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 logosThese 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.FarmhouseRetro Corporate Logo GoodnessPagepronocturnal ThrillsBritish SteelThe Guild of Food WritersMartin Newcombe Property MaintenanceMindFreedom TravelSki Brand LogoIn the Company of HuskiesBeyonAAT – All about TeaAnimal Defense LeagueWilliam & SonKoala RanchHiveBlast PRLark InsuranceDustin HysingerOgamiHucksleyRantFurnBlue Mountain ElectricRechargeableD.F.L. Web DevelopmentAntler LogoPocono ModernStoryCoyoteKixBoxVintage logosWhile 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 OyW. Raven & Co. LeicesterJacque Nathan GaramondAssociated Spring CorporationCygnet Publishing Pty. Ltd. PerthExpo ’70 OsakaOrganisationskomitee Der 5.GymnnaestradaHarcourt Brace & World Inc. New YorkAhrend Libra AmsterdamCommittee for Economic & Cultural Development of ChicagoCanadian Pulp & Paper Assoc. Ltd.United SemiconductorRussell & Hindrichs AssociatesFranz H WillsTrademakrCitgoChemicoDepartment of Health and Social SecurityTechnicolorContinental AirlinesConclusionOne 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.
