Some brands have logo design down to an art. Whether they created their logo themselves or hired someone else to do it, it is important to take note of some of the best performing logos and think about why they are so successful. Some of their success may just be the fact that the company itself is successful. But perhaps some of it comes from the way the company has successfully connected their logo to their brand in the minds of customers.
The following logos have all demonstrated a high degree of success with the brands that they represent. We’ll list each one and then briefly analyze what has made them successful.
1. Apple– Who doesn’t love a good apple? When Steve Jobs first thought of the logo for his Apple company years ago, he thought about the “forbidden fruit” and how it was something that people wanted, but that was hard to obtain. That idea embodied everything that Jobs wished to bring to his young company. He has succeeded with this concept, and the apple logo with the bite out of it seems to communicate this idea nicely.
2.Coca-Cola– The Coca-Cola logo is so programmed into our minds as Americans in association with the Coca-Cola brand that it is difficult to separate them. While the logo has nothing to do with the soda itself, it has become associated with the brand 100%. The logo has undergone a series of changes over the years, but it has never veered too much from the original branding, which is probably why it has been so successful.
3. McDonald’s– The McDonald’s logo features what is often known as “the golden arches.” This has become a symbol of McDonald’s staple food that travelers all over the world have come to recognize from miles away. They look for the logo that features the “M, ” and they have learned to spot the famous symbol from a long distance as they enter a town.
4. Red Lobster– If you like seafood, it’s hard to ignore the sign of the big red lobster that is featured on this popular eating chain’s logo. People have become used to letting their GPS or Google find local restaurants these days as they are about to enter a new town, so the logo has become easy to find. This logo works well for the Red Lobster chain because there is no doubt what type of food they serve when you see the logo and the chain have developed a niche for itself as one of the classiest seafood restaurants in the world.
5. Logodesignteam.com– Okay, not to toot our own horn, but we think that our logo does the trick in associating our brand with our logo. After all, we do logo design. Our logo features a simple design that reminds viewers that we use graphic design tools to create custom-designed logos for our customers. We don’t believe in fanfare for ourselves. We save that for our customers.
The Counter Argument for Theme-based Logo Design
Justcreative.com, a well-known creative design blog featured the logos of several well-designed logos recently. We found an interesting quote on the site from Senator Paul Rand in which he said that the content and theme of the logo was not the important thing when designing a logo.
Instead, he said that you should just work on designing a logo that is “distinctive, memorable, and clear.” This is something to think about as you consider what makes the above logos work so well. If you think of Rand’s statement where some of the above brands are concerned, you can see the importance of putting the emphasis on distinction and not worry about whether you can match the content of your business to your logo.
What he is saying is that the association that you are trying to achieve between your business brand and your logo will occur naturally whether you capture the content of your brand in the logo or not.
Should your logo reflect your products and services?
Many people would disagree with this. In fact, we do not agree with it to an extent. After all, what is a logo if it is not an accurate reflection of your company products and services. But, a closer analysis reveals that there is some truth to Rand’s statement.
Think about the Coca-Cola logo. When you think about the product that this company sells (soda), it is hard to imagine how the red background and white scripted font have anything to do with it. So Rand’s point is well-taken. Perhaps it is the excellent marketing that the Coca-Cola company has been able to achieve by associating their logo with their product.
Whatever the case, when you see the logo of America’s most popular soft drink, you automatically associate it with the product. So the result is the same, no matter how they got there.
That being said, it doesn’t hurt to think about the type of industry you are in and try to create a logo that has some common thread between your products and services and your logo. It should not look so far removed from your theme or your product line that people are confused by how it looks.
Changing your Logo
One of the most important things to remember is that, if you have done a good job of associating your logo with your brand, changing your logo means changing your branding. Some companies get into some difficulties when they decide to change their logo. Netflix changed its logo recently from the “Netflix” lettering in white over red to the lone “N.” They did this for some reasons. One of the reasons was that they wanted to have a logo that served as a better icon for their mobile app for the Android and iOS markets.
Whatever the reason, some customers became confused with the change because the lone “N” did not seem to be associated with the Netflix service as well as the previous logo. No one knows why this is except that it’s possible Netflix did not market the change enough before making the changeover so that some customers got lost in the shuffle.
In a way, this proves Rand’s argument: that it is the marketing and the association of a logo with the brand that helps create the brand’s identity.
We are the Best in Logo Design Services
We know that your logo should accurately reflect your brand’s identity. Whether this is done by way of creating content or theme-based logos or just by associating your brand with your logo design, we can help you to build that association by creating industry-based specific logos that reflect what you do as a business.
Take a look at some of our industry-specific logos and then contact us for a free estimate. We can talk with you about your business and design a plan to create the perfect logo. Your logo will be with you for a long time. Make sure you focus on creating something that will enhance your business whether it is directly related to your product line or not.
See logodesignteam.com today.
