The Hits and Misses with Brand Logos

The logo will be pervasive amongst all of your marketing campaigns and will be the first thing audiences think of when your brand is mentioned. Creative brand agencies like Creative Spark have expertise in what makes a successful logo and can assist in creating a logo for you. Here we look at some examples of logos done the right way – but also the wrong way.

The Hits

• PIXAR’s “Out of the Box” Brand Alignment:

Everyone is familiar with the bouncing lamp in the PIXAR logo, but not everybody knows of its origins. In 1986, PIXAR made a short film called ‘Luxo, Jr’. In the two-minute short film, one larger lamp looks after a smaller lamp whilst he plays with a blow-up ball. Originally, this short film was not intended to have any meaning outside of its own existence. However, the smaller lamp has since been incorporated into the PIXAR logo to resemble the letter I. This animated logo now appears at the start and finish of most PIXAR films and has since become adored by fans. Also, there is usually an animated short that precedes PIZAR movies, another clever signature experience of the brand. What can be taken from this is that if you create something lovable, it becomes memorable. Furthermore, PIXAR actually made its logo an audience experience by including their animated shorts before the main event.

• FedEx’s Clever Double Meaning:

We’ve all seen the FedEx logo countless times, but most of us haven’t realised quite how genius it is. On the surface, the logo simply reads the brand name in bright purple and orange text. However, there is actually a hidden arrow between the second E and X that resembles the sheer speed and reliability of their services. This logo is a fantastic example of how a simple, easy to digest logo can also convey the brands mission also. By making a logo that has a dual meaning, audiences immediately deem your ideas clever and will be more trusting towards your brand.

• Amazon’s Amazing Arrow

Amazon has become such a world-renowned brand that almost everyone uses their site if they want to purchase something. Despite having extremely strong brand recognition, their logo reinforces just how many products Amazon actually sells. The arrow in the logo starts below the A in “Amazon” and points the Z – connoting that the company sells everything from A to Z. Furthermore, the arrow looks like a smile, adding a positive feel to the logo.

The Misses

• Starbucks’ Confusing Logo

Starbucks’ logo has always had the brand name’s text around the image of the twin-tailed mermaid – the mermaid being a symbol of the brand’s Pacific Northwest heritage.  As many people are unfamiliar with the meaning of the mermaid, the inclusion of the brand name has always assisted customers in understanding. Unfortunately for Starbucks, 2011 was a bad year as they opted to remove the words from the logo with the understanding their had the brand recognition. However, no matter how big your brand, there will always be many people who don’t recognise it – and if a picture of a mermaid is all you have to demonstrate what sets Starbucks apart, it is advisable to keep the text.

• Animal Planet’s Pointless Rebranding:

For all animal lovers, Animal planet is the brand to go to for all your animal information. Their first logo conveyed this idea by including an elephant, (a lot of people’s favourite animal) next to Earth. However, their redesigned logo struggles to convey the same message. The new logo removed the elephant and rotated the letter M. The M now looks awkwardly placed and the importance of the elephant is no more.