20 Famous Logo Designs

20 Famous Logo Designs

If there is one thing that we can learn from famous logos like Nike’s swoosh or FedEx logo, it is that the logo does not have to be complicated to be effective.

Hopefully, this collection of famous logo designs will help prove that simplicity is the key to a memorable logo.

01 – Coca-Cola Logo

The famous Coca-Cola logo was created by John Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, in 1885.

Coca-Cola Logo

02 – Audi Logo

The Audi emblem is four overlapping rings that represent the four marques of Auto Union. The Audi emblem symbolizes Audi amalgamation of Audi with DKW, Horch and Wanderer: the first ring represents Audi, the second represents DKW, third is Horch, and the fourth and last ring Wanderer.

Audi Logo

03 – Apple Logo

The Apple logo was created in 1976 by Rob Janoff. The rainbow color theme was used until 1998.

Apple Logo

04 – USA Network Logo

USA Network logo from 2005 to present.

USA Network Logo

05 – Pepsi-Cola Logo

Pepsi-Cola logo has changed many times over the years. The logo that is used right now was introduced in 1984.

Pepsi-Cola Logo

06 – Walt Disney Logo

Walt Disney Logo

07 – IBM Logo

This IBM logo was designed by graphic designer Paul Rand in 1972.

IBM Logo

08 – Nike “Swoosh” Logo

The Nike “Swoosh” is a design created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University.

Nike Swoosh Logo

09 – Nintendo Logo

Nintendo Logo

10 – Puma Logo

The logo that we see on the side of all Puma shoes was introduced in 1958.

Puma Logo

11 – AT&T Logo

AT&T Logo

12 – Atari Logo

Atari Logo

13 – Google Logo

The current official Google logo was designed by Ruth Kedar, and is a logotype based on the Catull typeface.

Google Logo

14 – FedEx Logo

The FedEx logo is notable for containing a hidden right-pointing arrow in the negative space between the “E” and the “X”.

FedEx Logo

15 – Adidas Logo

The company registered as adidas AG (with lower-case lettering) on 18 August 1949. The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel stripes, and this same motif is incorporated into Adidas’s current official logo.

Adidas Logo

16 – McDonald’s Logo

McDonalds Logo

17 – Starbucks Logo

The logo is an image of a “twin-tailed siren”.

Starbucks Logo

18 – LEGO Logo

LEGO Logo

19 – Chanel Logo

Chanel logo is an overlapping double ‘C’ – one facing forward and the other facing backward.

Chanel Logo

20 – American Broadcasting Company Logo

American Broadcasting Company Logo

Also check out: 24 Cool Logos with Hidden Symbols

  1. Alex G

    The Nike logo is definitely a classic. It’s recognizable everywhere, with or without the brand name…does anyone even use the brand name anymore? =)

    And the FedEx arrow is actually pretty cool..never noticed it before

  2. CPG

    We don’t really know these logos in France :
    USA Network Logo
    American Broadcasting Company Logo
    AT&T Logo

  3. Nekuia

    double “c” in chanel logo mean “Coco Chanel”

  4. yes

    the “usa” one is interesting

  5. Fubiz

    Nike logo is the best.

  6. Carsti

    I bet there are at least a dozen logos out there, that are better, but the companies never made it to famous. ;)

  7. bjarki

    I’ve never seen the usa and At&t logos before :S there are many logos that should be here instead of those two.

  8. Jim McDish

    OMG, the Atari Logo! I am going to go digg my old Atari 2600 out of the closet and play some games on it for a while. Gosh its been years! I think I have every game ever made for it too. Whew Yoo

    RT

  9. qqqqqqqqqq

    no windows 95 logo?

  10. Fred S.

    Nike logo is the best logo ever made!

  11. drunko

    Puma doesn’t put that on the sides of their shoes. I guess you don’t remember what the original Clydes looked like.

  12. abc

    Toyota is more recognizable then audi.

  13. John

    It should be mentioned that Paul Rand also designed the ABC logo, as well as the original logos for both AT&T and UPS (before each went 3D).

  14. Mike

    The abc logo is also very simple and effective. We all start by learning our abcs right?

  15. Giorgio

    I would definitely mention Volkswagen’s famous VW logo. I read somewhere it’s one of the most recognized logo in the world; I think it’s #2 after Coca-Cola. It’s also older than those above and very minimalistic in design.

  16. bitmage

    That’s not the original Atari logo, as a quick Google image search will demonstrate. That’s the mangled one by Infogrames.

  17. Lagasaurus Rex

    USA is a television broadcasting network in well… the USA. They have a generally okay lineup.

  18. unix494

    i prefer the NBC logo

  19. Jake

    The USA networks logo doesn’t belong here in the slightest. It hasn’t been in use long and its a highly generic logo that doesnt really tell anyone anything. The network has changed logos a lot over time and this isn’t even close to their most famous.

  20. Zanga

    u forgot barbie!

  21. John

    No CBS?

  22. Lib4

    Did USA pay you for that plug…everything else makes sense

  23. Matt

    @John:

    The AT&T logo you refer to was designed by Saul Bass.

  24. Shawn

    Funny that I’d never noticed the “right-pointing arrow” in the Fed-Ex logo! Nice find!

    SjN

  25. leedo

    Google is successful despite it’s ameteurish logo. The bevel, dropshadow, and use of color are painful. Tough to argue with success though.

  26. dk

    the RR should’ve been here too

  27. John

    What about the Sports Center logo? I love that one, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. And I don’t see the University of Tennessee’s “Power T” up there… another unforgivable mistake.

  28. Joe

    There’s so many notable logo’s and I understand you couldn’t list them all, but if you were going to list one broadcasting company logo, the NBC “Peacock” logo is a lot more memorable than the new ABC logo.

  29. Garret

    Why Audi? What about Mercedes’ Tri-star, or Honda’s “H?” Those are much more well known throughout the world.

  30. praveen vijayan

    coool list, USA logo rocks

  31. hasran

    This is new adidas logo. The old one should have three leaves with three stripes

  32. frank

    the google logo shows that content and use far outweigh logo design.

  33. Jake

    once you know about the secret fedex arrow, my friends, it is ALL you see…it’s tragic, really

  34. Gordon

    OGC, still my favourite logo.

  35. ?

    No body mentioned the chup-a-chup logo, designed by Salvador Dali?
    And the best Nike one was the Air Jordan logo… huge dunk=cool logo.

  36. cmantito

    I’ll never look at the FedEx logo the same way again XD

  37. DeadNed

    this is bullshit. the only reason this logos are so damn famous is because large cooperations use them to brand products. It has nothing to do with logo design, but rather with marketing.

  38. liz

    i remember the day i finally noticed the arrow in the fedex logo, blew my mind.

  39. Expert

    I like that PUMA and Apple Logos.
    they are great!
    http://www.expertzforum.com

  40. james

    while simplicity and clean design does make a logo stand out, there is a fine line of a difference between a WELL designed logo vs a known/recognizable logo. the latter is mostly due to plastering the logo on everything and anyone so it’s always seen hence remembered. As a few have pointd out, google’s logo is NOT a good design logo. If you want to be more picky about it, the topic for this is “famous” logos. If that’s the case then it should be logos that have stood the test of time and have not changed. The only one that do belong would be the nike logo, and more importantly the ibm logo. coca-cola no long uses that logo as their dominant logo, but instead they go with the distinctive coke glass bottle silhouette.

    here’s a tid-bit about the nike logo. nike is actually the name of a greek goddess. a winged goddess. the concept behind the “swoosh” was derived from the curve of nike’s wing.

  41. Sid1662

    A bit more information is needed The IBM logo.
    Rand originally designed a basic (no sripes) version in 1956, then a secondary (13 stripes) version in 1967 and finally this simplified (8 stripes) in 1972 (as mentioned).

  42. SD

    never seen at&t and abc’s logo’s before…

    so how famous are they? Internet is a worldwide medium. Not just an friggin american playground.

    But I miss a bit of info about all the logo’s, like why they look like they look, and who made them, and maybe some crossing logo’s? i can’t believe nintendo’s logo has allways been like that.

  43. Leon

    air jordan is missing

  44. Runescape Forums

    USA has the best logo !

  45. sachin khobragade

    really cool collection!

  46. tung148

    Google…

  47. Eric

    The NBC peacock logo is far more recognizable than the USA logo. Not sure why it was even included.

  48. TidO

    nike suxx! ..but the logo is nice ^^
    cool list, man!

  49. xzcvzxv

    Crystal Castles used the Chanel Logo.

    THEYRE PRACTICALLY IDENTICAL.

  50. cody

    Sportcenter? Im hoping your joking, or at least not a graphic designer.

  51. juan

    the logo for the big ten conference has a hidden 11 in it for the 11 teams actually in the conference.

    http://groups.northwestern.edu/evanscholars/images/Big-10-Conference.jpg

  52. Eric

    Re: the USA logo, does no one else see the dueling phallus imagery?

  53. Silicontrip

    I was trying to think of *famous* broadcasting logos. The BBC is the only one I can think of that isn’t local.

    For Australia the ABC logo is probably the most recognisable, being a 3 loop lissagous figure.

    My favourites are the TDK logo. (looks like a faceted diamond)
    The old Pioneer Logo (the tuning fork in the Omega)
    The yamaha logo. (the 3 tuning forks)
    The Commodore logo. (the C with the =)

  54. Prashant

    You forgot Sun Microsystem Logo..They have the best logo.

  55. neoyagami

    what about amd logo ? (the old green one)

  56. GaelicWA

    Rotate the OGC logo 90 degress clockwise and you get some very nefarious action. Shock horror.

  57. BPO

    you left off one of the most famous logo designs that was created by Milton Glassier. I <3 NY

  58. Tropos

    I agree with BPO.

    Milton Glasser’s I love New York campaign logo is one of the most famous, memorable and the first one using the heart icon to substitute the love word.

    Some of the logos on this article are not good logos at all. Their publicity campaigns are.

    sorry 4 my english

  59. joshua

    Google logo is horrific. It would be much better with only blue and yellow, but that’s just for starters.

  60. Katya

    The Nike Swoosh like said above was designed by a student and she was paid like $700 for it or something. Then after Nike became the company it is today the CEO or someone important from Nike thought it wasnt fair on the girl and they paid her much much more.

    Coca Cola if u look at the “Col” side ways u can see a girl drinking from a straw :)

  61. Fuzz

    i dont think americans think there is life after U.S.A!
    at least change the title to 20 famous logo designs in america!

  62. Tobbi

    The coke logo is still the best :D

  63. BoredQuiz

    wait they made these without photoshop?

  64. Nigel

    I’m an American, and I don’t understand the inclusion of the USA logo. Just not up to par with many other logos mentioned in the comments.

  65. Brandon

    I don’t think the point of this post is that these are the 20 MOST famous designs, it’s not an end all, be all list of logos. It is a list of 20 effective logos demonstrating simplicity in design. Rather than complaining about the designs listed, why not try to offer additional logos that people can be inspired by?

  66. Telsan

    One you forgot was the Dolby logo. Similar to the coco design it is 2 D’s. One facing forwards and one backwards. They stand for Dr.[Ray]Dolby, the inventor.

  67. bbEnthusion

    I have always been a huge fan of the FEDEX and the AUDI logo’s, great post!

  68. Filip

    Google has undoubtedly the worst logo ever!

  69. jimi

    all of them r beautiful!!!!

    but nike is an other thing

  70. Donald

    Most of these replies don’t really apply. The title of this list is “20 Famous Logo Designs”. And there they are…twenty famous logo designs, as promised. Not the MOST famous, and definitely not the best designs. But, hey, you gave us what we paid for. Thanks.

  71. lollie

    It also helps if it all
    can be squeezed into a
    16X16 pixel square(favicon)

  72. makus

    nice

  73. marlz

    Nike is just so basic but good…….

  74. Lola

    Oh, I previously didn’t know that the AT&T logo was 3D. It’s neat to see the curves through the blue stripes.

  75. zrce

    i like the at&t logo

  76. randallarthur

    I believe that it was inferred earlier that the nike “swoosh” was meant to represent the curve of Nike’s wing. I believe the mark was crafted after a runner’s foot in motion…starting low and swooshing up…It’s a very smart logo.

    For GREAT logos that have stood the test of time check these guys out:

    Paul Rand
    Chermayeff & Geismar
    Saul BassL
    Lance Wyman

    My personal TOP 3 Logos of all time (In no particular order):

    1. Unilever
    2. Olympics (5 rings)
    3. CBS

    (All for their case histories as well as the conceptual thought behind each)

    cheers guys!

  77. mitesh

    i had no idea the fed ex logo made a arrow. Once you see it thats all you see… i love logos like that…

    thanks for the information.

  78. Winstrinsnprins

    I think that the Lacoste Logo is missing here… is a really good logo and is recognized all around the world !!!

  79. logo tasarimi

    It also helps if it all
    can be squeezed into a
    16X16 pixel square(favicon)

  80. Irving Siegel

    I never knew that the fedex logo had the right facing arrow in the negative space. It’s great.

  81. kdub

    verizon totally copied nike’s whole check mark thing. lameeeeeeee. it is a sweet logo though. simple yet you remember it.

  82. Rebecca

    One word PLAYBOY

    The bunny logo is recognized world wide.

  83. Iroc

    the coca-cola is a classic nice flow to it and never gets old to look at
    cool logo

  84. ingilizce

    walt disney logo is the best.

  85. baba

    walt disney logo is the best.

  86. Manish

    This is Very good collection. I want to see all your collections.

  87. Cutelilpsycho

    Did you know that the girl who designed the Nike-logo was the winner of a competition and got payed 5 dollars to give up the rights to it?

  88. Biffbiffley

    What they didn’t mention is that the atari logo is a stylized Mt Fuji.

  89. biff

    Oh and cute, orginally she was only paid 60 bucks, but Nike did realize that she diserved more and she was eventually given a lot more money and stocks in Nike.. so she did get an even shake in the end.

    Just FYI.. :D

  90. Danh ba web 2.0

    Thanks you very much. Great list for me
    Keep up the good work !

  91. gazeteci

    One word PLAYBOY

    The bunny logo is recognized world wide.

  92. kabin

    its very nic projects.

  93. Gerald Christian

    ASTIG TOH PRE. It help me a lot in designing logos… This is a reference for designers to designs logo which will have an impact to people.

  94. Nikki - Logo Design Guru

    Logos have come a long way in the past years. These are some great examples of the most well known logo designs. Thanks for sharing them, they are great.

  95. billybazooka

    I think the Nike logo is overrated. It’s elegant, simple, and perfect for its intended use – to look cool on a shoe. It’s like drawing an X and saying, okay, we’re done here. It’s perfect. It does what it’s supposed to do. But did it take a brilliant sense of design? Not at all. It simply took good taste and lots of restraint, and being satisfied with the little effort it took to draw such a swoosh. We should give more credit to the design that is more sophisticated.

  96. Shrish Agrawal

    Wonder what does the arrow signify in the FedEx logo?

    Is it direction, growth, movement, success, sharpness or drive or ??

  97. Logo Factory Design Studio

    I was going to write up a ‘famous logo designs’ post for our blog, but found this. Not much point for me to do so now. You’ve done such a smashing job on this list, I’ll just send folks here…

  98. Anyanwu

    I feel like the kid on “Sixth Sense” but instead of seeing dead people I see logos….everywhere. Could there possibly be room for one more?
    These classics take on new significance.

  99. Tech Blog

    Audi has a pretty sweet logo if you ask me ;)

  100. Attitude Design

    I like the way Google can adapt their logo for different occasions throughout the year – clever.

  101. Pankaj

    all logos are best creative graphic designers thank you

  102. Steven

    What about sony logo???

  103. Steven

    Chevrolet logo is one of the most popular! even i dont like it a lot!

  104. Chaz DeSimone

    Paul Rand did not design the AT&T logo; it was Saul Bass. Today’s version is an excellent example of taking an original flat logo that represents a globe and actually transforming it into a dimensional globe, retaining the original design concept. (I wish they had retained the original type where the cap ATT snuggled the ampersand.)

  105. Chaz DeSimone

    Target has one of the most efficient logos: Everything about it is meaningful: it is truly a target; it is red and white as most targets are; it fits into every space nicely, whether main element or background. This is MUCH more creative than the Nike logo, which could stand for any brand name.

  106. Chaz DeSimone

    The first clever use of the negative S was for USLife. It works equally well for usa, being a slightly different effect.

  107. oyunlar

    my choise is google

  108. Level42

    The use of the TOTALLY destroyed Atari logo ESPECIALLY in this context if nothing short of blasphemy……

    PLEASE PLEASE do away with that completely screwed up cherry bon-bon image and put the REAL Atari logo up there !!!!!

    Here you go:
    http://busteddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/atari_logo-040607.jpg

  109. medyum

    I would definitely mention Volkswagen’s famous VW logo. I read somewhere it’s one of the most recognized logo in the world; I think it’s #2 after Coca-Cola. It’s also older than those above and very minimalistic in design.

  110. suzie nuefueld

    fed ex!!!!!!!!!!!! i never knew that that is soooo cool holy tolito!!!!

  111. diyaliz

    What about Sony logo?

  112. Kevin

    I think the Guinness logo should be in there as well. It’ll prob be even more well known after Arthur Guinness Day 2mo :)

  113. Kevin

    Oh and would i be right in saying that whoever chose these logos is an American? Just because it’s american doesnt mean it’s as famous around the world.

    AT&T, USA, ABC and Atari. They are well known no doubt (except for usa) but Mcdonalds, Sony, loads of car brand logos and sports logos should make the list well ahead of these!

  114. Hank M

    AMERICA WEST — talk about a great logo for a company that went belly up. (Of course you can’t find any remnant of it on the web anymore.) You can clearly make out the letters A W, but the shapes also suggest the sun over a mountain range. For an airline that was based in the Rocky Mountains, this was topnotch design. (Too bad they couldn’t operate an airline.)

  115. brandon

    Cool website it helped me with the school prog thing…

  116. joekings

    double C..
    Chanel is the best one.

  117. Ankara Parke

    Cool website it helped me with the school prog thing…

  118. kapadokya

    Did you know that the girl who designed the Nike-logo was the winner of a competition and got payed 5 dollars to give up the rights to it?

  119. John Foy

    Fedex logo is the coolest thing in this post. Great read.

  120. Faith Owens

    i didnt see it on the website but in the safe auto logo there is a review mirror if you look at it. its easy to see but some people may not see it.

  121. Deepak Bhatt

    I really like the changing style of the google logo

  122. Amit Verma

    Where is Pizza Hut Logo, I love that logo.

  123. leo

    lego logo is very amusing!!! playng with lego is still better!!!

  124. techxinsider

    The FEDEX negative space, is just simply genius.

  125. Scott Duncan

    Great job putting together the list.

    Does anyone else find the use of negative space in the USA Network logo a little bit awkward?

  126. medyum

    never seen at&t and abc’s logo’s before…

    so how famous are they? Internet is a worldwide medium. Not just an friggin american playground.

    But I miss a bit of info about all the logo’s, like why they look like they look, and who made them, and maybe some crossing logo’s? i can’t believe nintendo’s logo has allways been like that…

    Medyum Niyazi

  127. Stu

    The world’s most famous and recognisable broadcasting logo has to be the three squares containing the letters BBC.

    It is the world’s best known international broadcaster in all media and it is a sign of the American bias of this article that it isn’t there.

  128. steve

    The Dolby “Double D” logo was inspired by the companding process that is used in Dolby noise reduction (and by the inventor’s initial).

  129. gavin

    How about these, [not sure what qualifies as a symbol as opposed to a log???]

    [forgive me, I’m not in the USA so they probably don’t count.]

    ABBA [reversed ‘B’]
    The Beatles [Dropped T]
    Swastika [Nazis] – probably the most famous although not popular]
    I Heart NY
    Old BBC logo [before they shelved it]
    Shell [Literally a shell]
    BP [Shield]
    KFC
    Cadburys
    Star of David [Judaism]

  130. ryan

    I think the star bucks and nike are cool.=)

  131. Alex

    I live in the states, so i know all of these logos, but a lot of people dont live here, and dont know what USA or AT&T Logo’s are, and there are easily way more famous logos to put into here that are known world wide

  132. Robert

    You forgot the cross. The most recognized symbol on earth is the christian cross that jesus carried to his death. Coke is actually at a distant 2nd.

  133. medyum

    verizon totally copied nike’s whole check mark thing. lameeeeeeee. it is a sweet logo though. simple yet you remember it…..

  134. Greg

    What about the BBC logo.
    Being the biggest Broadcaster and News outlet surely it is recognised world wide even in poorer countries.

  135. olivia

    Adidas is the best fosho

  136. Tracey

    I dont think there is a person alive who doesnt think the nike swoosh and “just do it” campaign is the best marketing ever! Most of the ones here are pretty simple which seems to be the best way to go.

  137. Anil

    Nike, Fedex, coco cola, apple is the best of the world. But please define fonts meaning (lowercase, titlecase & upper case) for my knowledge.

  138. anna bell

    i only just noticed the arrow
    :)

  139. Andy

    Robet, the cross is not a logo. I wish a music companys logo had been included, like Fender or Gibson for example. Those are international logos that apply to music which is also world wide. :D

  140. j_luthergoober

    The NIKE logo is the Newport Cigarettes “Swish” inverted; an ironic sports factoid…

  141. Mousam

    Nike and the puma is the best among all the above logos. Isn’t it frndzz

  142. Wumi

    McDonald’s should obviously be first!
    They are without a doubt the most widely recognized brand. From little toddlers to adults!

  143. Darren

    Actually Visa should be number 1, all of those places probably have a visa logo in their establishments. Also why would Windows logo not be on there, all of those establishments save for apple, have probably got something in their establishment with a windows logo on it. Some of them just don’t make sense, why audi, they make nice cars but that logo is rarely used. There are so many more that should be traded out.

  144. supercoolbritishperson

    I’m doing a speech on logos, so this has helped a lot, but there are a few I don’t recognise, coming from the uk, such as abc etc…
    Would appreciate it if anyone knew about THE most recognisable/famous logo in the world?
    P.s …where is the BBC?!

  145. Savannah Hunsinger

    i’m doing a resume on famous logo’s for my 4th period class in rabun county high school!

  146. Teri Frazier

    This is a classic. Almost every person on earth knows these symbols and logos.

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