The best logos are simple | Logo Design Love

Jan 24, 200889 appreciated comments

15 wonderfully simple logo designs

It’s no coincidence that the most memorable logo designs are also the most simple in appearance. You want the identities you create to be instantly recognisable, acting as a memorable identifier for the company they represent. A consumer will normally just take a fleeting glimpse at a logo, and an overly complex mark will make that opportunity redundant.

Here are 15 examples of simple, successful designs.

1/ WWF
Designed by Sir Peter Scott, in 1961.

2/ Shell
Designed by Raymond Loewy, in 1971.

3/ Bayer
Designed by Bayer, in 1904.

4/ Message
Designed by Sam Dallyn, in 2001.

5/ USA Network
Designed by Peloton Design, in 2005.

6/ Innocent
Designed by Deepend, in 1999.

7/ British Golf Museum
Designed by Tayburn, in 2004.

8/ London Underground
Designed by Edward Johnston, in 1918.

London Underground logo

9/ Mitsubishi Motors
Designed by Yataro Iwasaki, in 1870.

10/ Shelter
Designed by Johnson Banks, in 2003.

11/ 3M
Designed by Siegal & Gale, in 1977.

12/ Apple
Designed by Regis McKenna Advertising, in 1977.

13/ Penguin
Designed by Edward Young, in 1935.

14/ Families
Designed by Herb Lubalin, in 1980.

15/ Waterways Trust
Designed by Pentagram, in 2000.

Are there any designs you’d add to this collection?

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89 appreciated comments, click here to add one

Leslie Tane

David,

Congrats on the new blog . It looks great!

Thanks for this post. I’m currently sweating over a logo design right now, and it’s good for me to remember that often simple is best.

I’m interested in your inclusion of the 3M logo. Do you really think it’s a great logo on its own merits, or do you feel that it’s achieved its status as a design icon by its ubiquity? I’ve always liked it, but when I look at it critically, I really just see a nice sans-serif bold face kerned closely together.

Leslie Tane’s last blog post..Enter the January Contest

Jan 25th, 2008
Michael Martin

Great selection David. The Innocent logo has been one of my favorites since I first saw it. :)

The Nike logo is another very simple, but great, one.

Michael Martin’s last blog post..“Minimalism” Is Just Designer Speak for Laziness

Jan 25th, 2008
David Airey

Hi Leslie,

Glad you like the new blog.

I included the 3M logo because of its timelessness. It’s not based on a trend, is instantly recognisable, and brings what was otherwise a very long company name into a scalable identity.

Let me know if you want an extra opinion on your current project.

Michael,

I agree, Innocent is a fantastic brand, and I love their advertising (not to mention the drink).

Jan 25th, 2008
Richard

For what it’s worth, I think Innocent is a brilliant brand despite it’s logo. An illustration of “one logo does not make a brand”. It’s pretty poorly designed: horizontally scaled name and tag line spaced to fit. Yes, that little guy has character but the overall impression is a logo that looks like it’s been thrown together in-house. Which may be exactly what they wanted. Only it wasn’t thrown together in-house. Still, don’t get me wrong: superb brand built on great values. A well crafted logo not being one of them.

Great blog idea David. We’ll be back for more.

Jan 25th, 2008
David Airey

Hi Richard,

Interesting to get your take on Innocent. As I’m sure you know, the design agency, Deepend, went into liquidation two years later, so I reckon there are plenty of others who share your thoughts.

Glad you like the blog idea, and I look forward to your opinion on future logo showcases.

Jan 25th, 2008
Harry Roberts

Really like a lot of those. I think it’s a nice notion to state the designers too, it brings home the fact that these massive brands were made by ordinary people (with extraordinary talents, granted), if you get me :s lol.

Thanks – Harry

Jan 25th, 2008
Bendik Almås

I’m a bit surprised to see the logo for “Shelter” up on this list. It might be simple and memorable, but that’s due to it being so ugly. It’s a pain to see the “roof” of the H being bent in straight lines when the rest of the characters are smooth and curvy.

Jan 25th, 2008
Mike Smith

This blog is awesome. Just so you know ;)

My favorite logo on the list is the USA logo. I’ve loved it since the first time I turned the TV on and it was in the bottom right corner. lol

Keep up the great articles!

Mike Smith’s last blog post..Quotable Business: Success VS Value

Jan 25th, 2008
inspirationbit

Hi David! Congratulations with the launch of your new logo blog. I’m sure it will be a very successful blog in a near future! When did you have time to post all those articles here?!

I love Families logo. I featured it in my post of 8 Clever Logos. I’m also very fond of the WWF logo, it is very cute.

It’s interesting how you have an image of a red heart at the beginning and the word LOVE at the end of your site’s name ;-)

inspirationbit’s last blog post..When The End Is Just The Beginning

Jan 25th, 2008
Steven Snell

Very nice collection David. In general, I prefer simple logos.

Steven Snell’s last blog post..Designing to Meet User Expectations

Jan 26th, 2008
David Airey

Harry, Mike,

You’re both very welcome.

Bendik,

I’ll admit that when I first saw the Shelter logo on shop-front signage I didn’t like it, but for such a simple change to the type, it certainly does the job.

Vivien,

Thanks for the kind words. It’s interesting that you pick up on the heart at the beginning of the site name, with ‘love’ at the end. Initially, the heart came after the type. That was until I saw my favicon in the browser tab and address bar. I figured it would be more consistent to switch the logo around to match.

The ‘Families’ logo is one of my all-time favourites. Without doubt.

Steven,

Great of you to mention Logo Design Love on your Vandelay Design blog. Thanks very much.

Jan 27th, 2008
Kelly

David,

Love this list! The best, simple logos are almost like looking at a Barnett Newman painting. You can just stare and stare at the intricacies of every choice the designer made. Zen for design aficionados.

Two favorites not on this list: FedEx and amazon. Oh, the arrow hiding in FedEx’s name! *Teary* just thinking of the mastery of minimalism there. And amazon’s smile under the name! Perfectly corny and Jeff Bezos’ grin comes right to mind.

The clean, timeless logo can look fresh for decades, as you show here. A great list for a logo addict like myself. Thanks!

Regards,

Kelly

Kelly’s last blog post..Tip of the Week

Jan 27th, 2008
Douglas Bonneville

I would would love to see a list of the top 10 or 20 oldest logos still in use. The GE and CocaCola come to mind, but I had no idea that Mitsubishi was that old or had a logo that old. 130 years old and it still looks like fresh. And the Underground? Wow – 100 years just about. Looks spring-chicken fresh! I’ve been posting my own logos on my blog lately – it’s certainly the most fun area of design for me, personally.

Douglas Bonneville’s last blog post..Silly Ad for Providence Graphic Design & Arts Meetup

Jan 27th, 2008
David Airey

Hi Kelly,

Glad you like this list, and thanks for dropping by to comment on my new blog.

Douglas,

Nice idea for a list of the oldest logo designs still in use. I think CocaCola or GE would look infantile placed beside the Christian cross, or Weltenburger Kloster of 1050 (I can’t be sure of that, but it’s a good idea of yours).

Jan 28th, 2008
Jennifer

Hi David,

Congratulations on the new blog, it looks great. Already love the content too!

Jennifer’s last blog post..Rearranging thumbnails and renaming files in Adobe Bridge

Jan 29th, 2008
David Airey

Thanks Jennifer. ;)

Jan 29th, 2008
Helen

Making something simple, yet usable and effective is by no means easy. Much respect to all the above mentioned logo designers! I guess, we can add PUMA’s and ADIDAS’ logos to the list, too. Though, it’s better to write a separate post on sport logos o the other hand as they are worth reading of :)

P.S.: I won’t be too original congratulating you on the new blog, but really – congrats! Launching a good website takes a lot of time and effort, and even more when you have two of them :)))

Jan 29th, 2008
David Airey

Sports logos, that’s one for the future. Thanks Helen.

I also appreciate your kind words on my latest blog launch, and look forward to your interview email.

Jan 29th, 2008
brian kohlmeier

Right now I am working on a art project designing a logo for a product. It is good to know that simple ideas still work.

Jan 29th, 2008
An Jay

Great blog David! Logo you collected above are all great and I really got surprise that some of the logo are more than 30 years old but its amazing. Keep up the good work!

An Jay’s last blog post..Edit Your CSS Code Live In Both Internet Explorer And Firefox Simultaneously

Jan 30th, 2008
Dax

Great set of logos! And congratulations on a great new blog by the way.

I think a lot of these logos are down to opinion here as everyone seems to be asking; why this one, why that one?

Well I’ll add another query for you! The British Golf Museum logo. What in your opinion makes this logo one of the best simple logos? The reason I ask is because personally, I think its dreadful! The inner text is far too small on what is actually quite a large/wide logo, the shape is awkward to work with, it takes a few moments to actually realise it’s a golf ball on a surface (Am I right??), and its just one of those logos that doesn’t quite feel right.

Tut…Tayburn.

Jan 30th, 2008
Adaptiv Media

My favourite is Message. Very creative. WWF has always been a hit with its perfect combination of being a non-profit organisation in posession of an extremely well designed and simple logo.

Jan 30th, 2008
LaurenMarie - Creative Curio

I really like the Families one (seen it before, still love it). I also admire the Mother & Child logo. Lubalin had a very elegant simplicity to his designs! I didn’t realize some of these logos had been around so long! I wonder what they looked like in the beginning… Prudential (you probably know it as Pricoa or Pramerica) has an interesting logo history. It’s great to see it evolve over time. I’ll see if I can get you an image of it.

LaurenMarie – Creative Curio’s last blog post..Review of Wacom Intuos and Graphire Pen Tablets

Jan 30th, 2008
Kane

Great article.
I think 3M is a great logo for more than it’s durability. I think it may hook many of us subconsciously as it can be seen as the word ME as seen in a mirror.

Feb 1st, 2008
David Airey

Brian, An Jay,

Thanks for commenting.

Dax,

Your compliments on my blog are appreciated. Cheers. It’s true that there’s an element of subjectivity with logo design. Only the very best ones will find agreement from all designers.

I’m not surprised that you pick up on the British Golf Museum logo, as I was contemplating leaving it out, or including a different one in its place. It actually shows a golf ball dropping into the hole – the ultimate goal in golf.

Lauren,

Lubalin certainly created some of the best logos I’ve seen, and the Mother & Child design is fantastic. In the UK we know Prudential as just that, Prudential. Do you mean the same organisation I’ve linked to?

Kane,

The 3M logo such a strong symbol. Glad you like it too.

Feb 1st, 2008
sercan ozen

bayer’s logo was designed by “ihap hulusi görey” who was almostly the first graphic designer of turkey.

Feb 3rd, 2008
David Airey

Hello Sercan,

According to Wikipedia, Ihap was just 6 years old when the Bayer cross logo was introduced in 1904. Is that a mistake?

Feb 3rd, 2008
CEO254

Awesome!

Feb 3rd, 2008
Keith

Nice write up David. I haven’t come across the Families logo before, I can’t get over over beautiful it is!

Feb 5th, 2008
Steve

I love it, but I think FedEx should be on here too.

Feb 5th, 2008
LaurenMarie - Creative Curio

David, unfortunately, no–that’s the first organization that had the name Prudential in Europe but it’s not us. I guess there’s some law that two organizations cannot have the same name (or maybe it’s two organizations in the same industry), so we had to change it. We even have a disclaimer page about that. You would know my division (real estate) as Pramerica and my division’s sister group as Pricoa (relocation services) in the UK. Which reminds me that I was going to send you those logos…

LaurenMarie – Creative Curio’s last blog post..11 Must-Have Tools for Web Designers

Feb 6th, 2008
Davey

It’s neat to see how great designs can stand the test of time.

Feb 7th, 2008
Jerry Kuyper

I would agree that the WWF panda is one of the classic icons. Sir Peter Scott may have designed the original in 1961 but the panda you show was designed in 1987 at Landor in San Francisco.

At that time the WWF in the US was using one version and international was using another version. Jenny Leibundgut was the lead designer and I was the design director. The logotype was changed sometime in the late nineties. I would be glad to send a few files if you are interested.

Feb 7th, 2008
David Airey

Keith,

Glad you like the Families logo. I think it’s fantastic.

Steve,

There’s no doubting the Fedex logo, and how effective it is, but this list isn’t exhaustive, and I’ll be featuring more simple logo designs here soon. Stay tuned.

Lauren,

Thanks for confirming that, and also for sending me an email. I’ve been incredibly busy lately so sorry for not replying sooner. I hope all’s well with you.

Jerry,

Good of you to stop by and comment. I am very interested in those files you proposed sending over, and will drop you an email shortly.

Feb 11th, 2008
Inverted Reality Designworks

Cool post. Some of these are really inspirational. Some are just so, so. But its amazing when some of these were designed. You wouldn’t think some of them would be so old.

Inverted Reality Designworks’s last blog post..Graphic Design Resources – Tutorial on Creating Complex Custom Patterns in Minutes Using Illustrator

Feb 17th, 2008
Byron

What’s the Panda got to do with wrestling? (kidding!)

Great new blog, thanks :)

Mar 8th, 2008
david jones

It’s Siegel & Gale, not Siegal & Gate. Hey, your avatar is still Univers ;)

david jones’s last blog post..Adriana Lima nude for GQ

Mar 23rd, 2008
david jones

Oh, by the way, here is the WWF logo from the 70′s, not sure if it’s the original Panda by Peter Scott, but it is one before Landor stepped in ;)

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/7048/wwfho7.jpg

david jones’s last blog post..Adriana Lima nude for GQ

Mar 23rd, 2008
David Airey

You’re very welcome, Byron.

David,

Thanks very much for catching that typo, and for the Peter Scott link. Nice to see again.

Mar 24th, 2008
Douglas Bonneville

David:

I propose, as you suggested up top, a list of the “World’s Oldest Logos”. You trumped me by going to the Cross (or “fish” symbol). That would be a fascinating story. I wonder what commonalities ancient marks have in common with “new” marks with longevity. What traits do they share? What gives a logo staying power? 1000 years for a brewery isn’t too shabby!

Apr 10th, 2008
Felix

The WWF, 3M and the Shell Logo are probably the most timeless ones I have seen so far. Great list!

Felixs last blog post..Blog Mastermind nimmt neue Studenten auf

May 19th, 2008
kailoon

I love the wwf logo so much

Jul 3rd, 2008
Rich

How many people would have honestly spotted the arrow in the FedEx logo if it weren’t for smile in the mind?

I didn’t until I read the book and love pointing it out to people. Afterwards it’s all I can see and wonder how I didn’t spot it in the first place. Bravo to the designer…

Good call with the logo list above. i would’ve also added the IMB mark by Paul Rand.

Take care.

Rich

Aug 12th, 2008
David Airey

Douglas,

You ask some great questions. Ideal for a future blog topic. Thanks.

Felix, Kailoon,

Cheers for dropping in.

Rich,

I’ve not read ‘A Smile in the Mind’. Would you recommend it? I’m always on the lookout for good graphic design books.

Aug 17th, 2008
rich

smile in the mind is class…

old book but worth a look at.

rich

Aug 22nd, 2008
Justin

Not so much convinced as including the shelter logo in this post. I would have placed a simpler logo such as the FedEx – with that subtle forward arrow. Still definately a nice collection – particularly the iconic London Underground logo – 1918 and it still rocks !

Aug 25th, 2008
David Airey

Thanks for the recommendation, Rich.

Justin,

Whilst the ‘Shelter’ logo may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, it’s certainly memorable, easily described, doesn’t rely on colour and works well at all sizes. Many plus points.

Aug 28th, 2008
Qatar Boy

Thanks for this… It’s a really amazing collection. I’ve never seen FAMILIES logo before – just blew me away. Thanks again. QB

Sep 17th, 2008
Douglas Bonneville

I’ve seen quite a few takes on the Families logo. When I see something this simple, I always wonder 1) how no one saw it before and 2) if we are going to run out of obvious icons buried inside of words in the next few years :)

Is good logo design a bit like peak oil? How much more can we continue before we run out and all revert to simply using Courier for everything? :)

Sep 30th, 2009
David Airey

Good question, Doug.

The shape of logos could well be equated to fossil fuels, so it’s up to us, as the designers, to turn them into a renewable form of energy. Treading new paths as we go. (Or something like that.)

Sep 30th, 2009
Shane

Great Collection of simple logos.
love it how simple and effective the families logo is.
Thanks.

Oct 5th, 2009
Sashi Abey

Alll the above logos looks very simple and clean and also well thought out,they are rendered with a clean and a crisp touch, which are most important aspects of logo designing.

Very smart logo designs

Nov 2nd, 2009
Shabbir Hussain

Hey David. Thanks for the post. These are great, i’m sorry, simple-y great logo.

An Indian company, Deccan 360, has unveiled a logo similar to usa network.
(Link removed due to use of URL shortener.)

Was Bierut right when he said, “If your idea isn’t working, steal one.”

Dec 2nd, 2009
Brian

Very Elegant and Smart – Simple logo designs are the best form of branding which enhance the marketing and advertising.

Dec 4th, 2009
Freya

These really are wonderfully simple logo designs. Thanks for the post. Very inspirational.

Dec 31st, 2009
Danny Dyson

I didn’t realise the Mitsubishi logo was created so long ago.. amazing how good design will last forever

Apr 23rd, 2010
Thinh Nguyen

I am an amateur logo designer who has designed a few logos for my start-up companies. The best logo, in my opinion, is the one from Amnesty International. It’s very simple, beautiful and effective. However, I rarely see that logo being listed among the best logos. Why?

Jun 9th, 2010
Fred

This really is a classic set of logos that stand the test of time. It’s good to see an intelligent list of designs, too often it’s whatever the design flavour of the month, logos that look great on screen this week, but wouldn’t print or reproduce down small, like on business cards. Good stuff.

Jun 11th, 2010
Andras Kelemen

Let’s see National Geographic. IMHO the world’s plainest logo, only a yellow standing rectangle, however immediately recognisable for masses.

Jun 13th, 2010
Judy Frary

The Families one is amazing, never seen it before. I think the innocent one works very well because it looks like a child has drawn it, and has that childhood innocence feel about it.

Jul 8th, 2010
Billy Holm

Shell and London Underground is two of my favourite logos. But my number one favourite is the swedish “ICA” logo, red, simple and clean. It haven’t changed for over 40 years!

Jul 30th, 2010