5 Best and Worst Logos

5 Best Logos

Sun Microsystems

The Sun Microsystems logo is one of the best logos I've come across. This is because of the way the shape of the logo is formed. The "S" and "U" and "N" are arranged so that no matter which angle you look at the logo from, it's the same. It's an example of symmetry and order, and for computer systems, this is on point.

Mammoth Resort

The Mammoth Ski Resort, which is in California, has a clever logo. The shape can be interpreted as an "M" for mammoth, a ski trail, or mountains. Because it can illustrate all these meanings at once, it's concise, clever, and innovative. This is what I like about the logo.

Vaio

The Sony Vaio logo, along the same lines as the aforementioned Mammoth one, captures multiple elements in one cohesive design. the "V" and "A" are analog symbols, and also represent audio and video, while the "I" and the "O" are actually "1" and "0", which represent binary, the digital world. This sub division of Sony, which manufactures laptops, logo encapsulates the elements of its product in a subtle design that at first looks like modern typography.

Organ Donation

This organ donation logo is clever, succinct, and simple. It is monotone and the shapes are clean, which makes it pleasing to look at. However, the greatest thing the logo is its concept. When you donate an organ, you're not only giving someone in need a necessary vital, you're giving them a gift -- a new lease on life. This idea is astutely portrayed in the illustration. It could have achieved the same concept with a more detailed illustration, but a simple, clean silhouette is really all that is necessary to convey this idea. Because it successfully demonstrates a powerful message in the simplest way possible, it has my vote.

Boss Hunting

Boss Hunting is a facebook page where users upload anything from celebrities and fashion to rock climbing and sky diving. Anything "boss" or cool can be uploaded, hence the name "Boss Hunting". The logo itself is boss because it so closely resembles my own personal logo that I made for GRD3000. Of course, I didn't see this logo until recently, so when I stumbled upon it, I kicked myself for not thinking of this idea on my own, as my own initials are "HB" and this logo would have captured it perfectly.

5 Worst Logos

Grocery Bar

The Grocery Bar is a local grocery store in downtown Chattanooga that's also a restaurant and makes made-to-order food. You can pick out a bottle of wine from the aisle at grocery store prices and enjoy a meal prepared by a chef. It's an interesting concept but just by looking at the storefront from the outside or the logo gives no indication whatsoever of what kind of business it is. When I first saw the logo I thought that it might just be a grocery store, as the word 'grocery' was the only context clue. This logo should exhibit something else that'll help new customers realize what's inside. Maybe adding a knife and fork to bring in restaurant elements might be a good idea, for example.

WCG World Cyber Games 2012

This World Cyber Games logo is absolutely horrendous. When I first saw it, I couldn't help but focus my attention on all the bad things and it actually distracted from the games that were going on. For starters, there are too many concurrent elements which do not harmonize or mesh together. The gloss over the "2012", for example, is gimmicky and unnecessary. All type runs on a straight plane except for 2012, which for some unexplainable reason is bobbing up and down. There's no reason for all the colors and various shapes and in whole, the logo looks like its representing a toddlers' or children event with all the colors, shapes, and size variances and not a serious world class gaming tournament.

REMAX Logo

The REMAX logo is disorganized, convoluted, and doesn't make sense. I can see that there are parallel lines, which were made deliberately by reshaping the letters, but this design aesthetic does more harm than good. Maybe by making it this way, the letters are supposed to look like a house. In any case, the design is as unsightly as it is ubiquitous. There is even a blue line diagonally striking the logo for seemingly no apparent reason other than to add more parallel lines to the logo.

London Olympics 2012

When this logo first appeared on television and press, there were many online blogs, publications, and forums deriding it, cementing the sentiment that it was terrible design. When the general public as a whole lashes against a design, then it can be safely assumed that is bad design. To start, a logo depicting the Olympics should, in my opinion, somehow incorporate a universal symbol of unity, as it represents all countries of the world. This is apparent in the actual logo of the Olympic rings. But this logo contains weirdly shaped objects that are more polygon than numbers. The neon colors are ostentatious and not appropriate for a world setting. The yellow can hardly be seen on a white background and the shapes have nothing to do with the Olympics, as far as I could tell. In general, it doesn't give off the vibe that an event that transcends all racial, cultural, and language barriers should.

Billboard 

The Billboard logo is just text with circles filled with color. It doesn't have any ties to music charts except the name. The colors seem to be random and have nothing to do with billboard charts. Perhaps just the word "billboard" without the colored in circles might even be better.