As we all know, there are excellent well-known brands in the world, whether it is their brand awareness or the professionalism of brand design, it is worthy of many enterprises as the object of study and research, and a top logo is a lifelong benefit for enterprises.
In the design world, there are always some logos that are known as classic designs because of their uniqueness, aesthetics and fit with the spirit of the brand, which not only represent the image of the brand, but also become the benchmark in the global design field.
Next, I would like to share with you the world's top 10 classic logo designs, I hope to inspire and help you, come and enjoy it!
1. Olympic classic five-ring logo design
The iconic Five Rings logo design is the global visual identity of the Olympic Movement, consisting of five interconnected Olympic rings, blue, yellow, black, green, red from left to right, and a white background. The design was first conceived in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic movement, and was unveiled on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the International Olympic Committee. The five rings were first unveiled at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp.
The design of the Five Rings logo is a symbol of the unity of the five continents and the gathering of athletes from all over the world in a fair, honest spirit and friendly attitude at the Olympic Games. The choice of colour for the five rings does not represent a specific continent, but is intended to reflect the global and inclusive nature of the Olympic Movement. In 2010, the IOC released a new version of the Olympic symbol, restoring the seamless interlacing design of the original logo, which is still in use today.
2. Classic logo design of Chinese railways
The design of the China Railway Logo was not only considered a masterpiece of art at that time, but also considered to be a model work with a great sense of modern design, even in contemporary times, with high artistic value. With the vigorous development of China's railway industry, it has become a classic design that transcends the times, and is widely regarded as one of the top ten classic logos in China.
This logo has been applied to various logos of China's railway system and has become a global identity mark of China's railways.
On January 22, 1950, the classic logo design of China Railway was officially released by the People's Daily as the official logo of the Ministry of Railways. This logo is composed of a variant of the word "worker", and the upper part of the word "person" is in a ring around the lower word "gong", symbolizing the rising sun, meaning light, peace and freedom.
At the same time, the design of the word "gong" is inspired by the cross-section of the railroad track, and the horizontal elongation below represents the horizon, conveying a sense of safety and stability.
This logo not only reflects the attributes of the railway industry belonging to the working class, but also highlights the pride and sense of responsibility of the working class as the master of the country. Its design is concise and bright, concise and generalized, upright and solid, it is a locomotive image full of power and dynamic, representing the rapid development and forward momentum of China's railways.
3. McDonald's classic logo design
McDonald's classic logo design is famous for its unique "M" letter shape and high recognition. The yellow letter "M" is derived from the golden arch shape of the McDonald's restaurant building, which not only provides structural support for the building, but also becomes the brand's most iconic visual element. McDonald's logo design is simple and easy to communicate, its soft arch shape conveys the brand's warm and welcoming service concept, while the curved arch also gives people a smiling visual effect and conveys a friendly feeling.
The color of McDonald's logo is mainly red and yellow, red represents enthusiasm and festivity, and yellow represents brightness and speed, which is in line with the business philosophy of fast food restaurants and the personality characteristics of target consumers. The strong color contrast also adds to the eye-catching of the logo, which can attract the attention of customers from a distance.
Over time, the McDonald's logo design has evolved many times, but has always maintained the arch shape at its core. From the early designs of the 50s of the 20th century, to the iconic "M" and brand name combination of the 60s, to the rounded red rectangular background of the 80s, the McDonald's logo has always been simplified and modernized. In 2006, McDonald's further simplified the logo and removed the text, but the logo text can still be used alone.
The McDonald's logo is not only visually recognizable, but also used by brands in a variety of creative marketing and advertising. For example, McDonald's once turned the "M" upside down to "W" on International Women's Day to show respect and support for women around the world. In addition, McDonald's outdoor advertising often uses its logo as the creative core, and creates eye-catching advertising cases through the combination of street signs, lighting and other elements.
Overall, McDonald's logo design is part of the brand's history and culture, and its evolution and creative use show the brand's evolution and adaptation to the changing times. McDonald's "M" logo has become one of the most valuable brand logos in the world, and its creativity and application provide rich inspiration for brand marketing.
4. Mastercard's minimalist new logo design
Mastercard has launched a new logo design in a minimalist style as part of the brand upgrade to adapt to the needs of the digital age. This new logo retains the iconic red and yellow dots and has been optimized to make it clearer, more modern and minimalist.
The font has also been adjusted, changing the original "MasterCard" uppercase font to lowercase sans-serif "mastercard", and adopting a more concise expression.
Mastercard's logo design upgrade reflects the brand's commitment to digital transformation, and the flexibility of the new logo allows it to be effectively displayed on a variety of digital platforms. In 2019, Mastercard further simplified the brand logo, deciding to remove the text and leave only the red and yellow circles, a change that made Mastercard one of the few companies that can be widely identified by the wordless logo.
The design strategy of the new logo is not only reflected in the logo itself, but also hidden in the entire visual identity system, showing that the brand has maintained a strong brand identity and influence while simplifying the design. This upgrade also reflects a larger design trend that makes it easier to highlight and remember a clean image in a complex social environment.
5. 2008 Olympic bid emblem logo design
The emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, titled "Dancing Beijing", is a classic design that integrates traditional Chinese culture and the Olympic spirit. The emblem consists of three main parts: the humanoid Chinese seal of the character "京", the Chinese pinyin "Beijing" and the number "2008", and the Olympic rings. The main color of the emblem is red, which represents China's festive culture and celebration of life.
Inspired by the art of Chinese seals and calligraphy, the emblem is transformed into a human figure that runs forward and dances through exaggerated artistic techniques, expressing the Olympic spirit of "faster, higher, stronger" and containing a strong Chinese charm 138. This design not only reflects Chinese characteristics and Beijing's characteristics, but also shows Beijing's enthusiasm as a host city and its pursuit of Olympic ideals.
The font design of the emblem adopts the style of Chinese calligraphy, which is coordinated with the emblem graphics and the Olympic rings, reflecting the uniqueness and cultural connotation of the design. The emblem conveys four layers of message and meaning: the seal art of traditional Chinese culture, the representative red color of China, the enthusiasm of Beijing to welcome the world, and the athlete-centric concept of the modern Olympic movement.
6. Nike minimalist classic logo design
Known for its minimalist and classic Nike logo design, it is one of the most recognizable brand logos in the world. Nike's simple and powerful "checkpoint" symbol, inspired by the wings of the Greek goddess of victory, symbolizes speed, movement and gentleness. And now it has become a generation of classics, representing the sportsmanship of being positive, courageous to struggle, and daring to win.
The evolution of the Nike logo is also quite a story. Originally in 1964, the logo of Nike's predecessor, Le Cordon Bleu Sporting Goods (BRS), was a simple word mark. By 1971, the Swoosh logo debuted, and in 1978 a major change was made, changing the lowercase nike to uppercase NIKE and placing it on top of the Swoosh to make the logo more visible.
In 1985, the logo was combined with a black square to create a positive and negative effect. With the passage of time, the Swoosh logo began to be used independently, showing a more concise and abstract design according to the needs of different products, which enhanced its visual impact and was more conducive to brand promotion and promotion.
Today, Nike's logo is usually presented in black, but there has been a long time in history when red was predominantly red, as red represents energy, passion and joy. The Nike logo is not only a trademark, but also a cultural symbol, and it is widely used in the fields of fashion, music, sports and culture, becoming a symbol of innovation and the power of change.
7. Mercedes-Benz classic logo design
The classic Mercedes-Benz logo design is one of the most iconic logos of a car brand. The Mercedes-Benz logo is usually represented in the shape of a symmetrical three-pointed star, symbolizing the brand's pursuit of excellence and leadership in the three fields of sea, land and air. The design is simple yet powerful, easily recognizable, and has a deep heritage and cultural heritage of the brand.
The Mercedes-Benz logo has evolved over time, but the three-pointed star at its core has remained the same, becoming a symbol of the brand's heritage and innovation.
Classic avant-garde design needs to have heritage, innovation and contemporary characteristics, and Mercedes-Benz's design philosophy of "sensibility and purity" is the embodiment of this concept.
8. Apple's minimalist and technological classic logo
Apple's logo is known for its minimalist style and sense of technology, and has become one of the most recognizable brand logos in the world.
The evolution of the Apple logo has gone through several stages: the original logo was designed by Ronald Wayne, showing Newton sitting under an apple tree, which is more complex; In 1977, Rob Janoff's rainbow-colored apple logo became a classic, and the colorful spectrum of apples surrounded by apples symbolized innovation and diversity.
In 1998, Apple began to use a monochrome logo, initially blue, then black, and finally in 2013, it was determined to be white, this simple apple silhouette emphasizes the purity and elegance of the product; The Apple logo currently in use is a white outline of an apple, which also appears in black or other colors in some cases.
The design of Apple's logo not only conveys the brand's innovative spirit and design aesthetics, but also becomes a representative of technology and simple style, with a high degree of global recognition.
9. New York City brand classic logo
The big red heart of New York City brand image is a highly recognizable and excellent visual symbol design, which is a globally recognized visual symbol, and the use of this symbol has affected many countries and regions of city brands and corporate brands, such as the domestic Xibei Noodle Village is based on this classic logo logo has been "improved".
The impact of this logo is huge, not only has it become a symbol of New York, but it has also inspired many cities around the world to design their own representative logos to boost local tourism and shape the city's image
10. IBM classic logo
Paul Rand made subtle and strategic adjustments to IBM's original identity during the design process, replacing Beton with City fonts, elongating serifs, and enlarging the interior space of the "B" to enhance the strength and clarity of the font. After 10 years of experimentation, in 1972 he finally established a balance between the monograms through stripes, so that the three letters were visually of the same thickness, while the parallel and repeated lines gave the logo a sense of dynamism and rhythm.
Not only was IBM's logo aesthetically recognized, Paul Rand also ensured that it could be used across multiple channels, including brochures, magazine ads, TV commercials, letterheads, communication materials, architectural signage, trucks and packaging. The success of this logo lies in the fact that it is organically combined with IBM's corporate culture and attributes, and has become the embodiment of the company's service concept "IBM is service".
IBM's log design has been used to this day and has become a symbol of IBM's global identity.
Pu Zhuo service: full case planning + annual service + visual design