Google is a universally celebrated brand, and possibly the biggest one in the world.

Over the years, Google has successfully experimented with brand extensions, viral marketing, public relations and, of course, an ever-evolving logo.

However, what may be most impressive is that a logo as recognizable as Google’s has been able to constantly evolve with the times.

So how did the search engine giant manage to stay so relevant as it adapted its logo design to changing trends? By following a cleverly devised strategy which we will explore today.

 

This was the very first Google logo. It was used purely as a test logo design during Google’s early days as a research project created by co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. However, this primitive GIMP-based design would soon evolve into the Google logo that we so easily recognize today.

The Primary Spectrum

Two versions of the “primary-colored” Google logo then followed. One utilizes a more subdued look, while the other pops with its Baskerville Bold Typeface, 3D effect, and famous exclamation mark!

The exclamation point logo is still used today on special occasions when the company reflects on its earliest days.

 

Designer Ruth Kedar

No piece on Google’s logo would be complete without mentioning talented designer Ruth Kedar. Ruth introduced the Google brand to fresh interpretations and dabbled with a variety of intelligent and quirky logo designs.

In the first, she used Catull font and tinkered with using designs in the logo’s two Os while employing black and greyscale. Ruth is also responsible for adding the supplemental purple color into the mix and including a magnifying glass to signify a search. Though Ruth introduced creative new concepts, none of her designs were selected as the official logo. However, it’s still interesting to see what this innovative designer came up with.

 

 

The Final Cut

The first official Google logo was introduced to the world in May 1999.

It’s very similar to the original design, yet more refined. The logo uses deep, rich colors while also utilizing a more minimal shadow effect on the lettering.

The original Google logo showed true staying power, serving as the brand’s official logo for the next 10 years.

 

 

The Two-Dimensional Logos

In September 2013, Google adopted the use of two-dimensional logos, opting for a look that would be easier to load, read, or print out. This, of course, meant the complete removal of any shading or 3D effect. But that was not all…

The first adaptation of the flattened Google logo had a few minor adjustments from the earlier logo. The second flat logo, introduced two years later, was altogether different.

Flat logo Type A

 

 

Flat Logo Type B

For this special version of the two-dimensional Google logo, the Google design team created a new font called Product Sans. Product Sans is a Google-owned geometric sans-serif typeface that has become an industry staple. It makes use of bold lettering, which adds density to make up for the lack of shadow, and it looks like a unique work of art.

Have a look!

 

The Google Doodles

Though Google’s doodles come and go, the concept is a ground-breaking one and cannot be separated from Google’s brand identity.

Google began this tradition for the Burning Man event in 1998 as a warning to Google users about the possibility of a server crash due to high traffic!

Since then, the witty idea grew to include many events, birthdays, holidays, achievements, and tributes. Naturally, as doodles became more popular, the quality and intricacies of each design increased.

In 2010, as a tribute to the arcade game Pac-man, Google displayed its first interactive Google Doodle. This genius idea drew almost 1 billion players worldwide.

Post Pac-Man, there have been numerous video doodles launched by Google. Occasions for these included John Lennon’s 70^th birthday, the 2012 Summer Olympics, and the 40^th Anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube, to name a few. On Halloween 2018, there was even a doodle on Garden Gnomes!

By 2019, the creative artists at Google had developed more than 4,000 different homepage Doodles.

The Google Favicon

Today, the famous Google stand-alone G is as legendary as the company’s name logo.

 

Though linked intrinsically to Google’s main logo, the favicon has its own identity and evolution path.

From 1999 to 2009, the favicon design was a simple uppercase G in the red, blue, green palette against a white background. But in June 2008, Google announced a favicon designing competition which was won by Andre Resende, a Brazilian Computer Science student. That winning design is the left aligned G you see above, chosen for its attractiveness, high memorability, and strength in portraying the Google brand.

Conclusion

The strategy that stands out from the Google logo’s dynamic journey largely revolves around sticking to the basics while tweaking minor characteristics of the logo as the brand grows. Why overhaul something that’s already working?

The only drastic change we’ve seen in the past decade was in the second version of the flat Google logo. For this, Google took the step to create its very own new font!

It will certainly be intriguing to see the next steps in Google’s carefully devised logo evolution process.

These are exciting times in the world of design!

As we enter a bold new decade, creators and designers all over the world continue to do everything they can to grab the attention of their increasingly distracted audiences. With the bulk of viewers’ attention being on text, choice of typography and font pairings play a key role in content effectiveness.

Font pairing involves the combination of multiple fonts in a single design project. Together, the fonts must convey harmony, while each having their individuality. Fonts should be chosen to complement each other, with the goal of directing viewers’ attention to the content’s message. Successful font pairings do not distract the reader by having each font vie for individual attention.

In this article, we look at some pairing trends already gaining popularity at the beginning of 2020!

Bold, High-Contrast Serifs with Heavier, Rounded Sans Serif: Storytelling with a Modern Twist

As industries around the world make the increasingly popular pivot toward all things digital, many find themselves yearning to go back to a more “human” time before technology ruled our lives.

And what is more humanizing than storytelling?

2020 is seeing organizations of all sizes reach for design options that humanize their brand by telling a story about them.

While sans-serifs have been popular due to their “modern” appeal, brands are trending towards the more “rooted” serifs to convey their stories.

This stylistic shift also includes increasingly mixing heavier, rounded fonts with bold, high-contrast serifs.

Handmade Fonts/Outline Fonts + Stabilizing Sans Serifs: Reflecting the Rebellion of the Streets

Every day, bold new voices and stories of individual activism break through the noise and into our newsfeeds. It was only a matter of time before this rebellious spirit spilled over into the world of design.

2020 is already seeing bold colors, street art, and cyberpunk being included in brand designs. It’s safe to assume their inclusion in typography trends is not far behind.

Some pairings in this style you may be familiar with include hand-made, decorative fonts contrasted with stabilizing sans-serifs or outline fonts contrasted with bold, attention-grabbing text.

Outline fonts can rebel against all the traditional rules of readability while still ensuring that the key message is contained in the filled text that accompanies the outlined text.

Bold designers have also increasingly been making use of maxi topography, where the text gets so large it bleeds out of the page! While maxi typography draws attention to the design itself, the text that needs to be read could be of a smaller, sans-serif type.

Corben with Nobile: Moving towards Warm and Happy Designs

Consumers increasingly seek out warmth and genuineness during their interactions with brands. In this scenario, a type-only approach is often seen as sincere and genuine.

While flat designs with easy-to-read type will continue to be used, 2020 is already seeing a shift from cold, flat designs towards the cozy and warm.

The combination of Corben, a rounded serif, with a simple, slim font like Nobile brings a tone of “happy days” to any design.

Yellowtail + Open Sans Light: Calming, Organic, Natural, Honest

This year has also brought a love for earthy tones – designs that replicate the natural world through soothing, humanizing elements. The aesthetic has grown from being primarily used by natural food companies, farms, and similar enterprises to a top choice among brands from various spaces.

The Yellowtail script font lends an earthy appeal to designs. It is legible even at smaller sizes and has a very unique look. Yellowtail contrasts beautifully with Open Sans bold and Open Sans light.

The organic aesthetic also refers to the usage of irregular, uneven, “imperfect” elements in design.

One notable example in this style is the typography on Uber‘s website – rounded sans-serif, paired with text in subtle tones.

By investing in designs that are more natural, human, and approachable, brands are trying to give consumers what they’ve always yearned for – genuineness, honesty, and sincerity.

Courier New + Novelty Font: A Brutalistic Rebellion

When vintage-inspired TV show Stranger Things became hugely popular in 2019, marketers discovered the power of nostalgia in brand storytelling. Inspired by a number of earlier decades’ designs, typography and font combinations are seeing the return of pixel art, art deco, and neon.

While two retro fonts might be overdoing things, paring a retro font and a modern sans-serif is a perfect complement.

Courier New, for example, is a monospace font that can look raw and deliberately haphazard when combined with a novelty font – a rebellion against everything that’s organized and artificial!

Fonts and font pairings tell stories. They help humanize brands. They bring the natural world into designs. They help convey the mood of the times we live in. They make us ache for the past, while also helping us stay rooted in the present. Sometimes, they even help us escape to a surreal future! With the right combinations, font pairings can have a significant, positive impact on the power of a brand.

10 Best Insurance Logo Designs

Insurance companies are an epitome of trust. People rely on their services and have complete confidence that their matters will be taken care of professionally and efficiently. Potential clients look for any indication that the company is the right fit for them, especially in terms of claim handling, financial stability, and trustworthiness rating.

Some of these qualities can be reflected in an insurance firm’s logo design. An excellent way to pique a person’s interest in knowing a company better is through an impressive logo. An effective design will attract more leads that could become loyal clients.

Here are ten well-designed insurance company logo designs that have all the necessary elements fostering brand recognition and competitiveness in a saturated industry.

Robert Hermes Insurance

Robert Hermes Insurance is an independent insurance agency that focuses mainly on providing homeowners with security for their tenure. This logo design perfectly captures the essence of the firm, with the graphic element forming the outline of a house. It gives the audience an inkling of what services they can expect from the company.

The pop of red on the design emanates confidence, and it adds to the depiction of reliability using the four squares forming the window. Using an old serif typeface that is simple yet bold catches the readers’ attention and encourages name retention for this insurance business.

LA Advocates Insurance

With the trends coming back to simple and crisp layouts, this logo from LA Advocates Insurance is an excellent example of contemporary design. This health insurance agency expresses its goal of providing simple navigation of the country’s healthcare through a no-nonsense logo that uses a simple serif typeface. A subtle check replaces the line in A to add the statement of being an ideal choice.

Color plays a significant role in the effectiveness of this design. The LA in blue speaks trust and security, while the green in Advocates is the perfect indication of the firm’s services since this color symbolizes health, wellness and life.

Monterey Insurance Group, Inc.

The Monterey Insurance Group offers personal and commercial insurance, and this duality is expressed in the color of the graphic element. The green and black combination works to represent growth and credibility. The duo forms a diamond-like shape that means balance and reliability. Enclosed in the shape is the script typeface M, which is unique and therefore carries the brand identity.

Also, notice how the designer used two font types, which gets a nod for finding the balance between monotony (only one font) and chaos (using more than three fonts).

ANR Insurance Group

The logo design for the ANR Insurance Group is versatile and straightforward, which is the perfect rendering of the company’s broad range of services and providers. The blue color stands out, which is indeed an excellent choice for corporate firms that want to be known as trustworthy. With the gray N in the middle, the logo invokes authority and wisdom.

Another outstanding element in this logos is the curved line from the base of the A to the top of R, which conveys the umbrella coverage of the firm. Curved lines are the shape of protection, and inspires the feeling of trust for the brand.

Preferred Choice Insurance Agency

Preferred Choice Insurance Agency has its name going for it, and the logo design offers an excellent fit for the brand identity. The graphic element consists of a check within a shield, giving a sense of protection and reliability. The designer matched the blue hue of dependability with a classic gold in the emblem. The metallic effect of gold in the shield depicts exclusivity and tailored services for which the company aims to deliver to its customer base.

The typeface uses a traditional corporate serif that speaks professionalism and responsibility.

Cornerstone Insurance Agency LLC

The Cornerstone Insurance Agency, LLC logo, is a fitting example of compelling typeface imagery. It uses a cube-shaped graphic with two sides consisting of the letters C and S, which prompts brand recognition and originality. The cube can be taken as a symbol of stability and balance, meaning that clients can depend on the company’s delivery of services.

Another notable element in this design is the cube-type depiction of earth within the CS box, which helps the logo stand out. The silver metallic scheme with a 3D effect gives it more oomph and conveys a client-centric approach to insurance.

Revive Healthcare

Like any health insurance, Revive Healthcare needs to have a logo that bears its commitment to fostering the well-being of its clients. This logo design is a proper rendering of that goal since it contains elements that speak a sense of protection, vitality and life. The typeface imagery element in the letter V shows a person that exudes health and wellness. The curved line in the middle covers Healthcare, which uses a faded block font that is well-balanced with the upper typeface.

Using a monochromatic all-blue hue enhances the company’s attributes of reliability and professionalism. This logo is crisp and sophisticated yet attractive to the audience.

Asset Security, Inc.

Asset Security Inc. uses a geometrical element made up of lines that seem to meet at a point, forming a pyramid shape. This movement conveys stability and security, which the company intends to provide to its customers. Lines can depict flexibility and freedom and it is evident in the number of choices the clients have over the services they can avail with the firm.

The classic black denotes integrity, while the blue is another traditional corporate color enhanced using an analogous gradient style that contributes to brand recognition.

Providence Benefits

The logo design for Providence Benefits offers multiple classic elements that would typically be challenging to balance. However, the composition is adequately well-adjusted and harmonious. The graphic part consists of a sun outline, a group of people and hands joined together to carry the other elements. It is an overall symbol of protection with a subtle reference to faith.

The color scheme for this logo is yellow and blue, which speaks of positivity, warmth, and reliability. It invokes a feeling of security and hope, which are two great attributes for an insurance agency.

Campolo Assicurazioni

Campolo Assicurazioni is an insurance firm based in Italy and has been in service for more than 30 years. As an established name in the industry, Campolo needed a logo that calls for unique identity and timelessness. The graphic element is a blue-colored diamond enclosed in the brand’s acronym, which brings a sophisticated rendering of security and protection.

This logo design uses an analogous gradient that unifies the idea of insurance in a modern way. The typeface is designed so that Campolo stands out, solidifying the brand’s identity, and encourages recognition.

Wrap Up

There is more to a logo than meets the eye, so a graphic designer must always be aware of the elements applied to every detail of the image. Logos are created to convey the brand message and inspire the audience to get to know the company better. These logos from insurance companies are some of the best examples of designs that outshine in style and composition.

What is it that makes a brand choose the color purple to portray its identity? It is a popular choice, no doubt, but like every shade in the rainbow, it has to mean something to someone, somewhere.

Spiritually, the color purple signifies a higher, more evolved state. However, physically back down here on terra firma, it signifies qualities such as royalty, intrigue, and sensuality. Purple and gold are well-known royal colors and other color combos can also be very striking. Combining purple with its complementary color yellow is a great way to catch the eye. Yellow-adjacent colors also give branding a visual pop such as orange or green.

In addition to playing well with other colors, purple balances the yin and yang. It’s neither too feminine nor too masculine. Thinking about the color wheel, the hues red and blue mixed together create purple. Like-wise, if we combine the symbolism of the two colors, red is vibrant and racy, while blue is cool and calm (see 40 beautiful blue logos). The result exudes class and power.

This is one of the many reasons we see new tech and engineering companies skipping blue tones and taking on purples to convey their softer sides. Consumer brands and services logos that also turned to purple for their branding. Think of: FedEx, Hallmark, Cadbury, and Yahoo. You name it, they’ve used it!

The main takeaway is that purple is versatile and easy to love which is why some of the most interesting brands in the world have adopted the color and made it their own.

Let’s see how they’ve gone about it by exploring a mix of both fresh and established brands.

1. .xyz

.xyz and its powerful purple logo stands for the new order of global domains post the dot com, dot net, and dot org eras. It literally has the last say in the alphabet and is synonymous with simplicity: “as easy as X-Y-Z!” This logo encapsulates both the technical aspect of the internet as well as an all-inclusive world-view with its friendly font selection. Traditionally, blues and grays have represented tech brands but by using purple, the .xyz brand emphasizes a new age feel with universal appeal.

2. Freaky Clean Bins

Purple and green reign supreme! We see this complementary color duo here in this fun trash can caricature. The bright green bubbles and frills is a fresh take on the classic recycling color. Had this hue been matched with any other color aside from purple, the impact would have fallen flat. Here we see purple acting as a solid background supporter that displays the name, mascot and other green and white elements really well. It’s eye-catching and delicious and puts a fun spin on the subject matter.

3. Zebulon Solutions

In Zebulon, we see an engineering company refreshing its image with a new logo. Not only have they used the color purple but they have claimed this shade as “Zebulon purple”! The company wished to hold on to its industrial roots with metallic lettering but the true essence of the makeover lies in ‘Zebulon purple” and all it brings to this brand. They say the new logo looks bold and clean. Well, the clean may be from the metallic lines but the boldness is all thanks to the purple.

4. Yahoo

Yahoo has always been known for their purple color palette. Through all of their logo iterations it has been the purple that stood the test of time. If it works, why change it? But why does the quintessential Yahoo.com purple logo continue to live on and on? Here’s why! The purple in Y! spells fun and innovation. It is enjoyable to learn new things! Yahoo! Like a Eureka moment each time you find what you’re looking for. Purple also gives the brand an authoritative standing amongst its rivals. Again, we see its royal implications. But best of all, the Yahoo logo works in purple because it’s bright and playful while maintaining the seriousness of a leading search engine.

5. Allure

No ode to purple would be complete without giving it some credit for its attractive qualities. Hence, the logo for Allure Beauty & Aesthetics that specializes in beauty treatment for men AND women. This is a clear example of a visual metaphor for the balancing properties of purple. In this interpretation, the purple soothes and comforts while the font is artistic. It’s an ideal color not only for the logo but their entire brand. We like to think that while clients are enjoying their treatments, a nice therapeutic shade of purple makes it all a little bit better.

6. Titans Sports Academy

This unbeatable combination of purple and black shines through in all its glory. This logo is for a sports academy with a winning streak. Titan is undoubtedly a word made for such a powerful color and the metallic grey shading highlights a stately 3D effect. Power and strength are clear descriptors of this purple logo design.

7. EdQu

EdQu is a Swedish Education Tech company that uses a purple and green duo in a simple understated manner. Compared to all the earlier logos, this one is subtle and sweet. It shows the versatility of the color purple and how it can be utilized in a variety of ways such as child-like wisdom represented with an owl on a branch. This design uses purple to highlight education in a friendly and welcoming manner.

8. Cognitive Information

This winning logo for this Business Intelligence Consultation Enterprise uses shades of purple to depict technical excellence without being stark or grim. That’s the power of purple in this one especially when it plays with the light and the dark. The logos on top are sharp, distinct and straight-forward, without being harsh. And again, they stand for new age technology that’s intelligent and people-friendly.

9. Wisteria Farms

This charming logo for a horse breeding farm truly captures the graceful elegance of the subject matter by featuring wistful Wysteria. Purple plays the main role in its refined depiction while the flowing font and simple lines fulfill the client’s brief perfectly. The classic green and purple pairing is a very fresh design and shows the power of drawing color inspiration from key brand elements.

10. Kabloom

A florist company needed its creative, flowery side depicted in a logo that’s funky. Clearly purple hits the mark! The beauty of a blooming lotus-like flower is well integrated with the brand name, cleverly using two letters to represent the leaves. This is a great example of using shades from the same color family, such as purple and magenta. The shaded petals and gradient purple lettering make this an explosive logo design!

11. Cadbury

World famous melt-in-the-mouth Cadbury makes sure to use purple to tempt, tease and exude a feeling of richness. Isn’t that what good chocolate is all about? The luxury and richness of indulgence? No other color would suit Cadbury’s purpose which is why the brand has stuck to it over the years. In fact, most Cadbury products are wrapped in the lavish purple color and can be spotted a mile away. This is one major purple logo success story!

12. Asprey

This regal logo belongs to London-based Asprey, an elite emporium that supplies crowns and scepters among many items to a royal clientele. It means business and does it well. The purpose of purple in this one revolves around imperial grandiose and being a class apart. It has a dark sophisticated purple shade that makes it even more distinguished and proper.

13. Phoenix Fury Roller Girls

Though not entirely purple, this logo combines red and purple, another powerful teaming. The purple highlights the woman while the red surrounds her in the form of red phoenix wings. Her attire, safety pads and roller blades are all purple to really show her winning, unbeatable personality. Phoenix Fury is a 100% female roller derby league created in honor of women. They chose a logo that uses purple quite cleverly.

14. Monster

Another powerful purple logo belongs to Monster (not to be confused with .Monster), the online job portal giving employment opportunities to thousands of people across the world each month. This industry leader has been using purple in its logo to create a brand recall since its inception. Fonts have come and gone but the purple remains strong. Though the lettering is simple and clean, its the purple that gives it life, magnitude and potential.

15. Wizz

Wizz is a Hungarian aviation company that uses two shades of purple for their logo that they claim stands for the luxury that they offer their clients. The mix of the two colors and the unexpected exclamation mark in the middle of the word creates a joyful, speedy kind of excitement. Here, purple signifies a luxurious type of fun that takes care of you at any height. It also portrays a regal air that makes their clientele feel extra special.

16. Syfy

Syfy is the clever abbreviation that stands for sci-fi in the digital age and on our television screens. This logo’s purple depicts an enigmatic sensuality that their audiences like. Simple, with a bulky font, this logo is more than what meets the eye. But it’s the purple that stands out for its attractiveness and boldness at the end of the day.

17. Zoopla

Zoopla is another striking purple logo. They are a property search website that distinguishes itself as a leading search tool. Their ambition is clear with the combination of bright purple and a customized, quirky font. The name Zoopla equals fun and frolic buts the purple that grounds it shows it as a serious player. Its bold and its powerful because it is purple.

Conclusion

As seen in the above examples, purple has been used by both established and fresh brands, each with their own twist on this popular color. We’ve seen it paired with blacks, greys, reds, metallics or greens and they all look good! The attachment to purple is clear when brands take time to name a shade or never stray to another color no matter what the trend.

Purple caters to a myriad of generations and emotions that span across regal, sensual, beautiful, and bold. Every brand that has ever used purple aspires for something powerful. That’s the true essence of the color purple in the world of marketing.

Is it time for you to try a purple logo? Start your Purple Logo Design!