In branding, a logo serves as the face of a company, encapsulating its identity and values in a single image. However, not all logos hit the mark. Some have become infamous for their design blunders, leaving audiences scratching their heads or chuckling in disbelief. From confusing imagery to unfortunate font choices, or bad use of negative space, these logos have earned their place in the hall of shame.
Branding mistakes are bad for the company's image, but they can also cause a lot of humiliation to those in charge of the brand design…and a lot of laughter to those who see other meanings in the logo!
Join me as I explore some of the worst logos ever created, highlighting the missteps that turned potential branding triumphs into design disasters.
Let's start with an easy one.
Some companies invest a lot of time and money into brand design, but sometimes it can be all in vain. At www.boredpanda.com you can find a host of hilarious mishaps and some cases where the visual branding was terrible. The logos all caused an uproar from people online who found them to be sexist and rude. The logos are both hilarious and disturbing at the same time, showing that it's not always easy to find the perfect logo.
This logo seems pretty good, doesn't it? However, if it turns 90 degrees, I bet you will not agree anymore.
Enterprises could consider hiring professional designers to avoid rude mistakes.
If the brief for this logo was "movement, human shapes dancing", you might have had something like this in mind. However, the result is probably not what you had in mind. Boobs, anyone?
I shall not comment on this one...
Instituto de Estudos Orientais might have gazed at this logo for so long that they overlooked the obvious.
Please, NOT this logo for a Catholic Church!
If you have been living under a rock, you might have escaped the accusations against Catholic priests. Here, the otherwise simple logo tries to portray a priest protecting or helping a child, but it comes out horribly wrong. It's a very dodgy design, in my opinion.
5-point Checklist for design clients.
Next time you commission a logo, a brochure or anything that needs designing, please make sure that both you and your designer understand the scope, the price, and the goal of the job, including the target audience..
Unless otherwise stated in your agreement, please keep in mind the following:
The client is in charge of providing a brief to the designer
The client is in charge of being clear on what items are needed from the designer
The client is in charge of collecting competitor logos and look-and-feels to your designer
The client is in charge of getting a pair of fresh eyes to review the chosen design before going to print
The client is in charge of proofreading
Remember the three must-haves for a great logo.
A great logo should be:
Unique - this is a given. However, this rarely is the case with logos made by a logo robot.
Memorable - usually, people remember a logo colour first and elements second. Even the name can sometimes escape the viewer.
Relevant - if your logo looks like a beer brand but you are selling luxury lingerie, you are not reaching your primary target audience. This is something that experienced graphic designers are trained in. (I might go deeper into this in another blog.)
Links to sites with more terrible logos:
If graphic design interests you...
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I hope this was an eye-opener, especially if you are new to design and logos.
Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any inquiries about brand design or if there's a project where I can assist you.
Best regards,
Nina, your designer
Previous blog posts:
The naked brand designer
Who am I? My name is Nina Ignatius. Welcome to my bare-it-all blog about branding and design.
I am delighted to be able to share my 30+ years of brand design expertise (and some unreal experiences from around the world too) with you.
I have worked with small, big, new, old, traditional and modern clients, all wanting to refresh an old brand or create a new one. My experience allows me to work with many clients to provide specific solutions to their branding needs.
I offer you more than 30 years of insights from my international career from prestigious design firms in France, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and Scotland, as well as my native Finland.
My proudest professional moment was being selected to Forbes's "40 Women over Forty" for my innovative and disruptive design.
I blog max twice a month. To always be the first to read it, please join my mailing list here. There is also a useful freebie for you to download.
Best regards,
Nina
Disclaimer: English is not my first or second language, I always use Grammarly and other AI tools to help write cohesive texts!
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