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.
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.
03 – Apple Logo
The Apple logo was created in 1976 by Rob Janoff. The rainbow color theme was used until 1998.
04 – USA Network Logo
USA Network logo from 2005 to present.
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.
06 – Walt Disney Logo
07 – IBM Logo
This IBM logo was designed by graphic designer Paul Rand in 1972.
08 – Nike “Swoosh” Logo
The Nike “Swoosh” is a design created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University.
09 – Nintendo Logo
10 – Puma Logo
The logo that we see on the side of all Puma shoes was introduced in 1958.
11 – AT&T Logo
12 – Atari Logo
13 – Google Logo
The current official Google logo was designed by Ruth Kedar, and is a logotype based on the Catull typeface.
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”.
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.
16 – McDonald’s Logo
17 – Starbucks Logo
The logo is an image of a “twin-tailed siren”.
18 – LEGO Logo
19 – Chanel Logo
Chanel logo is an overlapping double ‘C’ – one facing forward and the other facing backward.
20 – American Broadcasting Company Logo
Also check out: 24 Cool Logos with Hidden Symbols
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
Aug 20th, 2008
CPG
We don’t really know these logos in France :
USA Network Logo
American Broadcasting Company Logo
AT&T Logo
Aug 20th, 2008
Nekuia
double “c” in chanel logo mean “Coco Chanel”
Aug 20th, 2008
yes
the “usa” one is interesting
Aug 20th, 2008
Fubiz
Nike logo is the best.
Aug 20th, 2008
Carsti
I bet there are at least a dozen logos out there, that are better, but the companies never made it to famous. ;)
Aug 20th, 2008
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.
Aug 20th, 2008
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
Aug 20th, 2008
qqqqqqqqqq
no windows 95 logo?
Aug 20th, 2008
Fred S.
Nike logo is the best logo ever made!
Aug 20th, 2008
drunko
Puma doesn’t put that on the sides of their shoes. I guess you don’t remember what the original Clydes looked like.
Aug 20th, 2008
abc
Toyota is more recognizable then audi.
Aug 20th, 2008
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).
Aug 20th, 2008
Mike
The abc logo is also very simple and effective. We all start by learning our abcs right?
Aug 20th, 2008
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.
Aug 20th, 2008
bitmage
That’s not the original Atari logo, as a quick Google image search will demonstrate. That’s the mangled one by Infogrames.
Aug 20th, 2008
Lagasaurus Rex
USA is a television broadcasting network in well… the USA. They have a generally okay lineup.
Aug 20th, 2008
unix494
i prefer the NBC logo
Aug 20th, 2008
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.
Aug 20th, 2008
Zanga
u forgot barbie!
Aug 20th, 2008
John
No CBS?
Aug 20th, 2008
Lib4
Did USA pay you for that plug…everything else makes sense
Aug 20th, 2008
Matt
@John:
The AT&T logo you refer to was designed by Saul Bass.
Aug 20th, 2008
Shawn
Funny that I’d never noticed the “right-pointing arrow” in the Fed-Ex logo! Nice find!
SjN
Aug 20th, 2008
leedo
Google is successful despite it’s ameteurish logo. The bevel, dropshadow, and use of color are painful. Tough to argue with success though.
Aug 20th, 2008
dk
the RR should’ve been here too
Aug 20th, 2008
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.
Aug 20th, 2008
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.
Aug 20th, 2008
Garret
Why Audi? What about Mercedes’ Tri-star, or Honda’s “H?” Those are much more well known throughout the world.
Aug 21st, 2008
praveen vijayan
coool list, USA logo rocks
Aug 21st, 2008
hasran
This is new adidas logo. The old one should have three leaves with three stripes
Aug 21st, 2008
frank
the google logo shows that content and use far outweigh logo design.
Aug 21st, 2008
Jake
once you know about the secret fedex arrow, my friends, it is ALL you see…it’s tragic, really
Aug 21st, 2008
Gordon
OGC, still my favourite logo.
Aug 21st, 2008
?
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.
Aug 21st, 2008
cmantito
I’ll never look at the FedEx logo the same way again XD
Aug 21st, 2008
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.
Aug 21st, 2008
liz
i remember the day i finally noticed the arrow in the fedex logo, blew my mind.
Aug 21st, 2008
Expert
I like that PUMA and Apple Logos.
they are great!
http://www.expertzforum.com
Aug 21st, 2008
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.
Aug 21st, 2008
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).
Aug 21st, 2008
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.
Aug 21st, 2008
Leon
air jordan is missing
Aug 21st, 2008
Runescape Forums
USA has the best logo !
Aug 21st, 2008
sachin khobragade
really cool collection!
Aug 21st, 2008
tung148
Google…
Aug 21st, 2008
Eric
The NBC peacock logo is far more recognizable than the USA logo. Not sure why it was even included.
Aug 21st, 2008
TidO
nike suxx! ..but the logo is nice ^^
cool list, man!
Aug 21st, 2008
xzcvzxv
Crystal Castles used the Chanel Logo.
THEYRE PRACTICALLY IDENTICAL.
Aug 21st, 2008
cody
Sportcenter? Im hoping your joking, or at least not a graphic designer.
Aug 21st, 2008
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
Aug 21st, 2008
Eric
Re: the USA logo, does no one else see the dueling phallus imagery?
Aug 21st, 2008
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 =)
Aug 21st, 2008
Prashant
You forgot Sun Microsystem Logo..They have the best logo.
Aug 21st, 2008
neoyagami
what about amd logo ? (the old green one)
Aug 21st, 2008
GaelicWA
Rotate the OGC logo 90 degress clockwise and you get some very nefarious action. Shock horror.
Aug 22nd, 2008
BPO
you left off one of the most famous logo designs that was created by Milton Glassier. I <3 NY
Aug 22nd, 2008
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
Aug 23rd, 2008
joshua
Google logo is horrific. It would be much better with only blue and yellow, but that’s just for starters.
Aug 24th, 2008
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 :)
Aug 24th, 2008
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!
Aug 25th, 2008
Tobbi
The coke logo is still the best :D
Aug 25th, 2008
BoredQuiz
wait they made these without photoshop?
Aug 27th, 2008
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.
Aug 29th, 2008
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?
Aug 30th, 2008
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.
Aug 31st, 2008
bbEnthusion
I have always been a huge fan of the FEDEX and the AUDI logo’s, great post!
Sep 1st, 2008
Filip
Google has undoubtedly the worst logo ever!
Sep 2nd, 2008
jimi
all of them r beautiful!!!!
but nike is an other thing
Sep 5th, 2008
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.
Sep 5th, 2008
lollie
It also helps if it all
can be squeezed into a
16X16 pixel square(favicon)
Sep 6th, 2008
makus
nice
Sep 7th, 2008
marlz
Nike is just so basic but good…….
Sep 8th, 2008
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.
Sep 13th, 2008
zrce
i like the at&t logo
Sep 21st, 2008
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!
Sep 22nd, 2008
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.
Sep 23rd, 2008
Winstrinsnprins
I think that the Lacoste Logo is missing here… is a really good logo and is recognized all around the world !!!
Sep 26th, 2008
logo tasarimi
It also helps if it all
can be squeezed into a
16X16 pixel square(favicon)
Oct 1st, 2008
Irving Siegel
I never knew that the fedex logo had the right facing arrow in the negative space. It’s great.
Oct 7th, 2008
kdub
verizon totally copied nike’s whole check mark thing. lameeeeeeee. it is a sweet logo though. simple yet you remember it.
Oct 8th, 2008
Rebecca
One word PLAYBOY
The bunny logo is recognized world wide.
Oct 9th, 2008
Iroc
the coca-cola is a classic nice flow to it and never gets old to look at
cool logo
Oct 9th, 2008
ingilizce
walt disney logo is the best.
Oct 14th, 2008
baba
walt disney logo is the best.
Oct 17th, 2008
Manish
This is Very good collection. I want to see all your collections.
Oct 20th, 2008
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?
Oct 22nd, 2008
Biffbiffley
What they didn’t mention is that the atari logo is a stylized Mt Fuji.
Oct 31st, 2008
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
Oct 31st, 2008
Danh ba web 2.0
Thanks you very much. Great list for me
Keep up the good work !
Nov 3rd, 2008
gazeteci
One word PLAYBOY
The bunny logo is recognized world wide.
Nov 6th, 2008
kabin
its very nic projects.
Nov 14th, 2008
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.
Nov 30th, 2008
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.
Dec 15th, 2008
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.
Dec 29th, 2008
Shrish Agrawal
Wonder what does the arrow signify in the FedEx logo?
Is it direction, growth, movement, success, sharpness or drive or ??
Jan 1st, 2009
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…
Jan 16th, 2009
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.
Jan 19th, 2009
Tech Blog
Audi has a pretty sweet logo if you ask me ;)
Mar 31st, 2009
Attitude Design
I like the way Google can adapt their logo for different occasions throughout the year – clever.
Apr 21st, 2009
Pankaj
all logos are best creative graphic designers thank you
May 27th, 2009
Steven
What about sony logo???
Jun 8th, 2009
Steven
Chevrolet logo is one of the most popular! even i dont like it a lot!
Jun 8th, 2009
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.)
Jun 30th, 2009
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.
Jun 30th, 2009
Chaz DeSimone
The first clever use of the negative S was for USLife. It works equally well for usa, being a slightly different effect.
Jun 30th, 2009
oyunlar
my choise is google
Jul 22nd, 2009
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
Jul 31st, 2009
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.
Aug 27th, 2009
suzie nuefueld
fed ex!!!!!!!!!!!! i never knew that that is soooo cool holy tolito!!!!
Aug 28th, 2009
diyaliz
What about Sony logo?
Sep 21st, 2009
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 :)
Sep 23rd, 2009
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!
Sep 23rd, 2009
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.)
Oct 15th, 2009
brandon
Cool website it helped me with the school prog thing…
Oct 20th, 2009
joekings
double C..
Chanel is the best one.
Dec 9th, 2009
Ankara Parke
Cool website it helped me with the school prog thing…
Dec 19th, 2009
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?
Jan 22nd, 2010
John Foy
Fedex logo is the coolest thing in this post. Great read.
Feb 22nd, 2010
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.
Mar 7th, 2010
Deepak Bhatt
I really like the changing style of the google logo
Mar 15th, 2010
Amit Verma
Where is Pizza Hut Logo, I love that logo.
Apr 26th, 2010
leo
lego logo is very amusing!!! playng with lego is still better!!!
May 9th, 2010
techxinsider
The FEDEX negative space, is just simply genius.
May 18th, 2010
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?
May 23rd, 2010
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
Jul 11th, 2010
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.
Aug 7th, 2010
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).
Oct 9th, 2010
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]
Oct 21st, 2010
ryan
I think the star bucks and nike are cool.=)
Nov 25th, 2010
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
Jan 26th, 2011
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.
Mar 20th, 2011
medyum
verizon totally copied nike’s whole check mark thing. lameeeeeeee. it is a sweet logo though. simple yet you remember it…..
Apr 16th, 2011
Greg
What about the BBC logo.
Being the biggest Broadcaster and News outlet surely it is recognised world wide even in poorer countries.
Apr 20th, 2011
olivia
Adidas is the best fosho
May 5th, 2011
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.
Aug 4th, 2011
Anil
Nike, Fedex, coco cola, apple is the best of the world. But please define fonts meaning (lowercase, titlecase & upper case) for my knowledge.
Aug 20th, 2011
anna bell
i only just noticed the arrow
:)
Nov 15th, 2011
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
Dec 9th, 2011
j_luthergoober
The NIKE logo is the Newport Cigarettes “Swish” inverted; an ironic sports factoid…
Jan 30th, 2012
Mousam
Nike and the puma is the best among all the above logos. Isn’t it frndzz
Mar 6th, 2012
Wumi
McDonald’s should obviously be first!
They are without a doubt the most widely recognized brand. From little toddlers to adults!
Mar 16th, 2012
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.
Jun 25th, 2012
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?!
Aug 30th, 2012
Savannah Hunsinger
i’m doing a resume on famous logo’s for my 4th period class in rabun county high school!
Sep 20th, 2012
Teri Frazier
This is a classic. Almost every person on earth knows these symbols and logos.
Jan 16th, 2018