50+ Minimal logos, past and present

Simple and clean designs can sometimes have an even bigger impact than a logo that has a lot going on. Good use of form and negative space can go a long way toward creating a strong visual impression.

Minimal logos can be easier for your customers to remember, too. Think of the simplicity of the Pepsi logo and how recognizable that is. Or the FedEx logo with it’s hidden arrow. Both are simple and clean (the newest incarnation of the Pepsi logo arguably less so), yet are instantly recognizable just by their shape and form.

Below are more than fifty minimalist logos, both from the present and past (1950s to the early 1990s or so). Check them out, and see how well many of the vintage minimalist logos have stood the test of time.

 

Modern logos

These logos were all created in the past decade or so. They combine clean lines and simple geometric shapes with discerning use of color (many are monochromatic) and negative space. Some are logotypes, while others keep the letterforms out of the logo itself.

Hatch Inc.

 

Farmhouse

 

Retro Corporate Logo Goodness

 

Pagepro

 

Nocturnal Thrills

 

British Steel

 

The Guild of Food Writers

 

Martin Newcombe Property Maintenance

 

Mind

 

Freedom Travel

 

Ski Brand Logo

 

In the Company of Huskies

 

Beyon

 

AAT – All About Tea

 

Animal Defense League

 

William & Son

 

Koala Ranch

 

Hive

 

Blast PR

 

Lark Insurance

 

Dustin Hysinger

 

Ogami

 

Hucksley

 

Rant

 

Furn

 

Blue Mountain Electric

 

Rechargeable

 

D.F.L. Web Development

 

Antler Logo

 

Pocono Modern

 

Story

 

Coyote

 

KixBox

 

Vintage logos

While we sometimes think of minimalist logos as being modern, they’ve been around for decades. Minimalist logos were popular starting in the 1950s, and haven’t really fallen out of popularity since. Check out these logos from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Asfaltor Oy

 

W. Raven & Co. Leicester

 

Jacque Nathan Garamond

 

Associated Spring Corporation

 

Cygnet Publishing Pty. Ltd. Perth

 

Expo ’70 Osaka

 

Organisationskomitee Der 5.Gymnnaestrada

 

Harcourt Brace & World Inc. New York

 

Ahrend Libra Amsterdam

 

Committee for Economic & Cultural Development of Chicago

 

Canadian Pulp & Paper Assoc. Ltd.

 

United Semiconductor

 

Russell & Hindrichs Associates

 

Franz H Wills

 

Trademakr

 

Citgo

 

Chemico

 

Department of Health and Social Security

 

Technicolor

 

Continental Airlines

 

Conclusion

One area where minimalist logos can really excel is in their almost built-in timelessness. Logos from the 1950s can look just as current as one designed last week (without cashing in on the current “vintage” and “retro” logo craze). For a company that wants to appear timeless and yet contemporary, minimalism can definitely be the way to go.

50+ Minimal logos, past and present