When people think about some of the most famous brands or companies in the world, the thing that will come first in their minds are the brands’ logos. The logo is the one that serves as the gateway for consumers to know the brand, and a striking and recognizable logo is often the key to a successful company. While there have been millions of logos that are created every year, there are only a few that stood the test of time because of their iconic and memorable look. Here are some of the most famous logos in history.
Shell
Although most people would probably know Shell as a company that distributes and gives oil and gasoline to consumers, the business actually started out as a trading company that focused on sending sea shells to countries in the West. Some it made sense that their logo since 1900 would be a clamshell. However, the iconic yellow and red clamshell logo would only first appear in 1948, and since then, the logo became simpler and simpler until it became cartoonish by 1999. The current logo used by Shell today is created in 1995, but the logo would sometimes be accompanied by the “Shell” text at the bottom.
The choice of colors for the clamshell logo is actually attributed to how Shell wanted to connect to the people of California when they first opened a branch in that state. Since the early settlers of California came from Spain, Shell wanted to use the colors of the Spanish flag on their logo to form a connection with the settlers. While the period of settlers has passed, Shell still uses the iconic yellow and red clamshell logo today.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is considered as of the most popular beverages today, and while its flavor or taste has changed over the years, its iconic logo hasn’t. The famous script lettering logo was created by the company in 1887, but during the period, it was only presented with a black font color. It was only in 1958 when the company decided to add the red and white colors to the logo, and until today, the colors stuck to the logo.
The logo’s famous script lettering is supposed to represent the classic Americana, which is a style that features futuristic designs that is intended to signify the United States’ advancements in several industries. The red color that often serves as the background for the white lettering is supposed to represent the excitement and refreshment that people get from drinking Coca-Cola, as the color is often considered powerful and energetic. In addition, the color red is said to also increase people’s appetite, which is why many food and beverage companies, like McDonald’s and Wendy’s, use red in their logos or their packaging.
Apple
Arguably the most popular logo right now, Apple’s “black apple” logo is the current form of the previous apple logo that the company created in 1977. The first iteration of the apple logo has stripes that feature the different colors of the rainbow, and they have used this logo for more than ten years before they changed it to just have a blue color in 1995. In 1998, they changed the color of the logo to black, but they would eventually change it again to silver from 2001 to 2014, as silver is supposed to symbolize the “new age” for the brand since they aimed to be more futuristic and innovative during that period. However, they soon reverted to the black apple logo in 2015 to represent the brand’s simplicity and sophistication.
While Apple has stuck with their iconic for more than 30 years, it was not actually their first logo. The very first logo was an image of Isaac Newton writing or reading a book while sitting near a tree. On the tree is a highlighted single apple that is supposed to signify the fruit that fell on top of Newton’s head that led to him creating the Newton’s law of motion. In a way, Apple wanted to show to consumers that their brand has a similar story to Newton since the company are also “creating” devices or gadgets that can help people in their daily life, as Newton’s law of motion also became a way for many inventors to create some of the most fascinating and useful inventions in history.
Nike
The famous “swoosh” logo of Nike was created by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student that sold the logo to Nike co-founder Phil Knight in 1971 for just $35. Although Davidson didn’t have any idea that Nike would eventually become one of the most popular shoe brands in the world, she was still given gifts by the owners of Nike for creating the iconic swoosh logo.
When the Nike logo was created, it was often accompanied by a text of the company’s name on the bottom or on the side. However, ever since the swoosh logo became popular, Nike didn’t really need to put the name of their company anymore, as one look at the swoosh logo would immediately tell people that the shoe or other apparel is designed by Nike. As for the brand’s name, Nike is the Greek goddess of victory, thus perfectly representing the company’s ambition to provide shoes for athletes that wanted to win in their chosen sport. Then, the swoosh logo is supposed to represent the speed of the athletes while wearing Nike shoes.
The Google logo was first created using a standard font style in 1998, but it was also in that year where they started using the famous and colorful letters for the logo. The logo would remain the same until 2015, when they decided to change the font style and make it more modern but retain the “blue-red-yellow-blue-green-red” color combination for the letters.
The simple logo of Google is supposed to represent their business’s accessibility, as reading their brand logo is as easy as using their search engine, their email application, and other services. In addition, while the first three letters use the three primary colors (blue, red, and yellow), the last three letters has an added secondary color (the letter L) to signify that the company is not following rules when it comes to innovation. The unruly nature of the logo may also represent the wacky personality of the brand, as they would often add easter eggs on their search engine and change their logos during important events or holidays.
These five famous logos have contributed to their brand’s success, as their recognizable appearance is so memorable that people would already associate the logo with the brand even without reading the company’s name. If you are currently creating a logo for your business, make sure that it would look as memorable as the ones stated above so that your business may become successful as well.