The ultimate animal logo guide – Logo design tips
If you’re a startupper or a small business owner, we bet, you’ve already heard (or read) something like: “Your business logo needs to be beautiful, compelling, and meaningful at the same time. If it won’t be, your brand is doomed”. Not exactly an optimistic forecast, right? However, the good news is, there are several ways to boil the ocean and get a perfect corporate logo design. Getting your brand a spirit animal is one of them! Jaguar, Twitter, WWF, Bacardi, Firefox, Swarovski, Red Bull, NBC and numerous other top brands prove the point. So, if you’re leaning towards the modern animal logo that will represent your business at its best, be sure to read this article to the very end and you’ll find out how to choose a perfect animal symbol for your company.
Are the animal logos that effective?
Well, in a nutshell the answer is yes. Animal symbols have some undeniable perks every business owner will appreciate. Here are several most important ones.
Perfect association trigger
Since the beginning of times various animal characteristics were used to describe people and vice versa. There’s a whole string of the animal-related sayings and descriptors. E.g. the lone wolf, the sly fox, the black sheep, busy as a bee etc.
The great thing about these descriptors is their universalism. You can say things like: “This man is as strong as a bear (a tiger, a horse etc.)” and the person on the other end will understand you regardless of which country (s)he is from.
That’s why animal symbols are perfect for marketing. Cats are adorable and bulls are strong in every corner of the world, so the entrepreneur can use an animal logo and not to be afraid to be misunderstood or mocked.
Animal logos are likeable
People love animals. According to the recent studies the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has taken, 37–47% of U.S. households have a dog and 30–37% have a cat. It’s a common thing not only to take care of your pet but also to treat the “furry pal” as a family member. And such a fascination doesn’t only apply to pets but to wild animals as well.
At the same time the animal logo doesn’t have to be cute or childlike to be likeable. The powerful logos like Jaguar, Premier League, Lamborghini or Swiss Eagle convey the message of confidence, force, and respectability but still remain appealing. Another important advantage you can’t ignore when it comes to marketing.
An easy way to be relatable
Creating a relatable and memorable corporate logo is the thing most of the startuppers struggle with. The design may be beautiful all the way but it doesn’t guarantee you the customer’s interest or affection. Choosing an animal logo helps to solve that “how to become relatable” riddle as it easily creates the emotional reaction you need from your audience.
That’s why Red Bull’s logo is so effective. The customer transfers the animal characteristics (such as physical power and high level of energy) to him/herself. And feeling powerful and full of life is exactly what a buyer wants from the energy drink.
How to choose the right spirit animal for your business?
If you’d like to use all the perks of the animal logo in your business, you have to be careful with what kind of an animal you put on it. The chosen symbol should correlate with your business industry, your key brand values, and your audience. Here are some tips that will help you choose the perfect spirit animal for your corporate logo.
Who’s your customer?
As an entrepreneur, you must know everything about people you plan to sell the product. Gender, age, hobbies, income level, marital status and so on. All these factors influence on the type of an animal you should put on the business logo. Not to make unsubstantiated statements, let’s analyse several examples.
Swarovski
Swarovski is a deluxe brand selling hi-end jewellery, watches, accessories, and crystals. And the swan on the company’s logo is a perfect metaphor for this kind of business. First of all, it’s a well-known symbol of royalty, grace, and elegance. Secondly, such a classy choice attracts the female audience triggering associations with beauty and sophistication. And finally, the silver swan logo looks amazing on the packaging and emphasises the luxurious side of the brand.
Ferrari
Ferrari is a great example of the male-oriented brand and the famous horse logo only proves it. A prancing stallion speaks to men dredging up images of the absolute freedom and speed. The color choice only strengthens those feelings. Black is a conservative and powerful color men love and yellow is a perfect attention grabber, a color of energy and speed. Moreover, the black and yellow combo is super easy to see from far away. 10 out of 10 for a car manufacturing company.
Puma
If you plan to market towards both men and women and need a gender-neutral animal for your logo, follow the footsteps of Puma. This animal is strong, graceful, and fast, so it’s a winning choice for the sports apparel manufacturer. At the same time, puma is a dangerous predator and it’s something that attracts men. But on the other hand, it’s a beautiful wild cat and women really appreciate logos that represent the untamed beauty. That’s how the company managed to kill two birds with one stone. And the jumping puma really helps to capture that motion, which is vital for a sports brand.
What are your brand values?
Just by looking at the corporate logo the customer should understand what your company is about. Is it selling comfort and safety, energy and adventures, luxury and style or something else? The spirit animal choice totally depends on the core brand values of your company. And here are some real-life examples from the top brands.
Twitter is obviously selling communication, an ability to share your thoughts with the world. And what a better symbol for this than a tweeting bird? Using Twitter you can freely express your thoughts and share something beautiful, exciting or fun whenever you want. And the bird logo reflects that freedom, simplicity, and spontaneity.
WWF
A famous WWF panda can easily compete for the title of the most adorable logo in the world. And what’s more important, it has been done on purpose! The world’s largest and most influential environmental organisation has put a lot of thoughts into the corporate logo. Panda is not only among the most endangered species in the world but also is one of the cutest animals on the planet. It reminds people how fragile nature really is and how every human being should protect it. That’s why panda logo has such a massive recognition and success. Deservedly so.
Nestle
Nestle’s logo shows how the brilliant idea can be brought to life in a logo design. A family-oriented food and drinks producing company has chosen a bird nest to be on the corporate logo. A bird feeding the hatchlings is a perfect graphic representation of the family, comfort, and home. No wonder households all over the world stick to Nestle’s products and do not seem to change their preferences. The logo speaks the family language and portrays the core family values. A recipe for success.
What is your business field?
Before making the final choice you should consider your business industry trends and specifics. Does your business field require innovation and creative thinking (IT, automotive industry, art, engineering), traditionalism and strictness (legal help), kindness and cheerfulness (childcare, animalcare, entertainment)? The words that are commonly used to describe your business industry will help you choose the right animal for the logo.
Playboy
The Playboy bunny perfectly captures the essence of an adult entertainment industry: it’s spicy, ambiguous but still classy. Besides, the bunnies are known to be full of love. What’s more there to ask?
To make such a cute animal as a bunny look more gentlemanly, the designer gave it a makeover by putting on an elegant tie and making the bunny’s black and white silhouette look like James Bond. No wonder this provocative logo became famous with the speed of a sound.
Firefox
There’s no place for safe choices in IT. Firefox corporate logo design only proves that. The company needed a logo that would reflect the “blazing speed” of a new browser. Entrepreneurs working in the more conservative business industries could have chosen such traditionally fast animals as cheetah or an eagle but being a part of the IT world, Firefox just couldn’t go for the obvious. The company chose a fiery fox encircling the planet. A bold move that eventually paid off.
A thought-out symbolism pairs up with the smart color choice (orange and blue are the complimentary colors and such a combo is easily percepted by the customer). That’s why millions of people all around the globe love this beautiful logo.
Qantas
There’s no surprise that one of the most popular operating airlines in Australia has chosen kangaroo to be a part of the company’s logo. Playing to your country’s traditions and symbols is a great marketing move. But what’s more interesting, is that how Qantas has manages to turn a land animal into a great airlines symbol. And that’s where the magic of design gets into a game.
First of all, the silhouette of a kangaroo is used. And the sleek shape evokes that movement and speed sensation. Secondly, the silver color works great for the airline operator logo as it’s the color of metal, speed and high-technology. Besides, the red background is shaped like the airplane wing, which complements the overall design and makes the animal symbol pop. A nice eye-catching logo that proved its effectiveness.
The final check list
- Think of the qualities and traits you want the spirit animal to convey. Make the list of animals that represent those qualities.
- Create the “customer’s profile” with all the data regarding your target audience. Exclude the animals that don’t meet your clients’ preferences,
- Investigate the competitors and the market leaders in your industry. Try to analyse why your rivals have chosen to use (or not to use) the animal logos. Think of what you would have changed in their designs.
- Try several different designs with various animals. Check out our animal logo gallery and try several different amazing designs for your business. It’s ok to experiment.
- Go for different color schemes. Seeing one logo in different colors may change your perception.