What makes a logo great

digital marketing trends

What makes a logo great

Ever wondered what makes a logo truly memorable, timeless?

According to a recent Siegel+Gale study, logos that are most memorable to the general public use a clear and simple design. Nike, Apple, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola are the most memorable global logos; Google, Microsoft, Pepsi, Amazon, Target and Adidas round out the top 10.

Siegel+Gale conducted an online study with 3,000 respondents in the U.S. and U.K. who were asked to evaluate logos for more than 100 of the world’s largest brands.

“Simple was the word that came up above and beyond, more than anything else,” said Brian Rafferty, global director of research insights for Siegel+Gale. “When people were asked what makes a logo memorable, it was simplicity.”

According to results from the study, memorable logos are 13% more likely to get consumers’ attention, 7 % more likely to make them want to learn more about the brand, and 6% more likely to suggest a company is more unique than others in its category.

“One of the things the study shows is that there’s a familiarity bias in the sense that when people are familiar with brands, they’re much more likely to assign positives, and they’re much more likely to assign negatives to the same design if they’re not familiar with it.” said Rafferty

That bias helps explain why consumers react so strongly to brands like Verizon’s or Google’s logo redesigns.

In addition, the study helps show what logo design can and can’t do for brands.

Here’s a breakdown of the attributes associated with certain designs, per the study:

Powerful
Geometric logos are more commonly associated with being powerful than other logo treatments. Logos with initials are a close second.

Traditional
Serif wordmark logos are more commonly associated with being traditional than other logos. Font-based wordmarks come in a close second.

Warm and caring
Organic logos are nearly twice as likely to be associated with being warm or caring than any other logo types.

Trendy
Illustrative custom wordmark logos are more commonly associated with being trendy than others.

Sophisticated or exclusive
Serif wordmark logos are more commonly associated with being “sophisticated
” or “exclusive” than any other logos. In fact, no other
 logo treatment was in top consideration for being “sophisticated” or “exclusive.”

Respected
Serif wordmark logos are most commonly associated with being respected. Geometric logos come in a close second.

Fun
Illustrative custom wordmark logos are about twice as likely to be associated with being fun as other logos.

Approachable
Holding shape logos are more commonly associated with being approachable than any other logo treatments. No other logo treatment was in top consideration for being “approachable.”

Cool
Illustrative custom wordmark logos are more commonly associated with being cool than other logos.

Original
Holding shape logos are most associated with being original. No other treatment was in top consideration for being “original.”

Edgy
Initials logos are more commonly associated with being edgy than other logos.

Friendly
Illustrative custom wordmark logos are more commonly associated with being friendly other logo treatments.

Reliable
Holding shape and initials logos are almost equally associated with being reliable, making them tops for that attribute.

Stylish
Illustrative custom wordmark logos are more commonly associated with being stylish than any other logo treatment.

Innovative
Organic and geometric logos are almost equally associated with being innovative, tops for that attribute.

If you’re business needs a new logo, or thinking of redesigning your existing one, talk to us and we’ll help develop the right look for your brand.