Most people can recognize popular logos or icons of their favorite brands instantly. Some of the brand symbols have remained almost the same over the years with minimal upgrades. You may find quite a few timeless logo designs that continue to appeal to consumers across the globe. Take the example of the Nike Swoosh here. The icon is one of the biggest reasons behind the popularity of the brand. It's considered timeless and recognized by people everywhere.
Similarly, there are some logo design styles that will likely never change over time. Let’s take a look at some other logo design styles that will stay forever.
This allows business owners and designers creative freedom and flexibility. With animal imagery, you can convey a strong message to the target audience from the first look. This is a timeless logo design style that can grab the attention of potential customers across various mediums. Brands such as Puma and Jaguar have been using animals as symbols for decades now.
Jaguar changed its logo design to an image of a jumping animal in 1945. While it has been through minor upgrades over the years, the automobile company has kept the symbol of a jaguar to represent the power and speed of their cars.
How to Follow: Animal imagery or silhouettes can work very well for pet, automobile and fashion logos. You can create a simple design to pair with a wordmark or a pictorial mark that can be used without the text later on too.
Source: Wikimedia
This is another type of logo style that will stay forever. Typographic logos have been used by companies in the telecommunication, food and beverage, and fashion industries. Brands can opt for various fonts or typographic styles to create a memorable design. Clear-cut typography is one element that has been seen in logos over time.
Chanel introduced their clean wordmark in 1925 with the two interlinked ‘Cs’. It has never been redesigned or revamped through the years. If you are looking to design a professional fashion logo for your business, you can choose a minimalist text-based style that connects with the target audience immediately. The tech giant, Google also launched a wordmark in 1998 that has been upgraded a few times. The font style has changed to a clear-cut, Sans Serif one that makes the company appear friendlier.
How to Follow: Use font styles like Promixa Nova, Avenir or Avante Garde for a modern typographic logo. Create a logo with a bold and sleek appearance so it can last for years with minimal changes.
Source: Wikimedia
The logo design style has become widely popular in the last two decades. Tech companies such as Adobe and PayPal have chosen abstract imagery or icons to generate interest among consumers. Such logos can make a lasting impression on the viewer and get them thinking about its meaning or message.
This logo design style is likely to stay forever as many brands today prefer to design an icon that is scalable and can appear prominent on digital mediums.
How to Follow: Design an abstract icon that is meaningful but keeps people guessing as well. Many abstract images are associated with a brand’s origins or their stories.
Source: Wikimedia
Today, most businesses are designing logos with a mobile-first approach. This means that the style should be easy to identify and feature on apps. If you think about it, companies tend to use their lettermarks or initials for applications. Some brands choose multiple letters to represent their brand while others select one or two. Netflix launched a lettermark ‘N’ for their app in 2016. It has now been recognized by a global audience and appears in their videos as well.
While this is a recent example, H & M is one brand that has created an effective branding strategy around its lettermark from the beginning. The minimalist logo design style was introduced in 1968 and has only been through a few minor changes over time. It appears on their eCommerce app for iOS and Android.
How to Follow: Test the responsiveness of your logo across different mobile devices and get feedback from a focus group or your team on how it appears. Make improvements before finalizing the design for a website or app.
Source: Wikimedia
It’s a timeless style that can be commonly seen on different products. The black-and-white contrast appears quite powerful and makes it easier for icons to maintain their quality across digital or print mediums. Uber, for instance, changed its logo to their brand name in black against a white background in 2011. The color palette has remained the same over the years.
Many fashion brands have also shifted towards black-and-white minimalist logos from elaborate designs or illustrations.
How to Follow: Create a black and white version of the logo and adjust the shapes, symbols or text to match the two-color scheme. The classic colors do not need to be changed for any medium or background.
Source: Wikimedia
This is one logo design style that will stay forever. Vintage icons can have a positive impression on the viewer instantly and send the right message as well. Jack Daniel’s created their iconic brand symbol in the early 1900s. Since then, it has been through a few upgrades, but the retro or vintage style has remained through the years.
How to Follow: Create an illustration or retro image that represents the industry and type of business closely. You can design a landscape or add ornaments for a vintage appearance.
Source: Wikimedia
Before it became a popular social media network, Twitter, added a bird icon with its wordmark. Once it attracted the attention of billions of users across the world, the company dropped the name and changed the logo to a pictorial icon. The bird is now globally associated with the social network and recognized by people instantly.
Pictorial icons can make a strong impact on the audience in a short time. They are likely to stay relevant for their simplicity in the future as well.
How to Follow: Choose a relevant pictorial symbol that speaks to potential customers or users.
Source: Wikimedia
While minimalist and black-and-white logo styles are considered timeless, a colorful palette can also make icons or text stand out immediately. NBC introduced the peacock logo in 1986 and has continued to stick with the multiple colors through the years.
Source: Wikimedia
With digitalization, companies are also choosing specific logo design styles that convey their meaning from the first look. You will find that quite a few brands are moving away from complex logos that could confuse the audience. Brand-specific logos have elements that represent the core values of the company with specific elements such as custom fonts, typography or icons. Coca-Cola introduced their logo in 1893.
It’s now one of the most famous brand symbols around the world. The company has stayed with the same calligraphic style since the beginning.
How to Follow: Highlight the brand message with custom fonts, monochromic colors or an image that shows what it has to offer.
Source: Wikimedia
The growth of eCommerce has led to brands creating or redesigning their logos for digital platforms such as their websites or applications. Today, flat variations of icons are becoming hugely popular as they can maintain their quality in various sizes and resolutions. Audi announced a flat and versatile redesign of their iconic four rings from the metallic 3D appearance.
How to Follow: Design a flat icon or variation from the beginning and include it with the deliverables so it can be used on digital mediums without any changes.
Source: Wikimedia
These are some logo design styles that will stay forever. If you are looking to create one that can boost recognition and stay relevant for a long time, then you can consider any of the elements mentioned above. Make sure that your logo represents the niche accurately and can tell people about your brand or business immediately.
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