Great Company Logos
The mark of a good company logo is when a consumer can tell what the company is just by looking at its logo. Branding is huge in advertising and it’s never taken lightly. Advertisers want their product to become a household name and they want people to remember their products. A great logo can do all that and more.
Let’s take a look at some great and not so great logos.
photo from McDonalds.com
Without question, everyone around the world is familiar with this logo. The Golden Arches are ingrained into our subconscious and recognizable across nations. This is a great logo. It’s simple. It makes us aware of the product.
photo by susiepie
Okay, suspend the fact that Starbucks Coffee is actually written around the sign for just a moment and look at the rest of the logo. If you were asked what was on the Starbucks logo, whether you’re a coffee drinker or not, you could probably answer the question. The weird looking mermaid is a great logo. We’re not sure why that mermaid relates to coffee, but we know we’ll get some damn good coffee there.
photo by blue_j
The Toyota logo is pretty well-known, especially amongst car aficionados. Its simple design inspires trust that we’ll get a decent car for our money, and it’s recognized by most households - making it a good logo.
photo by cobalt123
When J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank One merged, they decided to take Chase’s name because it was a more recognized brand, and by that point, the logo was familiar to people. The old Bank One logo was just a regular ‘1’ sign. It wasn’t appealing or memorable, so it was a good move on their part to take the Chase name and logo. It was a strong brand.
You get the idea of what good logos can do for a company. They’re recognizable and they make us remember the product or service, even if we don’t use them.
Now let’s look at some not so good logos.
photo from radaronline.com
Not exactly an image that inspires you to buy flowers, is it? The point was that delivery was timely, but well, it’s just a very odd logo and it probably isn’t recognized in most households.
photo from radaronline.com photo by Eric Mills
This logo is a bit ambiguous in that it is meant for the World Wildlife Fund. However, it also resembles the logo for the fast food chain, Panda Express. Definitely not a good logo when they look pretty much the same.
photo from crappersquarterly.com
In terms of business, your logo should certainly stand out. However, this takes the cake on bad logos. There aren’t even words to describe just how bad this is. Okay, that’s not true. There are words, but they’re not pleasant. However, to give AIM a little credit, we’ll probably remember them the next time we need our toilets worked on.
As you can see, logos vary substantially from one business to the next. Having a good logo can enhance consumer awareness and by extension, your market share. It can also make your product a household name, something everyone recognizes – whether they realize it or not. When choosing a logo, remember to make it simple, memorable, and avoid making it similar to other logos. Oh, and you might want to avoid a half naked man sitting on the toilet as part of your logo. Just a thought.
