guinness was the first to trademark, the country had to unfold its harp the other way around to avoid copyright issues.
16. Starbucks
The most popular coffee shop chain began its journey in the port city of Portland – hence the marine logo with a mermaid siren in the center. The first version of the logo was brown, and the image was based on a Scandinavian engraving from the 16th century. However, in the late 80s, designer Terry Heckler completely transformed the logo: it became green, symmetrical, rounded, and had much less detail.
Fun fact: Terry Heckler made the logo too symmetrical; therefore, to give the siren a more human appearance, during the next rebranding in 2011, the designers changed the shape of her nose.
17. Cirque du Soleil
As with Starbucks, the original Canadian circus logo was a hand-drawn image: a multicolored tapestry with a rising sun. However, logo design trends have not spared him either: the modern version of the Cirque du Soleil logo is a minimalistic round sun emblem with rays diverging in different directions.
Fun fact: The sun in the logo represents the first Hawaiian sunrise seen by circus founders Guy Laliberte.
18. Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is a place with more than a century of history, home to over 4,000 animals in an area of 100 hectares. Its logo is as famous as the zoo itself: two majestic giraffes surrounded by a flock of birds. Shades of ocher and brown refer to the landscapes of the African savannah and other places where no man has set foot.
Fun fact: This logo is an ode to love for the wild and New York. If you look closely at the spaces between the legs of the giraffes, you will see the famous panorama of Manhattan.
19. Apple
The Apple logo is so famous that a whole book has been written about it. It fully reflects its philosophy – simplicity, functionality, and innovation.
The first version of the logo resembled an old engraving and depicted Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. However, designer Rob Janoff presented a multicolored image of a two-dimensional bitten apple a year later. In the late nineties, the logo became monochrome to reflect Apple products’ conciseness further.
Interesting fact: usually designers provide several logo options – however, due to tight deadlines and lack of a brief, Rob Yanoff provided the company’s management with only one, which eventually went down in history as one of the most famous logos in the world.
20. Ford
The first version of the Ford logo was more like a biker club emblem: an ornate black and white coat of arms with heraldic ornaments. But already in 1912, a corporate oval appeared on the logo, and the font became more calligraphic. A gradient was added to the composition in the mid-seventies to make the image more voluminous. Since then, the logo has remained virtually unchanged – which is important for a company that prioritizes reliability and tradition.
Fun fact: In the 60s, the renowned modernist designer Paul Rand took over the company’s rebranding and designed the logo for IBM and other companies. However, Henry Ford II did not accept the version of the logo created by Random, considering it “too modern.”
