The Evolution of Logo Design: From Classic to Modern

A logo has a crucial role in the growth and success of the business. It represents the brand’s identity and marks its existence in the visual world. In other words, a logo, also known as the face of the brand, must be designed so that whenever the audience looks at it, they associate it with the product or service it offers.

For instance, whenever we look at a yellow ‘M’ with we remember and recognize the delicious and juicy burgers it serves. Therefore a logo must be well-designed for the business’s long-term success.

The Evolution of Logo Design

From fashion, technology, dance, and more, logo trends have evolved from the classic age to the modern days. Many factors, such as political events, technological advancements, and social development, have influenced these trends.

The brands that refused to make significant changes according to trends in their logos lost their credibility. You might wonder if frequent logo changes are made; they can confuse the audience, or the brand will lose its identity and credibility.

However, changes according to trends do not mean changing the whole logo design idea. These changes are smartly made to ensure the audience can recognize you even if your logo has several modifications.

For instance, Coca-Cola, one of the most globally recognized beverage brands of all time, made minor and subtle changes in its logo with time.

However, the logo is still remembered and associated with the brand, and the beverage brand still rules over the beverage world.

From the black wordmark logo of Coca-Cola to the bolder red font of Coco-Cola, the brand remains recognizable and a favorite for most people. Hence evolving a logo over time can enable brands to keep up with the trends and maintain their identity at the same time.

Another iconic example would be Nestle. From 1868 to 2018, the company made subtle changes in its logo, and is still credible and recognizable in the market.

Let’s discuss how logos evolved from the Ancient days till the present and are still evolving. When people first started using symbols, what were the earliest logo designs? So let’s dig deep into the great history of logos.

The Ancient Days

The origin of logo designs dates back to the Century of 4000BC when the Ancient Egyptians introduced hieroglyphs, a writing system in which they communicated through symbols.

They drew circles and hooks to represent the words, ideas, and sounds. The basic idea was to be able to communicate, and the same purpose is what today’s modern logos are made for. Similarly, in 2700 BC, the Ancient Romans marked their cattle with hot iron brands to show livestock ownership.

On the other hand, the Ancient Greeks used the owl as a symbol on their bronze coins. And between 479AD.to 1492 the aristocratic families in the Middle age designed exclusive sigils through metalsmiths and engraved them into their shields and banners used in the battles to represent their family.

Stella Artois, a Belgium beer company, first used a logo for its company in 1366. However, the logo design is not the same and has evolved.

1950s to 1980s

In the 1950s, the IBM logo was designed by Paul Rand, featuring a human eyed for T and a bee for the Letter B was a significant shift in the concept of logos.

Companies and brands in this era realized this symbol’s impact and simultaneously started putting efforts into branding their companies.

In the 1960s, the companies found a golden opportunity to advertise their brands in newspapers. Many companies started using logos at this time, but they could only be printed in black and white.

Later in the 1960s, A. Michael Noll and Charles Csuri designed some of the computerized art, which led introducing the computer-generated images (CGI) and computer-aided drawing technologies introduced in the 1970s. At this time, personal computers were still in the process of popularization.

Due to the limited popularization and access to the computer, the designing process involved drawing, cutting, and pasting letters in the earliest 1980s. People carefully crafted logo designs with good eyes, steady hands, and sharp cutting tools.

As the years passed, different software like Photoshop and Abode Illustrator created ease for designing logos. Small and big startups and non-profit companies could easily create logos from scratch without outsourcing the other clients.

This was when the digital era came into existence. In this early age of the internet, designers enabled people to adapt to new techniques. Traditional techniques were used with modern technology.

The 80s and 90s introduced us to pastels, fluorescent colors, brush style, and graffiti fontsThe designers also tried creating collages using triangles, squiggly lines, and zigzags for backgrounds.

With the change introduction of modern, the world changed completely when Google company was launched. The logo of Google was designed by Co-founder Sergey Brin, who used a free editing program. However, they changed the font and color as the company became successful.

The era of the 1900s

In the 1900s, companies started using logos on their products and product packaging. John Cadbury, the owner of Cadbury Chocolates, was the first to use the logo on its chocolate packaging.

The logo was designed with the name and with popping colored wrapping. The introduction of screen printing in 1907 allowed companies to advertise their logos on t-shirts and bags.

Later in 1912, a French scholar designed the logo of the Olympic game with interlocking rings, considered an iconic logo in history with a powerful message of unity of all the nations.

Fast food restaurants like Burger King and Mc Donalds introduced their logos with red color to evoke appetizing sensation. Companies like Metro Goldwyn Mayer with a roaring lion and Bulova watch companies are a few examples.

2000’s: The era of the Noughties

With bright colors, rounded letters, and multiple radiants, the internet evolved rapidly. People were more f. focused on online promotion and were comfortable with digital technology.

Companies started adopting minimum and flat logo designs for a modern, clean look. The brands did not use unnecessary fonts and symbols, quirky fonts and drop shadows as they were to be distracting.

This time the logo designs were more focused on minimalism. For instance, the logo design of Facebook has a single letter ‘F’ in blue color and is simple yet unique.

The Modern 2010s and Social Media

The creation and use of different media platforms in 2010 made these platforms an effective means of marketing.

This was when the concept of logo adaptability was introduced, as the logos had to be designed to look impressive on different social media platforms and devices as devices like tablets and smartphones became popular.

Just as a responsive website is essential to boost conversion, a responsive logo is vital for branding. A well-designed logo is adaptable and responsive on all online marketing platforms.

Brands and companies have the freedom to explore every channel of branding and maintain the visual consistency of the logo at the same time.

The trend of logo designing has moved towards a simple yet modern look. For instance, Nike got rid of using any typography; Google slimmed its typography while the recognizable rainbow text remains the same to maintain its identity and credibility.

The Present Day and Future

The bold evolution logos have made over time depicts how an image or a logo design can evolve and change, but the changes are subtle. Examples like Google, Coca-Cola, Mc Donalds, and iPhone show how a well-designed logo can last for decades.

In the present many, we’ve been surrounded by new concepts that we must consider, which include consumer behavior and the values and beliefs the brand follows.

Some essential values consumers believe in are sustainability, innovation, equality, and human or animal rights.

In a research, 55% of respondents paid more attention to the brand’s values than the previous year. Whereas 60% of the respondents purchased the brand because their values aligned.

If a logo does not align with the brand’s value, the risk of gaining a new customer and retaining an existing one can be high.

The next thing is the evolution of graphic design. Effective changes and improvements in graphic design will take logos to the next top level. In the future, logo designers will invite people to discover, interact and build their own experience of logo designing.

Take Away

Your logo is the tip of the iceberg; your brand is an iceberg, and your logo is the tip. Just like the tip, your logo is the first thing to be visible to the audience, including the fonts, color palette, and elements of your logo. So what should be done? Make sure that the tip is visible to your target audience.

The principle to crafting a well-designed logo is to design a simple yet unique and memorable masterpiece that the audience can quickly adapt to, and you can easily evolve it subtly over time while maintaining the brand’s credibility and identity.

If you want to create a unique yet simple logo that becomes part of the logo evolution and makes your brand stand out in your industry, you must check out Tailored Logo Designs.

It is a digital marketing company that provides logo design services in California and offers various other marketing solutions, including branding, digital marketing, web design services, and much more.

Take a look at their website and start your logo-designing journey now!

About the Author!

James is a skilled writer with a passion for creative storytelling. Based in California and with a background in marketing and a keen interest in design, she specializes in writing compelling content for businesses, including topics such as logo design. He understands the importance of impactful logos in building strong brand identities and has collaborated with renowned agencies to deliver engaging and informative articles. Connect with him to discover her unique perspectives and insightful content on logo design services in California by Tailored Logo Design and other related topics.