Feeling Lucky? Create A ST. Paddy's Themed Logo!

St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching! If you’re in the mood to party, why not customize your logo to celebrate the day? Our good friends at Swiftly have got you covered. In less than one hour, they can add gold coins, shamrocks, clovers, leprechauns, and many other treats to get you in the spirit (and maybe even give you the luck of the Irish!).

Check out some of of our favorite festive updates below. When you’re green with envy, let Swiftly update your own logo, Facebook cover or Twitter background for just $19.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

Style Matters: Choose The Right Logo Style

The late director/actor Orson Welles once said, “Create your own visual style… let it be unique to yourself and yet identifiable for others.”  When considering a design style for your corporate logo, you may want to use these words as a milepost — especially when you consider how easy it can be to get lost in the many design choices available today. Here we’ll review the basic logo style types to help you select the most effective one for your brand.

A successful business logo must not only be memorable, reproducible, and versatile enough for all formats (from print to mobile), it must state clearly and distinctly who you are as a brand. Sounds daunting, but don’t get discouraged. Let’s break it down using a few basic examples.

Wordmark

Design by :: scott :: 

Everyone recognizes the Google logo. The combination of bright colors and bookish font say a lot about what Google does. Wordmark logo styles such as this rely on typographic treatment with few (if any) illustrative elements to make a clear statement about a brand.
When choosing the right style for your brand, wordmark style logos have the advantage of simplicity and can push a fun, interesting, or catchy name to the forefront of the marketplace.

Lettermark

Design by goreta

Lettermark designs use acronyms, initials, or abbreviations and rely on typography rather than illustration to reinforce brand identity. One example is the CSX logo. When the Chessie System and Seaboard Coastline railroads merged, they needed a corporate logo that embraced both companies. As the story goes, a placeholder was needed for legal documents before any logo could be created, so someone came up with CSX (C for Chessie, S for Seaboard, and X for the intersection of the two). The name stuck, and now can be seen in bold yellow lettering on an entire fleet of blue locomotives. Lettermark logos are ideal when the full brand name is either long or cumbersome, or when you need to link subsidiaries to a parent brand.

Brandmark

Design by binggolaz

One bold, simple illustrative element can say a lot about a company.  The “bitten apple” of Apple computers is instantly recognized worldwide, yet contains no typographic elements. Brandmark logos are perfect when you want an internationally discernible design that is easily transferred to any format. But make your choice carefully—customers need to associate the logo (and the style) with your product or service.  The Nike “swoosh” is a great example of a brandmark that uses implied motion to communicate athleticism and speed.

Iconic

Design by mikael_kmd

You may find that the best style for your brand is a hybrid—falling between a brandmark and wordmark style. Using both typographic and illustrative elements, iconic designs can create a mini-narrative about your brand. The elements can be used together or separately, depending on the medium. The read and white bullseye of Target stores is one example. The bullseye is an effective brand identifier, with or without the word “Target.” Iconic designs also have the advantage of offering a more varied concept palette.

Whatever the logo style you select, be creative! Remember that in addition to being bold, unique, and reproducible, your logo must be communicative of your brand’s strengths.

The elements — typographic and illustrative — will set the tone of communication between you and your prospective clients. Look at your brand assets — stability, inventiveness, action, cohesiveness, interconnectedness, timeliness — and choose the style that best expresses both you and your brand.

How did you decide on your logo’s style?

Proo B2B Logos Dont Need to be Boring

A business-to-business, or B2B, company is one that primarily sells its products to other businesses, rather than to individual consumers. They make behind-the-scenes stuff, like the microchips that electronics companies use in their products, or the software that helps businesses internally keep track of their marketing data.

They often aren’t very visible to the public. Since they don’t have to appeal directly to consumer psychologies, many of them wind up settling for rather generic or otherwise boring logos. You need look no further than some of the world’s more famous B2B startups to find some logo concept repeats:

Well this is awkard. WaiverForever and Buffer, NextGen and ExactTarget, ZeroCater an Zenefits showed up to the party wearing noticeably similar outfits. 

B for bummer, if you ask us.

B2B logos can be interesting too, though, we promise! The ones below each decided to project distinctive, memorable qualities, regardless of whether they would be seen by the masses (and some of them certainly have been). Check them out:

Email marketing and tracking, with a cute mascot.

Comment hosting rooted in smart design, with a strong typeface that projects confidence.

This technology and consulting giant needs no introduction, and neither does its logo by Paul Rand.

Instagram analytics so precise, your Lomography filter might combust.

Optimizes your website through A/B tracking tools. Whoever optimized the kerning on this logo did a good job.

Account and password management for business teams. Symmetry, typeface and color are all in sync too.

The social media management guru has a kind of strange-looking but ultimately effective owl for a mascot.

Making the semiconductor chips that power your stuff, since 1968. A simple but memorable logo.

Coordinating your web apps to automate tasks; brightening your day with some nice typography and deep orange.

The one stop shop for infographics and data visualization sports an unexpected palette of hot pink and sky blue.

A deliverability service for transactional emails. A looping logo that pleases the eye.

You can probably thank this producer of networking equipment for your beloved Internet. The logo has been interpreted as everything from signal lines to the Golden Gate Bridge of Cisco’s home town, San Francisco.

Marketing automation software, branded by a commonplace symbol with a unique flair.

What are the challenges of creating a B2B logo vs. B2C logo? Share in the comments!

What's In A Logo Color?

So you’ve got a solid logo design that’s clear, reproducible and eye-catching. Now it’s time to think about color. Color — and what each color group can symbolize — plays a major role in human perception, and therefore influences customer intentions. The right color combination can highlight your business’s strengths and draw customers to you, and as you might guess, the wrong combination can have the reverse effect. Here we’ll review a few elements to consider when choosing a color palette for your logo or brand.

Know Your Focus

Design by Janks

Nobody knows your business — its strengths and goals — better than you. So when considering a color palette, think about the message you most wish to convey about your business. Remember that your logo will be the first point of contact between you and your potential clients. First, look at your brand’s personality. What virtues do you want to highlight? Speed, bold innovation, efficiency, compassion, intuitiveness? Knowing the tone can go a long way to refining your color choices. Blue hues, for example, can emphasize responsibility, planning and deliberation, while reds can symbolize bold action, simplicity or innovation. A company that provides in-home care for seniors will likely have a color palette unlike that for a company that makes auto parts. Identifying your focus will lead you to successful colors for your brand.

Try More Than One 

Design by creta

Remember that you are not limited to one color. If what you choose to emphasize about your business is its variety of products (eBay), the diversity of its target audience (Apple), or its appeal to youth (Toys R Us), you may want to go with a multicolor design. If you want to keep it simple, you can use two contrasting colors (like Ollie). Don’t be afraid to experiment before making your final palette choices. See what works and what doesn’t.  

Know How Colors Translate

Design by lynzee.artajo

If your brand is international in scope, as so many today are, you should be aware of the symbolic meanings your color palette can have when viewed in other cultures. A common example is the way white is viewed in most Western cultures as symbolic of purity while in some Eastern cultures as symbolic of death. A little foresight and cultural sensitivity can go a long way toward making effective color choices.

Stand Out From the Competition

Design by PhoBoss

As you know, the key to an effective logo is brand recognition. So if you want to stand out, it’s a good idea to choose a color palette that differs dramatically from those of your largest competitors. Ford Motor Company, for example, introduced its famous “blue oval” nearly a century ago, and it remains a powerful brand identifier as well as a symbol of the company’s stability. By contrast, Land Rover, while employing an oval design element in its logo, uses a forest green palette to emphasize its adventurous off-road feel.

Be aware of what design palettes your competitors are using, and what attributes those colors emphasize, to ensure that the colors of your brand stand out.

The Top 10 Iconic Car Logos Of All Time

The badge on the back of a car is synonymous with branding, and consumers are highly influenced by the reputation of a car’s brand when choosing their new vehicle. Particularly, high-status companies like BMW and Mercedes can sell cars on the brand’s reputation alone. For example, Aston Martin put its name to a reworked version of the Toyota iQ, rebranding it as the Aston Martin Cygnet and bearing the brand’s logo, and it sold at more than double the price of the original Toyota.

To broaden your knowledge of these definitive brands, listed below are ten of the most iconic car logos. By discovering the inspiration behind these logos, we can gain greater insight into the workings of these car manufacturers and their products, and how they sell so well.

Mercedes-Benz

Image via Tetsumo

The Mercedes logo is stylish, sophisticated and yet simple. It presents a clean and professional image, in keeping with the brand. The logo originates from the German carmaker Mercedes-Benz back in 1872. Gottlieb Daimler, the Technical Director of petrol engine manufacturing company Deutz, drew a star above his house on a postcard of Cologne. He sent this postcard to his wife, vowing that one day this three-pointed star would be emblazoned on his own factory, shining to symbolize prosperity. Deutz upheld his vow, the very same three-pointed star now shines on every one of Mercedes’ motors, simultaneously symbolizing Deutz’s prosperous ambitions as well as making the brand instantly recognizable. It is a universal symbol of quality, due to the established reputation of the brand.

Abarth

Image via Julien Haler

The Abarth logo is striking, utilizing vivid primary colors to demand the viewer’s attention. It features a scorpion, representing the astrological sign of its founder, Carlo Abarth. The inclusion of his star sign on the car logo is meant to symbolize the birth of Abarth’s motoring invention. The aggressive and bold image is coupled with a shield, and the two symbols combine to promote victory and strength — both appropriate motifs for a car company with a racing heritage.

Volvo

Image via Draco2008

The Volvo logo and typeface was designed by the legendary Swedish calligrapher and typography Karl-Erik Forsberg in the 1950s. The design represents strength, incorporating the symbol for the chemical element of iron, but also playing off the symbol of the male gender. It’s in keeping with Volvo’s rugged vehicle image: Volvo cars are designed to take a few knocks and keep going.

 Rover

Image via Rex Gray

This logo draws inspiration from the Vikings, incorporating the famous long ship. Vikings were selected to represent the Rover brand for their historical reputation of being fearless travelers with unparalleled strength, and are probably the most famous ‘rovers’ of all time. These guys were a mighty force to be reckoned with, an image which Rover emulates by incorporating the culture’s imagery into the company’s branding. Moreover, because the Viking longship does not appear in any other major brands, consumers are able to quickly identify the unique rover brand.

Cadillac

Image by John Lloyd

The original intention of the Cadillac Automobile Company was to create a reliable, but inexpensive horseless carriage — within the financial reach of the masses. It was a noble mission, and the company wanted a logo to reflect that nobility.

The logo originates from the family coat of arms of Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, the French explorer who founded the city of Detroit back in 1701. This basic crest has been in the logo for years, evolving with the brand over time. The logo very recently underwent its newest revamp, and one of the most significant yet: see the evolution of the logo here.

Subaru

Image by Nomadic Lass

The Subaru logo represents unity, a reflection of the company’s complicated history. In 1953, five Japanese companies merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), with Subaru being the motor vehicle arm of this new company.

One facet of FHI was designated solely to the production of motor vehicles: Subaru. The word means ‘unite,’ but can also refer to the six star cluster of the Taurus constellation, know as Pleiades. This cluster of stars was the inspiration for the Subaru logo as it symbolizes the union of the five companies as well as the mythology behind the greek myth of Pleiades, where Atlas’ daughters were turned into stars by Zeus.

Subaru cars have excelled in rally driving competitions, and thus the logo has become associated with exceptional vehicles. As a result of their immense success, the logo has become so iconic that Subaru’s parent company, FHI, officially adopted the Subaru logo as its worldwide corporate symbol in 2003.

Ferrari

Image by David Long

Ferrari’s prancing horse represents strength and power, in an animal inextricably linked with the imagery of cars. The horse on the Ferrari logo was originally painted on a World War I fighter plane. When founder Enzo Ferrari met the parents of the plane’s airman, they suggested that he use this as his logo so that it would bring him good luck. The unique design of the logo has certainly brought Ferrari immense prosperity — merchandise bearing the logo makes up a large portion of the brand’s profits.

Lamborghini

Image by John Seb Barber

Lamborghini cars are designed to be wild, powerful, and fun to drive. They’re mechanically tailored to imbue a heightened thrill into the driver, and the logo captures this with a snorting bull, symbolic of the brand’s wild nature.

When Ferruccio Lamborghini spent time in Spain at the home of a breeder of prized fighting bulls, he was inspired for this great way to represent his brand. Lamborghini has a long-standing enmity with Ferrari, so it has also been suggested that Lamborghini chose the bull for his company after being inspired by his competitor’s horse. The logo also takes inspiration from the bull-shaped Taurus, zodiac sign of Lamborghini himself.

The brand is quite effective in using this logo to encapsulate their high ambitions for their vehicles. The bull is branded on the front of each car, foreshadowing the wild and rebellious power of the engine simmering within, ready to charge any moment.

BMW

Image by vincentq

The BMW logo represents elegance and power, and as a result their vehicles are particularly popular with those who wish to display a professional image. The vehicle’s logo is crucial in establishing the brand’s presence in this corporate and wealthy sector.

The logo uses the black outer circle from the logo of Rapp Motorenwerke, an aircraft engine manufacturer which evolved into the present-day BMW automotive company. The blocks of white and blue in the center are commonly believed to represent the propellers of a plane, an idea that has been highly criticized by recent historians. What we do know for sure is that the pattern definitely derives at least partially from the Bavarian flag — the company’s industrial location.

Toyota

Image by d3ms

This logo is a symbol of elegance and practicality, which has a wide appeal among motorists. Toyota cars are designed to be simple and reliable, which has made them popular worldwide  — Toyota is the largest automobile company in the world. The image is meant to symbolize elegance and simplicity, elements which have been pivotal to the success of the company. Toyota’s logo has become iconic due to the company’s established reputation for providing stylish yet sustainable cars.

These ten examples are pure proof that a car company’s logo has a significant impact on the outcome of the brand, linked with the performance and drivability of the car itself. These manufacturing companies carefully market their company images, and that’s reflected in their carefully designed logos.