How to Design a Logo That’s Truly Memorable

What’s the first thing customers notice on websites, in advertisements, and on products? 

Logos. 

Corporate logos play a big role in creating a lasting impression.

In a time where people have a shorter attention spans than ever before, a good first impression is not just good for your business. 

It’s a must have.

If you’re still undecided on your own logo design and need more inspiration, you’re in the right place. 

We’ll cover 15 iconic logos from famous companies and let you in on what makes them great. 

And, as a little bonus, we’ll also show you how to easily create a logo of your own. 

15 most iconic logos of the world

To get your creative juices flowing, let’s look at what makes these famous logos the talk of the town.

1. Amazon

The most popular logos incorporate their values and missions into their logos. Amazon, the online shopping pioneer, cleverly shows its mission in its logo. 

The orange arrow pointing from the letters ‘a’ to ‘z’ indicates that the company sells everything you might need. 

The arrow also forms a smile, a universal symbol of happiness, under the letters. The company expects people to be happy and satisfied when they shop on the platform. 

Amazon’s logo is mainly text-based.  The company uses a clean sans-serif font that embodies simplicity, making it easy to remember and read. Meanwhile, the black-and-white type emphasizes the orange arrow. 

Like Amazon, try incorporating your brand’s vision and goals into your logo to make it more meaningful.

2. Apple

The Apple logo has become a true household symbol in the IT industry. 

You might not know that Apple’s first logo attempts revolved around a rainbow-colored apple.

Although the color scheme went through several changes, the graphic design of the original logo remained. 

Why? Because the simple design combined with a black-and-white color palette makes the logo look compelling yet straightforward.

You can easily see it against most backgrounds, proving that a good logo doesn’t need to have an over-the-top design.

3. Beats by Dre

The onomatopoeic headphone and speaker brand Beats has been following the logo design trends. 

The brand’s playful logo is a great example of how to cleverly add hidden meaning to your logo. 

The icon consists of a letter ‘b’ written in a soft-rounded sans-serif font and a red circle for a background.

Stylistically, the logo’s shape resembles a person wearing headphones. Combining the graphic design of your logo with the products or services you offer is a great way to make your logo unique and memorable.

The color combination is also important: a red and white combo radiates passion, energy, light, and excitement ‒ all the traits that the brand wants to embody.

Play around with different letters and font designs to make your brand’s expertise clear in a split second. 

4. Burger King

This famous fast-food restaurant makes sure that people know exactly what their business is about just by looking at its famous logo.

Burger King has been around a while and its new logo uses a combination of symbols that resemble what’s on the brand’s menu. 

The brand name, for example, is placed between the two ‘bun’ icons, just as if it’s a hamburger

The combination of the bright reds and oranges makes the logo look energizing and catches the eye. The contrasting yet calming blue frame acts as a border for the overall logo design. 

This helps to create a distinctive shape for the logo, making it easier to place on different marketing materials. 

Try experimenting with color psychology to evoke certain emotions in your design. Remember that each color carries specific meanings, so make sure your chosen colors go along with the overall brand identity.

5. Coca-Cola

It’s no secret that this is one of the world’s most famous logos.

Coca-Cola’s iconic logo plays with both color psychology and typography, making it one of the most unique and timeless brand logos out there. 

This design was made in Spencerian script by the brand’s founder Frank M. Robinson in the 1880s, and it has stood the test of time ever since. 

The ‘Coca-Cola’ red has become synonymous with the brand’s identity – it’s energetic, passionate, and exciting. The white color of the typography helps the brand name stand out clearly against the red background.

Just like Coca-Cola, you can create a timeless logo with unique typography, combining it with appealing color combinations to make it easy to remember. 

6. Dove

Dove’s logo is an excellent example of brand logos that use animals as their inspiration.

The logo contains a dove icon and the company’s name written in a cursive font. Using a metal-like gradient color palette, the brand wants its consumers to feel beautiful and elegant after using their products.

Additionally, the symbol and colors are clear hints at Dove’s target audience, which consists of mostly young adult women.

Like Dove, you can use this type of logo to portray your visual identity and segment your target market.

7. Gucci

Designing a logo for a luxury brand can be challenging, but the good news is that sometimes less is more. 

Gucci’s logo design is an excellent example of a lasting logo that hasn’t gone through extensive redesigns ever since it was unveiled to the public. 

This classic emblem comprises Gucci’s company name and the symbol of the interlocking letter ‘G’.

The brand’s use of a classy font, a circle-like emblem, and a black-and-white color palette indicates that the company manufactures luxurious and reliable products.

Overall, the minimalist design makes Gucci’s logo both versatile and timeless.

8. Google

If you’ve not seen this logo online, then you’ve probably never used the internet.

Google’s famous logo is a simple yet unique piece of branding, displayed in bright primary colors and a bold sans-serif type. 

The green color symbolizes Google’s spontaneous nature, indicating that it doesn’t always follow the rules. 

And if you know anything about Google, you know that the company has been at the forefront of innovation and technology for decades.

The Google logo proves that you can experiment with colors without conforming to color psychology. Sometimes you just need a good typeface and a bunch of colors that go well together. Simply brilliant.

9. Intel

Intel’s logo is a great example of simple yet meaningful logos. 

At first, it might look too simple: in essence, it’s just the company name in a blue oval shape. 

But what’s interesting to note is the shade of the blue. It represents power, intellect, and conscience, which are all related to the company’s industry – technology and innovation.

This is how Intel aims to appeal to tech enthusiasts by using a color that exudes authority, power, and integrity. 

You can adopt the same method by picking colors that match your brand’s niche for your own logo.

10. McDonald’s

McDonald’s launched its iconic golden arches logo in 1961 and hasn’t looked back ever since. 

The fast-food giant made a few modifications to its color schemes until it landed on a red and yellow combo in 1983. That year, they also dropped the company name from their logo and only kept the symbol. 

And it turned out to work out brilliantly.

McDonald’s logo is an example of a minimalistic design that looks modern and clean. The vibrant yellow is also visible on all background colors, ensuring the logo can be seen on any types of media or platform.

11. Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz’s logo design consists of a three-pointed star inscribed in a circle with the company name written below in an elegant serif font.

After undergoing several modifications over the century that it’s been in business, the automobile manufacturer opted to eliminate decorative elements from its logo.

This has helped them create a logo that’s clean and sophisticated. The silver color also gives the Mercedes-Benz logo a timeless, expensive, and high-tech appearance. 

12. Nike

Nike’s globally recognized logo originally sported the company name written in a bold sans-serif font. Similar to McDonald’s, the sportswear brand dropped this element from its logo after it started picking up speed in the industry.

Nowadays, the Nike symbol isn’t just for selling the company’s products. It represents power, perseverance, and victory. 

Interestingly, the brand name itself originates from the goddess of victory from Greek mythology. So, designer Carolyn Davidson took inspiration from that and came up with a swoosh symbol representing the goddess’ wing.

What’s great about Nike’s logo is its visibility on different surfaces, fabrics especially. The company doesn’t have to alter it to work well on the different apparel or shoes that it manufactures.

13. Pinterest

Pinterest’s logo uses a cursive font to show off the brand’s playful and creative personality. Cursive fonts can sometimes be tricky to read, but Pinterest balances the logos’ readability and quirky nature just fine. 

The contrasting red stands out clearly against a white background, making this logo easy to place on different web pages.

Staying true to its brand, Pinterest created the ‘P’ symbol to resemble a board pin. That way, users can associate it with the platform’s function much easier, boosting the logo’s memorability.

It’s clear that a logo can be a creative outlet for storing hidden meanings or highlighting an element that represents your brand identity. 

14. Toyota

Toyota’s brand logo consists of three overlapping silver ovals and the company name written in a red sans-serif font. The lines of the ovals represent each letter within the brand’s name.

This iconic logo design didn’t go through many drastic changes since it was first unveiled.

In some marketing or branding material, the company does alternate between red and black coloring to make sure their name is clearly visible against the background. 

The choice of typography and color adds elegance to the overall design. Additionally, the unique symbol pays tribute to the brand’s name subtly.

15. Walt Disney

Walt Disney’s logo design is another excellent example of a timeless and memorable logo, as it’s been around for decades and has hardly changed. 

It features the iconic Cinderella castle to reflect the globally-desired entertainment that this company offers through its movies and theme parks.

Instead of using an industrial font, Disney uses its founder’s handwritten signature. This personal touch makes the logo look unique and distinguishable from other similar companies.

Personal handwriting and custom calligraphy add uniqueness to the entire logo. You can even try converting your own handwriting into a font to make your logo design more distinctive. 

What makes a great company logo?

Company logos represent brand identity and values. Customers can gauge your company’s business, products, and services by simply looking at your logo design. 

Here are some principles to remember and go by when creating a logo design:

• Simplicity. Keep the logo straightforward and clutter-free to make it readable.
• Versatility. As the face of your brand, you should make sure the logo blends well into any background, canvas, and screen size. 
• Memorability. Consider the logo’s uniqueness and how it can stand out from the competition to create a lasting impression.
• Relevant. Pick symbols, colors, and fonts that reflect your brand’s personality and target audience. 
• Timeless. Changing a logo mid-operation can put your brand at risk of losing some of its audience.

How to make a logo with Zyro’s Logo Maker?

If you want to design your own logo, you can hire a professional designer to make you one. However, there are much simpler and cheaper ways to do so.

Zyro’s Logo Maker offers plenty of unique templates to choose from. You can also make one entirely from scratch using the versatile editing features.

Here’s how to create your own logo using the free tool:

1. Firstly, add your brand or business name and tagline. If you don’t have a slogan yet, the Zyro Slogan Generator can help you come up with one quickly.
2. Pick a symbol that matches your brand. The toolbar editor lets you customize its color, size, and shape. You can also change the symbol’s position in the Layout menu.
3. Click on the logo type to alter your logo’s appearance. You can toggle things like font type, size, color, shape, and spacing.
4. Once you’re done, click Download to get a PNG file of your logo.

The best logos are a product of research, hard work, and a never-ending cycle of constant reinvention. 

Keep in mind that every adjustment leads to better logo design, so don’t be discouraged if your first logos look a little shabby.