16+ Cool Logos to Inspire Your Next Design

Logos serve as a starting point for many business designs. Most businesses get their logo and signage in place before they turn to any other element of branding. Because there are so many logos in existence, designers get creative and come up with cool logos that stand out from the crowd and serve as inspiration.

In a university study of famous logos, researchers discovered that people start to recognize the logo and how it goes with a product around the age of 3 to 5 years old. About 67 percent of 3-year-olds match logos and products accurately, and 100 percent of children match product and logo by age 8.

Well-designed, cool logos make an impression on even the youngest of consumers and are synonymous with the brand. Here are 16 logos and why they represent the brand well.

1. Duck Commander

Your logo doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should reflect the personality of your brand. Duck Commander features a simple black outline of a duck in flight. The company makes duck calls and sells hunting accessories, so the logo works perfectly to represent its brand and what it offers consumers.

2. Cisco

Cisco leads the way in manufacturing networking equipment. It shows its cutting-edge technology in its logo with lines that look similar to a measurement display you might see on different types of electronic devices.

You can replicate this type of logo by thinking about an object that represents your business and then outlining it rather than outright using an image of the object.

3. World Wildlife Fund

The World Wildlife Fund uses the image of a panda and has since its inception in 1961, with very slight changes over the years. Pandas represent just one of the many animals the WWF strives to protect and preserve for future generations. The logo works well because it represents a passion the organization has — saving pandas — but is also cute enough to attract the attention of fellow animal lovers.

4. Buffer

Buffer serves a variety of businesses, streamlining its social media and online content marketing needs. The logo icon is simply some stacked papers with white space between to give it a three-dimensional effect. For your logo designs, utilize space creatively both to create depth and dual images.

5. Michelin

When it comes to cool logos, it’s hard to top the Michelin Man. The company’s founder came up with the concept of a tire man while looking at an exhibit of a pile of tires at the Lyon Universal Exhibition. Over the years, people came to associate the mascot with the brand until people knew at a glance that the tire man represents the brand name.

While you don’t have to use a character for your logo, adding something that reflects your brand image and is immediately recognizable as uniquely yours builds recognition.

6. Sanderson Spartan Golf

Sanderson Spartan Golf Club’s logo shows a golfer in motion. Adding motion to your logo design takes up a bit more space, but creates an impact on consumers. The figure in the logo is obviously in the middle of a powerful swing of the club. This particular logo also utilizes the negative space and doubles as the image of a soldier’s face with headgear to the left.

7. Anchor Books

Anchor Books uses a simple anchor image inside an oval. The shape of your logo impacts the psychological response from consumers. Studies show that circular shapes create the perception of softness. Readers see the logo and assume the books will elicit a warm response.

8. Eco-Pup

Eco-Pup sells environmentally friendly products for cats and dogs. Notice the logo and how the two sides come together to represent the company as a whole. On the right is a green pawprint — green representing environmentally friendly. On the left is the outline of a leaf.

Show more than one side of your company by combining two concepts in the logo.

9. Quip

Quip is a collaboration tool that serves entrepreneurs, freelancers and businesses. Note how it represents what the platform does by featuring a conversation bubble. The company name is displayed in thick black letters, so the conversation bubble pops with its bright burst of color.

Your name serves as an essential element in your logo. Think about things that build upon your name and complement what you don’t. Add a pop of color when possible to draw the user’s eye.

10. Baskin Robbins

Baskin Robbins is known as the ice cream shop with 31 different flavors. Notice how the logo incorporates the initials of the company with a letter B and a letter R but also has the number 31 nestled in the center. The bright colors are fun, reflecting the overall personality of the brand.

Adding hidden meaning to your logos allows you to have a bit of fun with your customers and educate them about your company at the same time.

11. British Airways

Even if your company has a longer name, such as British Airways, you can find cool logos that signify what you do without making it too wide. Note how it uses the company colors to create a swoosh that looks like an airplane wing and places it partially over the company name.

Another option if you have an unusually long name is to use letters, such as the example above for the World Wildlife Foundation, which uses WWF to represent its moniker.

12. Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds is known for fantastic wax figures of famous people throughout history. The company has a number of different locations, and the logo has a sort of gypsy-like quality to it that makes the user think of magical moments. The font you choose for your logo has a significant impact on the emotions your logo conveys.

13. Chupa Chups

Chupa Chups’ logo screams fun and flavor. The bright yellow is cheerful, and the shape of a daisy makes one think of a sunny day. Artist Salvador Dali designed the original logo.

Dali is the one who suggested the logo be placed on top of the lollipop because it remains visible even when the candy is on display. The original logo was a simple yellow shape with orange lettering. In 1988, the company revised the logo, adding gold, red and white outlines, giving it more of an appearance of having flower petals. It also updated the background to a more vivid yellow and the letters to a deep red.

14. Fanta

The Fanta logo screams freshness. The color choice of bright orange is one that people associate with happiness, sunshine and the tropics. The design also features a green leaf to add to the fresh effect.

The color you choose for your logo makes an emotional impact on the viewer, so think through the message you’d like to send and select a shade that evokes the matching emotion.

15. Square

Square is a payment platform for individuals and businesses. Its logo reflects its name, showing squares within squares, which represents the brand name and the look of its payment gateway that attaches to mobile devices.

16. Wendy’s

Wendy’s entire concept is homestyle food fast. Note how the logo has a hidden word in the collar — mom. Even though most people don’t see the word until it’s pointed out to them, the message comes across subconsciously.

Find Your Inspiration

Studying the cool logos others designed provides inspiration for your own design. The best logos often have hidden or double meanings or some type of special significance to the company. Once you create the ideal logo for your business, it can strengthen identity and provide instant recognition.