Every aspect of your business’ logo can trigger a reaction. The color scheme may impart trust. The design can communicate sophistication. The typography can be friendly, elegant or bold. Logos play a major public perception role and are one of the most important branding investments a company can make.
So why do so many companies have really bad logos? Well, creating a good one isn’t easy. To “celebrate” Friday the 13th, we’re highlighting the bad and the ugly. Here are our 13 favorite, scary logos.
Gap Inc.
They rolled out this new logo during Christmas of 2010 as part of a rebranding campaign. Experts estimate this fiasco of a Microsoft Paint design cost the company $100 million.
London 2012 Olympics
It looks like a puzzle no one could ever piece together. Nearly 50,000 people in Great Britain signed a petition to scrap the $450,000 design.
Verizon
It’s one of the most recognizable logos out there, but from a design perspective it’s considered boring and out of place.
SafePlace
Everything is wrong with this and the new version isn’t any better.
Pathmark
Pathmark was a 50 year old east coast supermarket chain that filed bankruptcy and liquidated. The logo should have taken a very different path.
Pepsi
There have been many amateur variations to the new oval logo from Pepsi. They usually include adding a head, arms, legs. These are visuals no one needs.
The Portland Trail Blazers
Portland has been in the NBA since 1970 and has always used some version of this logo. Apparently each wing represents a team with five players, the curved columns. The logo is supposed to be a game of 5-on-5. It looks like a roundabout freeway interchange. They should look for an exit.
Kraft Foods
When Kraft Foods updated their logo to the one above, it looked awfully similar to their competitor’s.
Gucci and Chanel
Either one would be okay if the other didn’t exist.
Sherwin Williams
Comedian Steven Wright once quipped, “It’s a small world…but I wouldn’t want to paint it.” We agree.
Apple
Everyone should know these two things – Issac Newton’s story and why this logo was replaced.
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
We hope the event was as busy as the logo.
The Cleveland Browns
In a league dominated by logos with wild beasts and big letters, the Brown’s logo seems out of place. We mean, it’s just a helmet.
Your Company’s Logo
Your logo should make a good impression not an inappropriate one. Logos should not be funny, on purpose or by accident.
If you need a new logo, talk to us. By the way, we didn’t create any of the 13 you’ve seen here. But we did create the ones on our website.