Minimalist logos for inspiration

The design is divided between the simple and the easy to identify, that is why when we talk about identity, we talk about minimalism.

But what exactly is minimalist design and how important is it to logos? Well, minimalist design is everything we want to show you in this post. A design that does not need many graphic and visual resources to communicate the message it wants to convey.

In this post, we will not only explain what all this minimalism or minimalist design is, but also, We will show you a list of the minimalist logos that have had the most influence in history of the creation of brands, and that we hope can serve as inspiration.

We start

The minimalist design

Before starting, imagine an image with an element that stands out in the center of the image or to one side, that despite being a single element contains an enriching visual weight and that is also what stands out the most in the whole image and is easy to identify.

If you have imagined it, you may have created in your mind a simulation of minimalist design. In short, when we talk about minimalist design or minimalism, We are mainly talking about a style, an artistic style that stands out mainly for its simplicity. 

At first glance it may seem like an easy design, but do not confuse easy to carry out with easy to identify, since enormous creativity and imagination are needed to be able to carry out any minimalist design, since it is not the design that attracts attention, if not that can be transmitted with the design.

A Little History

Minimalism, as we know it in the art and graphic arts sector, was born in the famous city of New York (United States).

It emerged in the 60s , a time when many artists tried to suppress and reject any overloaded element and where the possibility of telling and transmitting the message only with what was fair and necessary was manifested. This is how minimalism began in America, with a struggle against the movement we currently know as abstract expressionism. 

Each one of these artists showed essential aspects of design through their works, either in the way they illuminated objects and the way they played with shadows, but this style managed to fill all the other categories, from painting to architecture.

Features

• Use of symmetric shapes: What characterizes minimalist design is that it is almost always overloaded with symmetrical forms, which means that there is a certain visual balance in the works.

• Use of raw materials: When we speak of raw materials, we refer to natural materials, extracted from nature. This type of material is often influenced by minimalist architecture.
• Monochrome tones: It is easy to identify a minimalist design by the employment of simple monochrome hues, a white and a black, maybe an intermediate gray but you will almost always see only one or two shades in the works.

minimalist logos

Over time, in identity projects, many designers realized that they could use minimalist resources in their designs. And it's not that it seemed like the least creative idea, but many of them took it as an example and began to use minimalism.

In addition, they did it as the main resource and to this day, many brands have gone down in history for their designs. We show you a list of those that have turned out to be the most outstanding due to their shape, their colors, their elements and their values ​​as a company.

We start

Nike

Nike is currently one of the most important companies in the sports industry. Its products are specially designed for athletes and there are currently many football, basketball or rugby teams that use this brand on their shirts.

It has not only gone down in history for its values ​​but also for the design of its brand, a design made up of a famous logo calledswoosh, a tick-shaped element. The goal of its designer was to design a brand that would be recognizable precisely because of its simplicity.

That is why nowadays every time we see this logo we can immediately identify it.

Audi

Audi is another of the brands that also stood out for its design. The famous car brand became famous by developing a design from regular and simple geometric shapes. It is not to be expected that the design of the brand itself reflects the sporty scope of its cars and the elegance with which it expresses itself.

It is a clear example that a lot can be conveyed with little, and despite having been a logo criticized for its appearance similar to that of the Olympic Games, it has earned a place in the top 10 of the best minimalist logos.

Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),

Steve Jobs was also clear that the design for his brand had to be a clear, simple design that had a lot with little. That is why Apple has become the most recognized brand in the world. And it is not far behind since the famous apple has practically become an icon in the digital age.

Apple is one of the logos with which you can get inspired since its shape is quite simple and the colors they use are completely monochrome.

McDonald's

What became simple golden rings has also become one of the most famous and important fast food brands in the world. Its design is simple and easy to identify, It forms the initial of the McDonald brothers, the creators of this company.

It is undoubtedly a design that, thanks to its bright color and its design has become recognized worldwide, it is one of the proofs that show that minimalist design does not have to start only from black or white tones, but from tones that manage to call the attention

Microsoft

Microsoft has also gone down in history, despite its importance in the world of technology and the audiovisual sector, its logo made up of rectangular geometric shapes that simulate a window, has gone down in history for being one of the simplest and most recognizable from all over the world.

The difference that Microsoft maintains with other logos is that it has a diverse color palette, where yellow, blue, green and orange or reddish colors stand out. It is without a doubt the ideal logo to get inspired if what you are looking for is a brand for a certain sector. 

Mini

Mini is one of the brands that, together with Audi, has also gone down in history in the automobile sector. Its logo is based on being functional and geometric, what considers it a company that is dedicated to the manufacture and sale of cars with a more sporty and serious character.

The Mini company opted for a logo that would preserve the history of the brand, a brand of racing cars and of a small size. All this was achieved with just a circle and some horizontal lines.

Pepsi

Pepsi is one of the soft drink brands that has always competed with the famous Coca Cola. Not only has it gone down in history for the summery flavor of its drinks, but also for creating a very dynamic logo that had a certain visual balance and was easy to identify.

Unlike Coca Cola, Pepsi shares two chromatic tones, one red and one blue, in this way they have not only managed to transmit the message from the graphic elements, but also from the color ranges.

In short, it is one of the best achieved logos.

minimalist designers

• Otl Aicher: Aicher is probably the father of graphic design, he is known worldwide for designing some of the icons of the munich olympics and for creating brands such as Braun, Lufthansa or ERCO. His designs start from the base of being minimalist by the use of regular and simple geometric figures and monochromatic tones. He is one of the most influential and valuable designers in the history of graphic design. We invite you to carry out a broader search on him and investigate each of the logos he has designed.
•   Paul Rand: Rand is another of the fathers of design who has achieved great success with the identity projects he has carried out throughout history. He is famous for designing brands like IBM, ABC or UPS. For his designs he employs the use of graphic lines that are not very ornate and typographies that accompany the graphic resources that he maintains around him.

Conclusion

We hope you have learned even more about identity and minimalist design. Every day there are more designers who opt for this type of design, abandoning the overloaded style, now is the time for you to design your own logo.