Animals are loved by all and they are frequently used as symbols in logo design. Animals invoke an emotional response from within us and that is why they are great choices to be used in logos. There are many features that are naturally attributed to certain animals that can be used to helpfully portray the desired characteristics of a business or an organization to its clients. For example, if you are a bank or security company and you are looking for a symbol that denotes power, strength and virtuous characteristics, try using a lion in your logo. On the other hand, lets say that you are a jewelry company and you define your business as being elegant, exclusive and timeless. What animal do you think best characterizes these characteristics? Wouldn’t a beautiful and graceful swan be the perfect animal to use in your logo?
Below is my Top 10 list of the best animal logos ever used in marketing:
Mail chimp animal logoMail Chimp
This Internet start up uses a monkey in their logo. They offer an intuitive, user-friendly service that allows their customers to create e-mail newsletters for their clients with ease. A monkey is a great animal to use in their logo, as the company is a playful and light-hearted business.
NBC peacock logoNBC
What animal do you see in the NBC television network’s logo? If you said a peacock, you are right. Why did they use a peacock? NBC created this logo design when colour televisions were first being sold. At the time, NBC was owned by an electronics company that wanted to boost their sales of colour TVs so they used a colourful peacock that could truly only be experienced in colour. They also chose a peacock because they were a proud company, hence “proud as a peacock”.
Jaguar auto logo designJaguar
Jaguar cars are classic, elegant cars known for their speed. What better animal to represent their brand than a Jaguar, which is known for its grace, speed and power.
Swarovski's elegant swan logoSwarovski
As I mentioned above, a swan reminds us of elegance, class and sophistication. Swans historically have also often been associated with royalty making it the perfect animal to represent one of the worlds most respected jewelry retailers.
Playboy logoPlayboy
Hugh Hefner’s popular gentlemen’s magazine uses a rabbit in a tuxedo for its logo. Why? The rabbit is a symbol of playfulness and sexual energy making it a charming and funny symbol to use in this industry.
Puma animal logo designPuma
This athletic shoe brand uses a Puma as its logo to convey the idea to its customers that it is a company that is full of energy, enthusiasm and endurance.
Penguin logo designPenguin Books
Penguin uses a playful and happy penguin in its logo. This penguin logo is loved by readers of all ages and it has come to be associated with top-quality and affordability.
Red Bull animal logoRed Bull
Red Bull is a company that makes energy drinks. The two bulls seen in their logo design are perfect symbols to represent the energy, power and strength that overwhelms your body after drinking a Red Bull energy drink.
WWF Panda LogoWWF- World Wildlife Fund
The WWF uses a panda in its logo. The panda is one of the most endangered species on the planet. The WWF chose to use a panda in its logo to remind everyone that nature is fragile and that we must take responsibility for the damage that we are causing to the animals on our planet.
camel logoCamel
When Camel cigarettes came out with this logo, it was in a time where advertisers were trying to make cigarettes seem as cool as possible. Camel used a camel in their logo to say that smoking is serene and fresh. Nowadays, we all know that this is not the case but their animal logo has been forever linked in our minds with this brand of cigarettes.
Now that you have had a glimpse at the above very popular animal logos, what kind of animal would you use to represent your business? What attributes are important to you and which of your business characteristics do you want to highlight to your customers? If you need any ideas, there are some fantastic and affordable animal logos available on the Pixellogo website.
Let me know your thoughts and if you are a designer that has created a great animal logo, feel free to add it to your comment below. I would love to see it