Last updated on February 6th, 2024
Did you know your logo design has to be unique to sell your products and services? Before you promote your products or services, creating your identity as a business is essential. Your branding logo works as a symbol of identification. Just like other elements, the brand symbols you choose for your logo also play a pivotal role in winning customers’ loyalty.
However, using common symbols may damage the reputation and cause of a brand. This is because people have already seen these symbols everywhere. They tend to ignore visuals that are too generic or have lost their meaning. When people encounter a visual too often, they get bored with it and do not get its message anymore.
Therefore, when using a symbol as a logo, make sure it is not a cliché. It should ideally be a unique and distinctive visual that makes a lasting impression. People will surely turn their heads to a uniquely created symbol as a brand logo.
What is Symbolism?
Before you think of avoiding the most used symbols, know what exactly symbolism means. Symbolism is a way to represent feelings, emotions, cultures, and other things through images or text. Humans have been expressing themselves through symbols for thousands of years. These symbols have become a part of cultures and are even their identities.
Symbols have acquired different forms over time. Once, animals, flowers, and other symbols were used in different cultures. Nowadays, symbols come in various colors, shapes, and forms to communicate an idea instantly.
For example, emojis are commonly used symbols today to express various emotions and moods in communication. Street signs such as stop signs, restroom symbols, accessible parking signs, symbols of political parties, and religious symbols are commonly seen signs around.
However, some symbols have lost their attraction since people find them frequently.
What are common symbols used in logo designs?
You can find many logos that use hackneyed symbols as you search for them on the web or in the market. Such a branding logo uses a clichéd symbol we have seen somewhere. Many designers follow logo design trends of famous logos. They should remember that trends are not permanent and become worn out with time. As a consequence, logos with common symbols soon become obsolete.
A logo designer must be aware of such common symbols and avoid them when designing a company logo. Many symbols and shapes were once famous and are still in good use, but they are too mainstream to use in your brandmark.
The Olympic Rings
The Olympics are often repeated symbols in logo design, but they have lost their value. Famous logos like Audi, MasterCard, Chanel, and Olympics have used these rings, which are multiple circles interwoven.
Swoosh
Swoosh in Nike’s Logo Design has also been overused by logo designers, and you should avoid this symbol. In the past years, designers have excessively used this symbol in varied forms, which has added it to the clichéd symbol list.
Molecular bonding
Molecular bonding is another symbol often repeated by designers. Social networking site Tribe.net and open source operating system Ubuntu are famous logos with a molecular bonding design, but they have been used regularly. If you want your brand to look different, use a different logo idea instead of
Recycle symbol
It is another symbol you should avoid. Three chasing arrows in varied forms represent the eco-friendly message. However, the symbol should be avoided due to its overuse. Geometric shapes like triangles and squares are also often used and should no longer be used by a creative logo designer. Instead, showing a bit of creativity to these symbols will work great for your custom logo design.
How to use symbolism in logo design?
Now that you know the commonly used symbols you should avoid, find out how to use symbols creatively in logo design. While logos represent a brand, symbols evoke the emotions and feelings associated with them.
Symbolism in logo design conveys your brand message instantly and effectively to target customers. Symbolic elements usually include icons, colors, shapes, etc.
Here are some considerations when using symbolism in your company logo design:
Define your brand concept
While avoiding common symbols and using some newer ones, ensure that the symbol defines your brand. Such a unique symbol should convey your brand identity, message, and values. The logo symbol should also help your brand stand out among your competitors. Choose a symbol that best suits your brand voice and characteristics.
Take, for example, the Apple logo. The bite on the logo represents a byte (representation of a basic unit in digital information). Since Apple creates innovative products and high-tech gadgets, the Apple symbol defines innovation.
Know your target audience
The unique symbols you use should also target your audience effectively. Choose the symbol that targets demographics, races, cultures, and religions. So, picking a new symbol to carry your message to the customers is challenging for logo designers. However, a thorough research and competitive analysis can ease the whole process.
Be consistent
Whichever new symbol you use in your logo design, ensure it remains part of the design for many years. Such design consistency builds brand recognition and helps win customers’ loyalty.
No matter which symbol you choose, it should align well with your brand message, values, and personality. That will help connect your business logo design and brand with your audience.
Avoid culturally insensitive symbols
Often, symbols do not carry the same meaning in different cultures. So, while avoiding common symbols, use the one the world accepts without cultural sensitivities.
Carry out some research regarding the symbol you choose to ensure that it does not hurt people’s feelings elsewhere. A wrong use of symbols can lead to building a negative perception and reputation of a brand.
Do not use confusing symbolism
If not used judiciously, the chances of a symbol becoming confusing for the audience are higher. This particular happens in abstract symbols with no company name. Also, if the symbol has nothing to do with the brand message and personality, that will lead to confusion. People will lose faith in such a business, with its company logo design signaling mixed messages.
How to consider symbols for a logo style?
Consider your logo style when avoiding common symbols and incorporating unique ones. You will find different types of logo, such as emblems, wordmarks, letter marks, pictorial marks, abstracts, mascots, and combination logos.
An emblem is often an icon. Wordmark is the brand’s full name, while lettermark is just an initial letter of the brand name. Pictorial mark logos are images or illustrations. Abstract logos convey an abstract thought, usually with no text. Mascot logos have a character such as an animal, and combination logos have characteristics of any two logo styles.
While picking a unique symbol, ensure it goes well with your logo style. One of the logo design mistakes many designers make is picking the wrong symbol for a logo style. Also, note that the same symbol will appeal differently to the target audience when incorporated in different styles.
Types of symbols in logo design
While avoiding common symbols and thinking of some new symbols, you have many options to explore to design your logo. Ensure that you design the conventional symbols in a new look and feel so that they convey the right message.
Here are some major types of symbols for designing a logo:
Floral symbolism
Plants and flowers are the symbols you can use to convey happiness, joy, hope, and growth. You can incorporate these symbols in your logo:
- Four-leaf clover – Four-leaf clover is known for bringing good luck in Irish and Celtic cultures. You can use three-leaf clovers as well.
- Trees – Trees symbolize growth and nature. Choose the tree design in your distinctive style. Know that trees have different meanings. So, choose this symbol for your brand message in your logo accordingly.
- Olive branch – The Olive branch has always symbolized peace and hope. Create the olive branch design in your distinctive style to make it look special in your logo design.
- Red rose – Red rose is another conventional symbol of love, passion, and affection. Design a unique rose that drives attention.
- Daisy – Daisies are simple flowers that symbolize harmony and goodness. Healthcare, beauty, and wellness brands can use these flowers. Ensure to design daisies, zinnias, and cosmos differently to give them a new look in your logo.
Animal Symbolism
Animals are the most used symbols in all graphic designs, including logo designs. This is because animals can easily represent the emotions of love, affection, passion, aggression, anger, etc., that a brand wishes to project. Here are some major animal symbols logo designers use:
- Swan – The swan is the symbol of elegance and beauty. If designed differently to make them a brand’s logo, swans convey a message effectively to the target audience.
- Lion – The lion symbolizes aggression, domination, courage, and strength. So, the brands that wish to show their domination in their industry can use the lion symbol in their logo.
- Butterfly – If a brand wants to express creativity, elegance, beauty, peace, and flexibility as its message, then a butterfly can be part of its modern logo design.
- Owl – Owl symbolizes wisdom, knowledge, and intuition in many cultures. A logo with a uniquely designed owl symbolism can instantly express this message about its brand.
Color Symbolism
Colors also evoke emotions and symbolize what we think and aspire for. Here are the emotions associated with colors:
- Red – Logo designers love to include red in some way in their designs since it is an eye-catching color. It also evokes love, affection, passion, energy, and aggression.
- Blue – Blue symbolizes wisdom, friendliness, sophistication, and loyalty. It comes with various shades and tints by mixing other colors.
- Green – Your logo will express growth, nature, health, and a refreshing approach if it is in green. It also is a color to showcase the vibrancy and vitality of a brand.
- Yellow – Yellow radiates energetic vibes and is seen as friendly, youthful, and cheerful, making it an eye-catching color.
- Black and white – Black and white logos also stand out and evoke trust, power, straightforwardness, and security. A logo in black with a white background looks simple but dominates the visual.
Geometric Symbolism
Logo designers explore geometrical shapes to symbolize a brand’s message, values, and personality. Here are the geometric shapes that logo designers often use to represent a brand:
- Circles – Circles represent wholeness, longevity, and unity.
- Triangles – A triangular shape in a logo stands for balance, stability, strong foundation, and masculinity.
- Squares – Squares represent stability and reliability. A logo with a square shape can easily become a popular visual identity.
- Hearts – The heart symbol is one of the most popular conventional signs expressing love and passion.
Celestial Symbolism
Celestial elements have been included in creating logo designs for centuries. The cosmic symbols also carry different meaning. Here is what different symbols stand for in a logo design:
- Star – A five-pointed star in a design evokes fame and luck. It also stands for magic, mystics, and occult groups.
- Sun – The sun stands for power, warmth, and energy. Brands use this symbol to express power and clarity as part of their message to the audience.
- Moon – The moon symbolizes calmness, peace, nature, sleep, mystery, balance, and renewal
So, these are the key aspects to consider when you want to avoid common symbols in designing a logo. Even when you use a common symbol, ensure you give it a new meaning by designing it differently.
You can ask your logo designer to use a particular symbol in your design. But make sure that your target audience relates to the symbol. Do not use a symbol for the sake of it, and prefer the one that best suits your brand identity and personality.
At Designhill, you have quick access to professional graphic designers who understand how to use symbols to convey meaning through modern logo designs. So, either launch your logo design contest or work with a talented designer personally to get your company’s logo done professionally.
Wrapping Up
Common symbols are the ones designers and artists have used for centuries. Avoid these symbols, as they have lost their uniqueness and meaning due to repeated use. Instead, find new symbols that give your logo a unique brand identity. Even when using a common symbol, design it differently to make it look distinguished. Consider the meaning of your logo design to make a symbol selection.