Henry JonesFebruary 26, 20100 A logo is the visual cornerstone of one’s branding. While some logos are complex, often the most memorable ones are those that are simplistic. Instead of relying on detailed graphics and icons, these minimal logos rely on creative typography, simple shapes, and clever negative space to tell the story.
Here is a showcase of 30 minimal logo designs that say more with less.
Mark AdamsJanuary 4, 2024 
Mark AdamsMarch 21, 2023 
Mark AdamsJanuary 5, 2023 
Reply
Excellent examples of simple logo. Some nice logos with negative space. One word Excellent
Reply
There’s a local electric company whose understated logo I’ve always loved. I see their vans around town at least once/month: https://bit.ly/cyYE79
Reply
I should have mentioned their name: McMillan Electric
Reply
Nice collection, some of these logos I’ve already saw, but most of them are new to me. I always admit designers who can create such creative logos. Not my branch 🙂
Reply
Yeah these logo’s are realy nice to watch.
But one BIG thing most people always forget: 90% of such logo’s ( who are always on sites like logopond and such ), are easier created because the designer also chooses the name of the so called company. So in that way it makes it much easyer to create such logo’s.
I’m working as a designer for a long long time now, and i think others can confirm, that 99% of the cases your client doesn’t have a company name to pull of such designs.
So i still think all those logo’s are a bit unreal.
BUT still fun to watch and nice for inspiration!
Reply
I was thinking exactly about the same idea. So I agree completely, FL. It seems that real world restrictions of working with company names make creating such meaningful logos a harder challenge.
Who knows: sometimes just a nice initial concept works as inspiration for a real company which still lacks a company name.
Then there’s the subject of brand name copyright. Such simple names are usually already taken, which makes even harder working with a single worded company name, needing then a more complex tag-line to complete the design.
That’s why I’ve found useful working with the initials of long company names in my designs, which make complex things simpler and logo friendly, while reminding of the target company.
Nevertheless, this is an amazing set of inspiration, full of extremely good ideas, which demonstrate that good logo design is much more than just a beautiful illustration, but in fact, a meaningful graphic.
Reply
Yea, I always try to form the company’s logo around their initials. It’s easier for people to say in a general conversation, making it much more friendly for word of mouth advertising. It is easier for people to remember while knowing exactly whayt company is being referenced.
Reply
Was just going to say the same thing myself FL.
Is a logo really a logo if the designer has created it himself? Fictional or ‘self-initiated’ logos are created because the designer has thought of a clever way in which to use a quirk with a character or negative space in a word or combination of letters, which pretty much eliminates the point of design: solving a client’s problem.
Most of these examples, whilst nicely done, do not answer any problems. They are more suited to the logo section of somewhere like iStock (when it’s up and running) where ‘clients’ will trawl through pages of their marques to find something they like and try and make it fit their company or brand. Design in reverse, effectively.
I think calling these ‘logos’ is very misleading.
Reply
Yea, it is one thing to sit and create a random logo from a name you dream up and make it look good and clever. It is another thing entirely to have to come up with an actual logo based on client requirements (including their personal taste and vision) and the name already in place. You are forced to work with what you are given, make lemonade out of lemons so to say. That takes some extra effort and makes you stand out from the exploding world of designers. Because essentially, you will be working for a real client, with a already choosen name, that takes skill.
Reply
Was thinking the same thing. Good point FL! Doesn’t make them weak logo’s though. The path of thought is just easier made when the designer is the one to come up with the name of the fictional company.
Nice post.
Reply
I second that. Many of my clients have names that have 3 or more long words. I have not yet had a client that has had a single word company name LOL or a short two-worded comapany name either. Also, most times even trying to use the company’s intials do not provide a way to do some of the logos shown. Such as a pencil using the letter ‘I’, I would love to do something like that, but their comapany has nothing to do with pencils or school, or learning LOL.
Reply
Vry Nice Collection. I really like all of them. Simple and neat look is the best
Reply
Cute! And inspiring.
Reply
Absolutely stunning collection. I always admire that field of logo design – visually stunning.
Reply
i like the collection. great work…
Reply
Really loved it. Most of them really looks brilliant.
Reply
Great collection, minimalism is everything.
Reply
Most of these are works of absolute genius! This is how all logos should be! Less is definitely more!
Reply
love all of em. Great collection of simple, but powerful logos.
Reply
The logo designer for killed production
Killed it!
—
Thanks and Regards
Noel for Nopun.com
a graphic design studio
Reply
Yea definitely one of my favs. It is awesome!I looked around to see if a real company is using this logo, I didn’t find one, I see where they are selling it half off at $800. It would be even more awesome if this was designed for an actual company who existed, that would be so wicked. It is just a stock logo.
Reply
The only issue I have with these sorts of logos is that none of them (or very few of them) are actually being used for a real life company.
They are more exercises in creativity, and don’t involve the real challenges of meeting a client’s expectations and/or goals.
Reply
Classy icons will last forever and be instantly recognized.
Reply
Very nice collection. Thanks for posting. Came here via Smashing Magazine.
Reply
Real companies or not, some of these logo’s are absolute genius! They are rewarding in that they not only look great, there is an extra buzz when you ‘get’ the puzzle (in some cases). Great collection.
Reply
Excellent designs – clean, simple, yet they convey clear messages. I love them all, very well done, and excellent article!
Reply
Very good! -_-
Reply
Wow! There are some great logos here. I love the Minimalist feel. I think Evolution X is the most creative overall, but really that could be said about several of these.
J.M. Waters
@mikewaters
Reply
sometimes I wonder what came first, the logo or the company name?….If you ask yourself that question, then you have an awesome logo before you.
Reply
Really nice collection. I like the double meaning in most of these logos.
Reply
All great but i really liked Hole and Foot.
Reply
great post… Its all about keeping it simple!
Reply
Excellent logo’s! I really love those simple but briljant illustrations. I like these kind of logo’s way more then the famous one’s like nike or pepsi. It kind of reminds me of these shirt designs, which says for example “whale” and typhography also illustrates that specific animal.. pretty neat!
Reply
Examples like this of effective minimalism alwasys makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside!
Reply
simple but eye catching. excellent work and good post
Reply
A lot of these seem really FAKE.
Reply
Better the less said!
Reply
Superb.. Awesome share…. Its hard to pick the best… Thanks..
Reply
so awesome! i want one for my kids theatre co.! wracking my brain around the simple concept is not so easy. COOL! Thanks for the inspiration!
Reply
very nice collection shared here! You can also see some of my 2D logo designs here: https://logolitic.com/logos-inspiration-2-%E2%80%93-designed-by-logolitic/
Reply
nice collection…
some of them need more time to understand..
Reply
I think that my company’s new logo is awesome:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cloutmarketing/4358937760/
Reply
Mindblowing thoughts…
Reply
This got to be one of my favorite articles! Great ideas! Good job 🙂
Reply
Wow. These are fantastic!
Reply
Sleek, clean and simple. The most important thing it’s effective!
Reply
Some very nice ones among there…. I did the total opposite – my logo is very complex…. but it kind of fits with my shop, so I think I will keep it…. But thanks for inspiration 😉
Reply
Keep it simple. Lovely.
Reply
I love the ones with the negative space! Brilliant collection!
Reply
Wow…Folder and Bckspace are great! What a great list. I think that less is more, more often than not. In todays media clutter, a clear mark is hard to define and worth the investment in creating.
Reply
I like how the ED’s Electric logo is an optical illussion in itself.
I always feel that if you are able to create an awesome memorable logo using some text and minimal graphics, then that is a truly great logo. For example Coca-Cola, is a really a simple font based logo usually on a red background, does not involve graphics really. Yet it is such a familiar and recogonizable logo to the point that you can read the text “Coca-Cola” and see it perfectly in your mind how it appears on the soda can, print ads, or commercial. Also, suggest some good branding going on as well.
Reply
Good examples! Ed’s-Electric #1
Reply
Hole…
Perfect. So simple and fullyfunction
Reply
Lesson of the day: Use your negative space!
Great list.
Reply
Nice collection.
Reply
PERFECT!!!
Crown is banal and Fence is hard to read but the rest is perfect.
Reply
Simply awesome!
Reply
Really nice clean, simple logos – will direct clients who are looking for a rebrand to this blog post for inspiration!
Reply
While I’m always impressed with clever visual ideas, I digress with the general assumption made in this article. No, logos are not the cornerstone of branding. In fact, compared to other influencing factors, the quality of a logo has the least influence on your brand.
Your logo can be beautiful or ugly, it really doesn’t matter if your brand doesn’t deliver on its promise. And that promise consists of the product idea, the delivery, the impression it leaves on people. A lot of things have more impact on how your brand is perceived. Your logo is one of them, but by far not its cornerstone.
Think about this: Google started with one of the ugliest logos ever designed. Look at the first version of Google’s logo. If a graphic design student would have come up with this logo, he would have been kicked out of class. Never the less, Google became one of the most successful companies in human history and the leading brand of the Internet. It really didn’t matter what their logo was, what mattered was what they did with their brand.
Reply
Clients often approach me asking for snazzy 3D logos in web 2.0 format. I constantly (and successfully) push them in the direction of clean, simple marks that are memorable and recognizable. These are all fantastic and inspiring examples of the simplicity in logo creation that all designers should follow.
Reply
Hey , i would like to say thank you about this great post, very helpful to me, Thank You.
Reply
Very impressive – Great post!
Congrats to all people involved
xx
Reply
amazing dud……
Reply
Woww thanks!! Some are beautiful.
Muchas gracias y saludos desde Guatemala!!
Reply
Creative mind
Reply
Thumbs up for Killed Productions i loved it
Reply
Their are some top draw logo’s here, loving the Horror Films and Backspace logoart, very intuitive.
Reply
Wonderful, awesome creativity
Reply
Great list. Some of the logo designs are really clever.
Reply
I love these but I’m noticing that they are just a great visual play on the names of the companies, many of the logo’s leave me feeling like I have no idea what they do – i realise that a logo doesn’t have to say or spell out what a company does, but what if the name of the company wasn’t a word that is easily played on, like someone’s last name for instance? I’m sure there’s some great examples out there, and I feel they probably deserve some more credit for having a more difficult task to work with.
Reply
Awesome Logos here. Great Stuff!
Reply
This post is again popular in Delicious:)
I’ve never seen some of them..Thanks Henry
Reply
amazing logos all so simple but effective,
another great post thanks
Reply
Good logos, but i like the one with “killed” the most. That is a funny idea
Reply
Most of these logos aren’t for real companies – they’re just made up words to put context to some clever little graphic someone thought of…Either that or the symbol was made first, and then the name of the company was made up simply to fit.
Reply
Inspiring stuff.Thanks for sharing!
Reply
Awesome and amazing issue!
Thanks
Reply
Some are brilliant although do any of the companies actually exist? It’s easy to design a logo for a fictitious company as you can make a name fit an idea. Logo design becomes difficult when a client comes to you with an established company name and you have to design and print something to fit.
Reply
I like the one with ZIP the most. Really creative logos.
Reply
Nice collection. It is much more fun to see clean and conceptual logos, even if many of them are basically comp work. I really like the Horror Films one.
Reply
Wow really brilliant idea I love the one with “pencil”and “foot” the most.
Reply
Really awesome logos, well designed. thanks for sharing.
Reply
Ha ha – i like the Missing logo!
Reply
awesome logos , amazing creativity
Reply
Beautiful, less is definitely more 🙂
Pingback: Top 8 Dreaded Favors Asked of Web Designers | Tips