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.

Cameron Chapman

Cameron Chapman is a freelance writer and designer from New England. You can visit her site or follow her on Twitter.