The 100 Most Famous Logos of All-Time

The 100 Most Famous Logos of All-Time

Hundreds or more companies with famous brand logos for almost all product ranges are available in the market.

Under such dense competition, creating individuality for a brand is difficult, even with a famous logo design.

Online marketing has made it even more complex.

A logo is a must to attach a visual identity to a company and its brands.

The logo can be printed on business cards, banners, uniforms, etc. It can also be used as an element of stickers or labels. And nowadays, custom logo stickers and labels are becoming a new trend in brand promotion.

You can stick them on the packages of products, giveaways, gifts, forms etc., to promote your business and social influence as famous logos do.

If you are an entrepreneur planning to decide on a logo for your company or a student of marketing struggling to understand the significance of a professional logo design, read on.

If you are looking for free graphic design programs to create your own logo, you can find a complete list of options here. Moreover, you can also use online sites to design your logo. But ensure you have an efficient internet connection like Windstream. So you can design a custom logo without facing internet connectivity issues.

A logo is a powerful tool in business; it is the face of a brand. A strong logo helps customers recognise and remember a company, leading to repeat purchases and higher profits. In most cultures, a great logo also implies quality and prestige, allowing businesses to charge premium prices for more profit; in other words, a well-designed logo is critical to maximising profit margins.

Josh, CMO of Zensite, a user experience agency for better brands

This article unfolds the stories behind the top 100 most famous logos of all time – the best logos in the world.

The 100 Most Famous Logos of All-Time

1 – The Walmart logo symbolises a spark, inspiration and the great ideas of Sam Walton. The Walmart logo has various other meanings attached to the logotype’s chosen shape, colour and font.

George Lois designed the Walmart logo in 1962. The logotype was originally designed as “Walmart” but was changed to “Walmart Stores, Inc.” in 1963. In 2013, Walmart redesigned its logo, dropping the “Inc.” from the name.

• The shape signifies Walmart is environmentally friendly and organic.
• The colour combination of blue and yellow depicts commitment toward quality and passion.
• The font is in lowercase, depicting simplicity, and rounded, suggesting transparency.

2 – Royal Dutch Shell had its first service station in California. There was a major chunk of settlers from Spain. The colour combination chosen by Shell was, therefore, red and yellow from the Spanish flag. The shape is related to the founder.

The logotype is Shell, which Herbert Bayer designed in 1928. The logotype was originally designed as Shell Oil Co. but was later changed to Shell.

Learn about the evolving Shell logo.

3 – The Apple Logo: With an idea to stick to a simple apple logo design, the logomark used was an apple with a bite. This came instead of previous plans of using the illustration of Isaac Newton.

Their famous logos denote the spread of knowledge by obtaining it from computers. Also, the concept of enlightened humanity is visible in the story of Adam and Eve. Learn the story behind Apple’s Logo, from the original Apple logo to the current day.

Ronald Wayne, the co-founder of Apple, designed the Original Apple logo. He designed the logo in 1976. An apple inspired the logo that Newton had discovered. The logo was redesigned in 1998 by Rob Janoff.

4 – The Microsoft logo depicts four colours representing an independent component. The blue square represents Windows. The red represents Office. The green represents Xbox, in other words, fun. And the yellow represents the surface. Though no evidence justifying the choice of yellow is known.

5 – Google’s famous logos are unique. It uses colour iterations and holds all primary colours. The “L” letter symbolises ‘leader’ which is different and unique from the primary colours. Google is the only brand that has an ever-changing logo. This attribute makes it unique and the brand value is well-depicted in the changing logos from their original logo.

Learn all about the Google logo. See the changes.

6 – The IBM logo symbolises progressive growth in graphic design. Have a glimpse through the IBM logo history. The logo of IBM is designed by the famous graphic designer Paul Rand.

7 – McDonald’s “Golden Arches” is the traditional symbol used by their restaurants. The slight change in their famous logos depicted the unique style of McDonald’s with the imbibed letter M.

The logo of McDonald’s is instantly recognisable and instantly associated with fast food. The golden arches and the golden colour of the arches are instantly associated with McDonald’s.

Read through the McDonald logo evolution history.

8 – Toyota’s logo has an oval shape. Their famous logos have seen several changes over time, each having significance. Learn all about the logo evolution history of Toyota.

Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. Kiichiro Toyoda founded the company in 1937. Toyota is the world’s largest automaker and the second-largest overall by production volume. Toyota sells vehicles under 14 brands, including Lexus, Scion, and Daihatsu. Toyota also owns the Daihatsu brand, which is marketed in much of Asia.

9 – Samsung is a Korean company. In Korean, the word ‘Samsung’ refers to three stars. The founder of Samsung wanted to leave an everlasting presence in the market, only like stars do in the sky. It also depicts power. The logo has gained the prominence it had in its evolutionary history. Learn more about the Samsung logo story.

Samsung was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-Chul. He established the company as a trading company. In 1947, Samsung started manufacturing electronics.

10 – Ford depicts reliability and affordability through the oval shape of the famous logo design. The first car manufacturing company still has its founder’s name inscribed in the logo names. Whereas the letter F and D depict style.

Go through the Ford Logo story here.

11 – The Honda logo depicts confidence and durability using the bold letter “H”. Named after its founder Soichiro Honda, the logo still retains the original “H” in it.

12 – The Hewlett Packard logo combines the surname of both its founders. The blue colour in the logo describes excellence, whereas the white prompts grace. The tailing out of H and P in the logo symbolises innovation.

13 – Tesco speaks of trustworthiness for its products, represented in its famous logos. The use of blue and red colours suggests prosperity. The colours come from the British flag, where the company had its headquarters. The font used in the logo is especially founded of Tesco.

14 – The Petro China logo depicts the company’s commitment towards the environment and energy. The symbol matches that of China’s national flag.

Petro China Limited (PetroChina) is China’s largest oil and gas company. It is headquartered in Beijing and is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company was formed in 1999 when China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) acquired a 51% stake in China Petrochemical Corporation (CPC).

PetroChina has operations in more than 30 countries. Its operations include exploration and production, refining, marketing, and distribution.

15 – The Exxon Mobil logo prompts vibrant colours, depicting energy. It also promoted reliability by the cross in the two “Xs”.

16 – The BP logo has significance hidden in the chosen colour codes. The green and yellow combination is that of Helios, the God of the Sun. It signifies all forms of energy.

Yellow is the colour of gold, which is a symbol of wealth. The BP logo also incorporates the BP monogram, which signifies the BP brand.

17 – Volkswagen’s famous brand logos portrays that it manufactures “people’s cars”. The logo shows the initials of the company name on it.

18 – The Colgate logo has a combination of red and white colour usage. The red signifies dynamism, and the white stand for sincerity. The logo is relevant to the wide-ranging acceptance of the product based on its quality.

19 – Mazda, in its logo, has a stretched M that structures like a pair of wings. The owl-like structure spells a futuristic attitude and goal-oriented features of the company. Toshihiko Fukunaga, a Japanese graphic designer, designed the logo of Mazda.

20 – The Batman logo depicts a bat with yellow wings, representing vigour. The famous logo structure spells fearlessness and elegance.

21 – The Subway logo has two arrows on S and Y, visualising entry and exit. It signifies a “move” and having food on the go.

22 – The Motorola logo signifies its capability to use the colour blue. The colour depicts reliability, supremacy and approachability, which can also be seen in this logo for an SEO Agency.

The logo is simple yet effective. It uses two colours, blue and white, which create a strong impression.

23 – The Roxy logo design, which is Quicksilver’s female clothing line, derives association with its target audience. The heart-shaped logo has two of Quicksilver’s famous logos combined.

24 – The Lacoste logo comes from the bet between Rene Lacoste and French Davis team captain. The captain had promised Rene to gift him a crocodile skin suitcase on winning. Later the crocodile in the logo depicted a memory of Rene, who was the sport’s hero. The Lacoste logo is a symbol of luxury and style.

25 – The Verizon logo shows the masculine combination of red and black. The red checkmark in the famous logos represents the company’s excellence.

26 – The National Geographic logo is simple but strong. The rectangle in yellow depicts a door. A door opens to a sea of science, nature, culture, and reality knowledge. The use of yellow depicts the Sun, which is knowledge and light.

27 – The Firefox logo signifies its features and offers. The fire in the shape of a fox shows to engulf the world depicting the company’s global reach. Also, the new firefox logo signifies its high speed. Dave Hyatt designed the Firefox logo.

28 – The Nissan logo, red and blue, has been intact since 1932. It has undergone minor changes to represent a new identity and elegance. It was finally acquitted in 1988 with a change in font colours. The same shapes used earlier remain in the famous logos, portraying the old identity and calibre. At the same time, the new colour combination used shows sophistication. The Nissan logo is a symbol of the company’s heritage and is instantly recognisable as one of the most common logos.

29 – The BMW logo conveys a tribute to the history of the company in the aviation industry. It also presents some sections in blue and white from the flag of Bavaria. Though this is not the only accepted story, many say it has its foundation in the rotating airscrew.

The logo was initially designed in 1923 by Franz von Holzhausen and later redesigned in 1928 by Wilhelm Hofmeister.

30 – The Hitachi company logo symbolises the organisation’s strength. The X in the famous logo design as an abstract slash symbolises power and energy. The font and style show the moving attitude of the company towards progress.

The Hitachi logotype is Helvetica Neue, a sans serif typeface. The font family was designed by Max Miedinger and released in 1988 by Linotype.

31 – Nestlé’s logo gives the meaning of its founder’s name and represents his family in the German language. Later in revisions, the emblem presents a general modern family.

The logo of Nestlé is a symbol of the company’s heritage. The logotype is Helvetica Neue, a typeface designed by Swiss designer Max Miedinger in 1957. The font was originally designed as a display face for signage but was later adapted for text use.

32 – The Siemens company logo delivers an emotional appeal.

The addition of the slogan was to speak out about its capability to innovate globally in its graphic design and marketing. The logotype is bold, simple, and distinctive.

33 – The Boeing logos with names still illustrate the name of its founder. The use of blue colour depicts supremacy and excellence.

The logo also depicts an aircraft, symbolising the company’s excellence in the aviation industry. The logo is simple yet elegant. The Boeing logo was created in 1916 by Arthur E. Davis. The logo was originally designed as a letterhead for the company. The logo was redesigned in 1928 when the company started manufacturing aircraft. The logo was redesigned again in 1959 when the company started manufacturing jet aircraft.

34 – Amazon’s famous logo design shows its strength in offering various products. The arrow in the logo from A to Z describes its width as offering everything one needs.

Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. It started as an online bookstore but later diversified into selling DVDs, CDs, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, jewellery, beauty products, and groceries.

35 – Procter & Gamble earlier had a beard logo, but recently has changed to a wordmark. Their famous logos and names had significance and depicted the 13 colonies of the United States by the stars. But few knew that the simple wordmark would change the story of the company’s success. After criticisms against its satanic symbolism, the company logo worked wonders.

36 – The Hyundai logo has an H inscribed on it, representing two people as customers shaking hands with the employer. Whereas the ellipse signifies global presence via graphic design.

37 – The Sony logo design has its meaning associated with the Latin origin of its name. The word means “sound”, and it depicts merely communicating strength.

The logo of Sony is one of the most simple yet iconic logos. It depicts the concept of sound, which is the main essence of the company. The logo of Sony is blue in colour and consists of the word “sony” written in a font style that resembles a typewriter.

38 – The Panasonic logo shows a very simplistic structure. Blue stands for a bright future and consistency.

39 – The Mitsubishi logo design shows 3 diamonds, representing reliability, success and integrity. This famous logo signifies the meaning of the name through its components and structure.

40 – The 3M logo has 3 and M overlapped. The overlapping font depicts the company’s strength in delivering tight details.

The company’s name was original “Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company”, but in 1925, it adopted its current name.

41 – The Museum of London logo illustrates the geography of London, and the colours change with the change in geography. The logo was designed by London-based design studio 3sixteen.

42 – The Pepsi logo has many graphic design secrets behind it. The colour code suggests the American colour combination in the flag. But the placing has a lot to do with different concepts.

The Pepsi logo was designed by the graphic designer Paul Rand. Rand was working for Pepsi at the time. He designed the logo in 1962.

43 – The Rolex logo portrays the meaning of‘ exquisite’ in French. It considers owning a Rolex product as an achievement depicted by the crown in the logo.

The Rolex logo is a symbol of prestige and luxury. The logo is instantly recognisable and instantly conveys the brand’s message.

44 – The Unilever logo has a big “U” in its logomark. This inscribes pictures of the plethora of products under its umbrella.

45 – Bentley is a luxury car maker with a Big ‘B’ in its famous brand logo, which is the initials of the founder’s surname. The “B” in the car company logo shows two wings attached, depicting the car’s efficiency – very close to one with wings. The Bentley logo is instantly recognisable and is instantly associated with luxury, style and performance.

46 – The MasterCard logo suggests a unique combination of red and yellow colours. The red colour prompts courage and passion with joy. Whereas yellow hints at prosperity. It speaks that the key to richness is not only through money but through MasterCard. The MasterCard logo is a symbol of trust, security, and assurance. It is a symbol of confidence.

47 – Dell has a slanting “E” in its logo representing the desire behind the founder’s wish to “turn the world on its ear”.

48 – The Goldman Sachs logo shows a combination of blue and white colours. The blue colour signifies optimism and the white colour represents purity.

Goldman Sachs is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest investment banking firm in the world by total assets.

Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman and Jacob Schiff. In 1998, Goldman Sachs merged with Salomon Brothers, creating Salomon Smith Barney. In 2000, the company was renamed to its current name.

49 – The Yamaha logo shows three forks. They depict an effective production capability, modern technology and efficient sales. The three specified dimensions are the three USPs for Yamaha. The forks are arranged in a way to present the letter Y in the logo signifies the company initials.

The Yamaha logo is red in colour. The red colour symbolises passion, energy and vitality. The red colour also represents love, romance and warmth.

50 – The BBC logo depicts its standing as bold and robust amidst competitors using bold fonts. The three boxes with the initials of the company name suggest progression.

51 – The word Nike refers to the God of victory as understood in Greek. Nike’s Swoosh is one of the most famous logos showing the wing, “Swoosh”, of the God that depicts power and motivation. Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University, designed the Nike logo.

52 – Baskins Robbins is a merger of the independent ownerships of two brothers. The incorporation of “31” makes it unique. It signifies different flavours for different days of the month.

Baskin-Robbins, the world’s largest ice cream speciality shop chain, was founded in 1945 by two ice cream enthusiasts, Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, who opened their first shop in Glendale, California. Today, Baskin-Robbins has nearly 3,000 retail shops in 50 countries.

53 – Picasa holds a bright and colourful logo. The structured colours depict the shutters of a camera. The white sections depict a house. The Spanish company has considered itself the house of Pixels.

54 – The FedEx logo is one of the most famous company logos. The logo depicts an optical illusion. It presents an arrow between E and X – a classic example of hidden meanings. The arrow signifies speedy service with accuracy. The “Ex” in the symbol shows its performance in different sectors.

FedEx was founded in 1971 by Frederick W. Smith in Memphis, Tennessee. The company provides overnight shipping services. FedEx has its headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. It has more than 500,000 employees worldwide.

55 – Audi is the result of a merger of four firms Audi, Horch, DKW and Wanderer. The four circles in the logo each represent the contribution of each of the partners.

Audi is the best-selling luxury vehicle brand in the world, outselling second-placed Mercedes-Benz in 2017. Audi-branded vehicles are produced in nine production facilities worldwide.

The company’s main headquarters is located in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany, where the company was founded on 28 July 1932 by engineer August Horch, later joined by designer Anton Piëch. The company name is derived from the Latin audire, meaning “to listen”, and Quattro, meaning “four”.

56 – The Sony VIAO logo combines analogue signals and the digitally transformed world.

The ‘V’ symbolises the analogue image, while the ‘A’ symbolises the digital image.

The ‘V’ and ‘A’ are superimposed on each other, symbolising Sony’s ongoing commitment to providing customers with innovative imaging solutions.

57 – AG Low has a simple yet meaningful logo. It spells the company’s name in a manner that depicts a floor plan. The use of such a logo signifies its area of function.

58 – The Dove symbol and its colour depict harmony, peace, joy and prosperity. The logo is so made to speak out for the company’s mission.

59 – NBC has a bright logo with six brilliant colours depicting the company’s six divisions. The peacock in white faces towards the front. This shows the company’s strategy to look into the future rather than the past.

NBC stands for National Broadcasting Company. The company was founded in 1926. It is an American media company. NBC owns several television channels, radio stations, and production companies.

60 – The LG logo has three ‘smileys’. It depicts a smile matching its taglines that say life is good, so one should smile.

61 – Cisco has a few vertical lines that have a hidden meaning in its famous logo. First of all, they stand for digital signals. They also signify the famous Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. It is the home state of the company. The Cisco logo was designed by Richard J. Stephenson in 1984.

62 – Toblerone has a hidden bear in its logo that comes from the location of its first manufacturing unit. Bern, the location, comes from its reference as the “City of Bears”. The Swiss chocolate company Toblerone was founded in 1912 by Daniel Peter Tobler. He opened his first shop in the Bernese Oberland region.

63 – The Burger King logo presents a burger, which is the main product sold by the company.

David H. Adler designed the Burger King logo in 1954. The logo was initially designed for a restaurant called “Burger Chef”. The logo was redesigned in 1955 by Adler’s colleague, Robert M. Stern. The logo was redesigned again in 1958 by Stern.

64 – Ubuntu refers to “Humanity”. The logo depicts three individuals joining hands and looking toward the sky. The same signifies a ‘circle of friends’. Ubuntu is an African word derived from the Zulu language and means “humanity to others”.

65 – Sun Microsystems uses a company logo that reads ‘Sun’ from all directions. This suggests the company has all-around solutions.

Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a multinational computer technology corporation in Santa Clara, California. The company designs, manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, including servers, storage, networking, software, and middleware.

66 – Domino’s logo has three dots representing its first three locations. Though a plan to add a red dot with the opening of every new franchise was dropped. The pizza chain, founded in 1960, has 14,000 stores in 70 countries. Its headquarters are in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

67 – Hershey’s Kisses show the use of negative space. It depicts Hershey’s kiss between the letters K and I, as used in the logo.

68 – Carrefour means ‘crossroads’ in French. The company logo depicts a “VC” between two arrows showing a crossroad. They help clients make smart decisions at the crossroads of their business.

69 – Wikipedia has a very smart logo that symbolises an incomplete globe. It presents the nature of knowledge that keeps on adding and growing. The puzzles that frame the globe have symbols from different languages and countries. The logo was designed by Larry Sanger, the founder of Wikipedia.

70 – London Symphony Orchestra has a dual meaning to its famous logo. It has two letters inscribed, depicting a short form of its name. But if looked upon, a conductor raising a baton is there. The logo of the London Symphony Orchestra was designed by London-based design agency, Pentagram.

71 – Facebook Places has a “4” inscribed in the arrows. It depicts the already competing symbol “Four Square” in most check-in apps.

72 – The circus of Magazines logo, though chosen for a publication house, depicts a circus tent at first glance. The tent folds if looked closely and presents the pages of the magazine.

73 – Eighty 20’s logo looks like two rows of square boxes. But you would need a close eye to find the company’s name in its binary form.

74 – The Beats logo depicts a person wearing headphones. The circle in the logo signifies a human head, and the B in it is the company’s headphones.

75 – My Fonts is the resource house of fonts. Speaking out on the strength of an individual, the “My” in the logo is designed to look like a hand through hidden meanings.

76 – Le Tour de France has a yellow circle in its logo specifying that the race place when the sun is in the sky. It also has an inscribed bicycle depicting the nature of the race. The Tour de France is a cycling race held in France every year. It is one of the most prestigious cycling races in the world. The Tour de France was first held in 1903.

77 – Yoga Australia, in its famous brand logos depicts a lady doing yoga. But the white space between her legs and arms shows the map of Australia. It depicts its association with its origin.

78 – Mister Cutts shows a scissor as part of a creative logo design. When looked upon, it depicts a face with glasses and a moustache.

79 – The Twitter logo shows a simple bluebird, “Larry,” which has seen modifications over time. The social media company initially purchased the bird for $6 from a stock photo site.

80 – The Walt Disney logo does not have the signature of Walt Disney, the founder but an employee’s signature in its famous brand logos. Walt Disney founded the Walt Disney Company in 1923. The company’s full name is The Walt Disney Company, Inc., sometimes referred to as simply Disney.

81 – Coca-Cola has a famous logo design that depicts its legacy. It shows a Danish Flag between the two words. This was a coincidence, but it helped to advertise in Denmark.

Frank Mason Robinson designed the logo of Coca-Cola in 1886. It was initially used on a soda fountain in Atlanta, Georgia.

82 – The Goodwill logo design depicts a smiley face, or can say a half G in its logo. As the company strives to bring a smile to the faces of the disadvantaged. It has a smile depicting its purpose and the G depicting its name. The Goodwill logo is simple yet effective. It depicts its goodwill and purpose.

83 – The Gillette logo shows sharpness and precision by cutting the G and I in its brand logos. The colour used represents grace, and elegance.

84 – Kolner Zoo, other than depicting animals, also shows a landmark in the Cologne cathedral.

85 – The Continental’s famous logos need a close look to identify the tyre depicted in the letters C and O in its logo.

86 – Pittsburgh Zoo follows the tradition of use of negative space in its logo. The brand logos show a gorilla and lion in the negative spaces of a tree.

87 – Philadelphia Eagle’s famous logos have shifted from green to blue in colour. In both cases, the Eagle signified the ingenuity of the team and its lofty spirit.

88 – British Heart Foundation has a creative heart symbol. It stretches with a positive depiction of an echocardiogram.

89 – British Blind Sport has special significance in its logo colour, coding and symbol. The colour codes represent the British flag. The symbol depicts a rugby ball and an eye specifying the game and its player’s speciality.

90 – The Bronx Zoo depicts a set of animals in its famous logo, as is commonplace. A close look will allow you to see the New York line between the legs of the animals in the logo.

91 – San Diego Zoo shows the animal paw in its logo written as “Zoo”.

92 – The Tostitos logo shows two people by its design of the letter “T” and a pot of salsa over its letter “I”. The hidden meanings stand for two people coming together for a salsa dish.

93 – VIA Rail Canada shows parallel lines on both sides of the letter “I”, depicting a rail track.

94 – The Mobil logo specifies the strength of its service through the use of appropriate colours. The blue in their famous logos spells security and faithfulness, and the red depicts strength.

95 – Formula 1’s logo depicts a “1” using the space between the two symbols.

96 – Galeries Lafayette depicts its Parisian origin by including the symbol of the Eiffel Tower.

97 – The Guild of Food Writers logo represents its services to the world. The hidden meaning shows a spoon as a pen nib depicting writing and food.

98 – Jack in the Box has redesigned its brand logos with a 3D stylisation. Often critics claim it to be a new logo closer to products like video games than burger joints.

99 – This Bipolar famous logos present the emotional connection depicted by its colour choice and presentation. The dark green colour and frowning face depicted by the smiley show the ups and downs faced by victims of Bipolar Disorder.

100 – Killed Productions depict a sleeping “I” referring to the “Killed” in its company name. This a classic example of hidden meanings in brand logos.

Concluding our Top 100 Famous Logos of All Time.

Want to know about the other famous logos that fall under the top 100 lists? Get a complete list of the top 100 brands and their brand logos.

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