Let’s start with the logo of Sherwin Williams, a paint company. This logo shows a bucket of paint labeled “SWP” is being poured on the Earth. I have to admit that this logo conveys one clear message – this paint company aims at selling its product worldwide. However, besides that, I can hardly associate this logo with any other positive feeling. The most unacceptable is the use of red paint. It might remind people of blood and such image can easily scare them away. Secondly, pouring so much paint on the Earth, our common and unique planet, is obviously an unforgivable act, especially when environmental protection is praised almost everywhere, isn’t it? To be honest, this logo is so ill-designed that I cannot believe that this company is still using it.

As hinted above, logo designers should attempt to make their works look more environmentally friendly, even though they are working for chemical or heavy industry companies, like Sherwin Williams. Let’s have a look at another logo which is designed for a fuel company. As everyone knows, fuel is one of major pollution sources. Recently, more and more fuel companies claim to support environmental protection and invest heavily to develop new energy. However, things often go contrary to their wishes, and these measures are hardly improving their negative images. At this moment, a brand new logo could be more helpful. For many people, a flame is easily associated with fuel, but at the same time, it can also symbolize something dangerous. To avoid that, the author subtly changes the flame’s color to green, the color of nature, which greatly downplays the aggressive symbolism of flame and gives people a sense of comfort. Compared with the logo above, this logo is simpler and more attractive, and what is the most important, it also conveys a message that this fuel company respects the environment.

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In a word, the devil is in the detail, so logo designers should take everything into consideration, including colors, styles, fonts, etc, to avoid ambiguity and make their message more accurate and obvious. If you love designing logos, but are still a beginner in that, you can try some simple and convenient logo maker tools. Then, as far as your ability advances, you can design a more personalized work with the help of a more professional logo maker tool.

So forget about the red of Coca-Cola, the green of Carlsberg and the blue of Intel and open your eyes to the potential of monochrome logos. Below you’ll find a small selection of examples, which demonstrates just how striking black and white can be when employed cleverly…

Here are some iconic commercial examples: 

Chanel

Famous for perfumes, high fashion and generally all things chic, Chanel epitomizes simple, unequivocal style. Their logo – two overlapping letter ‘C’s, one facing forwards, one facing backwards – tends to be presented in white on black. The clean lines of the overlapping letters create a pleasingly neutral central space as well as a classic symmetry, which makes this logo utterly timeless.

HBO

HBO stands for Home Box Office and is a television network owned by Time Warner. The network is the original home of series such as True Blood, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and Sex and the City. As such HBO itself needs to be neutral enough to resist overwhelming its stars. The logo then is simple and clear, with a target style detail for the ‘O’, which enhances its sense of focus and clarity of purpose in delivering quality entertainment.

Belief Pictures

Though this small Christian film studio isn’t particularly well known, its logo is very effective. The monochrome color scheme is ideal for use with film reel, which in this instance creates a halo effect around the central visual. There is a real kinetic quality to this logo and the use of lower case lettering throughout adds modesty to the overall effect.

Ministry of Sound

This powerful logo appears in various iterations of various colors but is most famously manifest in black and white. The warped portcullis style graphic works wonderfully in monochrome given the grid effect and the spikes at the bottom of the grid give it an assertive quality. The framing text and crown at the top help to make the whole thing look like a crest and exude a tongue-in-cheek Englishness.

Playboy

Though it is sometimes paired with powder pink, the Playboy bunny logo is usually presented in black and white. Many may question the arguably misogynistic foundations of the company but, whether you approve of it or not, you’re probably familiar with their iconic logo. The somewhat cheeky rabbit in the bow tie reflects the uniforms worn by Playboy employees and is quite charming in its simplicity.

More creative examples of beautifully designed black and white logos:

Bee

Most logo designers design logos in black and white before adding color, this is so they can few their design in its purest form.  It is clear that the logo above needs no color to heighten its concept.  The letter B is made up of tiny bees; this is clever, simple and effective.  The black and white color works really well and gives an artistic touch to the logo.

AVR Graphic Design

This black badge logo has a real vintage charm, the faded background and use of simple font gives a timeless feel. The vintage style provides an element of trust that instantly draws viewers in.

Jeremy Swinnen

This logo design is iconic and timeless, being decorative as well as slightly aggressive in its sharp angles. The crown above the “S” gives off a sense of authority while the slightly faded look provides a touch of vintage.

Chameleon Design

Cute and quirky, this logo design features a chameleon wrapped on a pencil. Carving a logo involves more than just design; a strong meaning is usually integrated to provide a concept that delivers a message in the most innovative fashion.  The Chameleon design logo does this beautifully.

LB Logo Design

This logo is for a Luxury lifestyle service. The black and white tones here help to simplify the concept, making the logo more memorable and elegant. The beautiful crowned bird is shaped like a letter “b”, its sharp wings are spread out adding a decorative edge.

Are there any beautifully designed black & white logos that you’ve found that deserve a mention? Let us know in the comments.

How to make your airline business stand out among the massive? Apparently, first you need a well-designed logo to represent your company and attract your potential customers.

Here I listed 40 well-designed airline logos from major airline companies around the world. And here now I will introduce you the first 20 airline logos, the rest will come in my next article. Hopefully after reading the article, you may get some inspiration for your future logo design.

1.    Austrian Airlines

2.    New Zealand Airlines

3.    Nepal Airlines

4.  Ethiopian Airlines

5.    South African Airways

6.   China Airlines

7.   Canadian Airlines

8.   Hong Kong Airlines

9.  AMC Airlines

10.    Asiana Airlines

11.   British Airways

12.   Lufthansa Airlines

13.   Egypt Air

14.  Korean Air

15.  Garuda Indonesia

16.   Thai Airlines

17.   Hawaiian Airlines

18.   NorthWest Airlines

19.   SriLankan Airlines

20.   Sudan Airways

Conclusion

Notice that the colors of most of the airline logos listed above are mainly blue and red. Blue is universally for peace, responsibility, trust, confidence and loyalty. While red symbolizes strength, power, love and determination. But this could vary in different cultures, for most Asian countries, red is for luck and happiness but it also relates with fire and blood in many other countries.

Many logos have their own languages besides English, Sudan, Taiwan, and Ethiopia, to name a few. Quite a number of them extract elements from their national flag, like Korea, and Canada. Majority of the logos adopt curved shapes, resembling flying wings, in many cases, they use eagle as a flying model, which associated with power and strength. A few of them also have some  special regional features on the logo, like Nepal Airlines adds the famous three-eye God on the logo, while Hawaii Airlines put on a young lady with a flower in her hair image on the logo.

For the other 20 fantastic airline logos, please check my next article.

Most of us are aware of the fact that logo plays an important role in creating awareness about a company and establishing its identity. Unfortunately, while designing a logo, many of us commit some simple logo design mistakes. We highlight few tips that would allow new designers to avoid these mistakes and design a creative logo.

Opting For Current Trends Blindly

This is the most common mistake. There is no harm if you keep yourself updated with current trends. However, do not use them in your logo blindly. A logo should complement the overall image of a company. This means that implementing trends blindly will interfere with purposes of the logo.

Developing Complex Designs

Ideally, a logo design should be simple and state the message directly. Such strategy allows the target audience to understand meaning of the logo. Furthermore, this enhances recall value of the logo. If you want to fulfill these goals, avoid designing a logo that contains complex shapes and excessive colors.

Using Clip-Art

Sometimes, designers include clip-art in logos to save time and energy. However, this is a mistake because it makes the logo appear unprofessional. For this reason avoid opting clip-art while creating a logo.

Creating Poor Color Combinations

The color combination of a logo should be aesthetically pleasing. However, many times, the designers create combinations which are loud and unprofessional. To stay on the safe side, stick to using 2 or maximum 3 colors in the logo. Remember that using excessive colors will interfere with overall appeal of the design and make it difficult to print.One of the finest examples for such logo is USB logo Candler. The designers here have picked up the right color combination.

Using Unnecessary Tagline

It is true that some companies have created a memorable impression on minds of the audience by using a catchy tagline. However, using tagline, just for the sake of it, is not a good idea. Such strategy can also confuse the users, making it difficult for them to relate the logo with the tagline.

Opting For Complex or Wrong Font

An improper font can ruin overall appeal of the logo. Comic fonts, for example, are ideal for logos that target kids. However, use it while creating a logo of a law firm would be a mistake. For best results, research about your target industry and carefully select fonts that complement activities of the industry. Consider the fact that irrespective of the industry you are targeting, you should opt for a font that provides the logo with a professional touch.

Including Text in the Design

This is another wrong strategy. Of course, it is critical to inform people that your client’s company holds a legal license. However, including this information in the logo is unnecessary. Such a strategy distracts users and also negatively affects appeal of the logo. Consider the fact that there are other ways of sharing this information with users.

We discussed few mistakes you should avoid, while creating a design. Remember that designing a good logo takes time and patience. Therefore, be prepared to work hard and learn from your mistakes. This will allow you to sharpen your logo designing skills and enhance your reputation.

Therefore, an excellent web designer should be also a skilled logo designer, with creative graphics ability and inherent artistic talents. Good logo designers are always in constant need of inspiration. According to my experience, it is essential to fuel creativity from others’ work. Here I have collected showcases of 24 beautiful, creative and impressive website logo designs, which will hopefully inspire you. Some of these include the usage of simple shapes to create complex effect, or special layout of colors, transparency and many more.

1. Beautiful Color Palette

2. Original Dark Background and Clean Fonts

3. Special Layout of Letters

4. Vivid Shapes Design

From the logos above, you should be noticed that brilliant colors palettes, unique shapes and special typography are essential elements for logo design. Hope the above showcases have brought you some insights in web logo design.