Our Favourite Famous Brand Logos

When you look at a product, do you focus on the brand's logo? If you went into TK Maxx and saw two plain blue polo tops, one from a brand you were unfamiliar with and one from Ralph Lauren, priced at £20 which would you go for?

You’d go for the Ralph Lauren one, just because 1) you can see the horse polo logo and 2) you know what that horse logo means.

It means £20 for a Ralph Lauren polo shirt is an absolute steal.

It doesn’t mean the quality of the fabric is any better or that the stitching is more robust.

In fact, the other, unfamiliar shirt, might be an even better bargain. But you’re going off the logo, and the reason you know that is because the logo is so familiar – and that’s down to branding.

Logos are key for a brand's look.

People attach significance to them. It’s, effectively, a badge of pride. If you’re cutting about in a Canada Goose or Moncler jacket – you want people to know you’ve spent an extortionate amount on it (even if you’ve snapped up a bargain in TK Maxx).

Brands, and logos in particular, are meant to be memorable.

And, typically, Joe Public selects brands that are more well-known, more distinguishable and, often, more trusted.

Rebrands can also be a risky business – especially if you’ve got an iconic logo. Take McDonald’s for instance. If it looked to replace the golden arches with something else it would take a lot of time, money and research to create a logo that’s just as impactful and significant as the ‘M’. In fact, it simply wouldn’t be worth it. So, unless there's a catastrophic change in fortunes, the golden arches won’t be going anywhere.

Here, I want to take a look at some of my favourite logos: Nike, Louis Vuitton and YouTube. 

Nike

Nike’s logo has a very interesting back story. In 1971 Graphic Designer Carolyn Davidson charged only $35 for the iconic Nike Swoosh – and logo that’s now valued at $15 billion. It’s genuinely iconic. No doubt, Carolyn has been kicking herself for only charging  $35 dollars at the time (although that’s a slightly more respectable $260 in today’s money). Having simplistic branding though is very common in big brands (Apple being another prime example), as they want consumers to be able to identify their brand clearly and immediately, and it’s something that Nike has excelled in. 

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton is a classic designer brand which people save up for, just to buy that orange bag. It’s almost sad to think of people feverishly saving for a status symbol, but it underlines how much of an impact branding and indeed a logo can have. A lot of people, though, view these items as an investment or a timeless piece. And while thing we can’t predict is how much an item will be valued in 30 years' time (for all we know, Louis Vuitton could go into liquidation),  the brand and the name are so established it will still be as iconic, even if that does happen. In fact, it might increase their value! I like the Louis Vuitton logo though because it’s simple, classy and straight to the point. Something that many brands miss.

YouTube

The YouTube logo is an original design that’s undergone a series of minor tweaks since its creation in 2005. Despite these updates, the logo has always maintained the same core concept, featuring the iconic red and white play button that’s synonymous with the brand.  In 2017, for example, the company made a significant update to the logo, introducing a more modern and streamlined design. The new logo featured a cleaner font and a slightly altered play button icon, creating a more cohesive and consistent look across all of the brand's platforms – all while still leaving people in no doubt as to which brand the logo belonged to.

So then, those are just a few of my favourite brand logos – simple and straight to the point. 

If you’re in need of some branding work to make you stand out from the crowd, get in touch.