I know a lot of designers who hate famous brand logos. They see them as overused and uncreative, but the truth is we all know them, and our clients expect us to be able to recreate them from memory at a moment’s notice. With that in mind, I thought I’d get ahead of the game for you and make this list of the 15 most famous brand logos of all time.
Apple is one of the world's most valuable brands. The company's logo, a simple, elegant symbol of an apple with a bite taken out of it, is as memorable as any other symbol in recent memory. The fruit logo was designed by Rob Janoff in 1977 for Steve Jobs' brand new computer company.
It may seem obvious now that Apple would need to have a logo that stood out from the competition and represented what they were doing at the time—but back then there wasn't anything else like it.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who both were dropouts of Harvard University. They started working on a version of the BASIC programming language for the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer system. This version became known as Altair BASIC, and it marked Microsoft’s first business success.
In April 1975, Bill Gates wrote to his associate from Lakeside School: “I have decided to take my advice and get into some projects that are more ambitious than anything I have done before…” The next day he flew out to Albuquerque for a meeting with MITS founder Ed Roberts on a business proposal for the use of BASIC in MITS' new Altair computer (which would become one of its greatest hits).
At this point they had been talking about writing software but not yet building computers themselves; however, by September 1975 they had come up with their logo design which featured an outline of an apple with two bites missing (representing computers) with a rainbow across them -- although this design was never used publicly until now.
Google's logo is a simple, colorful, and playful mark that has been used since the company's inception in 1998. The logo was created by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who were Ph.D. students at Stanford University when they began working on their search engine.
The word "Google" itself is derived from a misspelling of the word "googol," which refers to 1 followed by 100 zeros. This number was chosen because it represents an unimaginably large quantity of information that can be explored through Google search technology.
The BMW logo is the blue and white roundel, which was used as a part of the company's logo ever since 1922. The roundel symbolizes Bavaria, Germany (where BMW is headquartered), where it was first introduced in the 19th century.
These famous brand logos were designed by Franz Josef Popp, who was an employee of BMW at that time and also served as an illustrator for some of their products.
Nike is one of the most famous brands in the world, and its logo is instantly recognizable to many people. The Nike swoosh has become so iconic that it’s now used as a symbol for athleticism and exercise in general. It was created by graphic design student Carolyn Davidson in 1971.
She had been working on a project with Phil Knight (the CEO of Nike) when she realized that there was no symbol or logo for the company at all, so she came up with her design idea—a black-and-white checkerboard pattern with an arrow shape pointing towards its center. That arrow would become the Nike Swoosh we know today, representing the wings of an athlete—and also representing how fast you can run once you get active!
McDonald’s is the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers each day. They are known for their trademarked golden arches logo and slogan “I’m Lovin' It!”. The McDonald's logo is one of the most recognized logos in the world with its distinct red box with yellow arches and M lettering.
The Golden Arches were created by an unknown sign painter for brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, who developed their restaurant business model based on a standard assembly line production system that used pre-made components like hamburgers and french fries to make it easier for people on the go to order their meals quickly. The logo was introduced in 1962 when they opened their first franchise location outside Chicago (which now stands as a museum) but did not appear on cups until 1968 when they switched from paper cups to styrofoam ones.
The three stripes of the Adidas logo represent the three elements of the company: its name, a symbol of unity, and its core values. The word "Adidas" is derived from a Latin phrase that means “to grasp with toe” - loosely translating to "the brand with the best grip." The three stripes are said to represent how Adidas footwear provides superior traction on any surface (and we all know how important traction is when you're running or playing sports).
The logo has been in use since 1949 and was designed by German athlete Rudolf Dassler. It was originally designed to be used as an embroidered patch on his brother's tracksuits at their sports shop in Herzogenaurach, Germany—The Adidas logo is a famous brand logos, but it's so recognizable today that it has become one of the most famous brands in history!
The Starbucks logo is a stylized image of a siren, a figure from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. The siren is a symbol of Starbucks' commitment to ethically sourced coffee.
The original Starbucks logo was designed in 1971 by artist Terry Heckler, who incorporated four sirens into his design as he believed they represented the four elements: air, water, fire, and earth. The "Starbucks" name itself was added later on as its owner Howard Schultz wanted an easily recognizable name for customers to remember when ordering their drink or food item at any given time from anywhere around the world where there's an available location selling coffee products made by this famous franchise chain store brand worldwide!
Coca-Cola, the world's most popular soda brand and one of the most valuable in the world, was first bottled in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1894. One of the most famous brand logos in the world, Its original logo was a script-like wordmark with all-caps "Coca-Cola" (with two k's).
The Spencerian script was invented by American penman Platt Rogers Spencer. When Coca-Cola's founder Asa Candler asked him to design a unique typeface for his product, Spencer created several variations of his signature style before choosing one for Coca-Cola. This particular version has become so popular that it is still used today as part of its branding efforts.
Pepsi’s logo is another most famous brand logos is a red circle with a white outline. Red and white are the colors of their brand, while the blue circle inside the white outline represents carbonation in their soda products. In 1923, Walter Mack redesigned Pepsi’s logo to appear as it does today—a red and white shape that resembled the letter P in reverse (the top part of an upside-down P).
The Mercedes-Benz logo is one of the oldest and most famous brand logos in the world, with its origins dating back to 1910. The name “Mercedes” was chosen by Karl Benz's son, who wanted to represent his father's company as a combination of his mother's name (Maria) and his grandmother's name (Eleonora). The logo that we know today was designed by Daimler-Benz AG in 1909 and has remained unchanged ever since.
The three-pointed star is a symbol of quality and performance, which has been used in car manufacturing for over 100 years. In 1926, it first appeared on Mercedes cars as part of their badge — each point represents an aspect associated with motor vehicles: power (engine), intelligence (fuel efficiency), agility (handling), and speed (performance).
Ford is one of the most famous brand logos in the world, and one of the most recognizable company logos.
The Ford logo is a classic oval shape and first appeared in 1909. It’s the most recognizable logo in the automotive industry, and it’s globally recognized. The current version of the Ford logo was designed by Childe Harold Wills in 1940 as part of an advertising campaign to promote worker productivity during World War II, according to Autoblog.
Ferrari is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer that has been making headlines since the 1940s. The company's logo, a black, cursive script with the letter F for Ferrari in red, is one of the most recognizable logos in all of pop culture. It's also considered by many to be one of the most beautiful.
These famous brand logos were designed by Enzo Ferrari himself and was inspired by his father's tailor shop sign—a symbol of speed and power. Today, it represents those same qualities that have made this iconic Italian car brand so successful over time.
The Walmart logo is a blue box with the company name in white letters. The logo was first introduced in 1962, and it was created by the company's first employee, John Griffith. Today, this simple design is one of the most recognized logos in the world.
Disney is one of the most famous brands in the world. It's a trademark of The Walt Disney Company, which was founded by brothers Walt and Roy Disney in 1923.
also, Disney is one of the most famous brand logos of all time, but it's not the oldest—that honor goes to Coca-Cola.
In this article, we've highlighted some of the most famous brand logos in history. It's hard to imagine the world without them! In business, branding is important because it helps you make your business stand out from its competitors and make it memorable.
There are a lot of different elements that go into making an effective logo design—color, shape, typography, and more—and our designers have many years of experience creating beautiful logos for clients around the world. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help with your next project or want to get in touch with us directly about any questions you might have about a current project of yours, feel free to reach out by phone or email today!
Brand logos have a way of coming into our lives and sticking with us as long as we live. These are 15 famous brand logos of all time, and they’re sure to be etched in your mind for years to come.
