With economy in less than stellar shape, city tourism agencies must be more vigilant than ever in marketing their area as a place for a vacation. For many, this has meant adopting a city logo that speaks to the hearts and minds of people from around the globe. The following ten city landmark logos are attractive and inviting, inspiring vacationers to give the area more than a second glance when planning their next trip.

1. New York City Logo Design

This logo design is the golden standard for city tourism logos: simple, memorable, and associated indelibly with the city of New York. The writing is bold and black in all capital letters that have news-type sensibility, with the word ‘love’ implied by a large red heart. This logo is often copied by others, but it never loses its association with the city that never sleeps.

2. Montreal Logo Design

This is another simple yet explanatory city logo design, this time for a very different type of city. While NYC is known for being a center of finance and commerce, Montreal is a cultural center home to some of North America’s most famous festivals. The solemn, black lettering would seem to imply seriousness, but this fusty image is negated by the pair of red lips that make up the letter O. This gives the logo design a fun and sensual feeling that will set it apart from other cities with less enticing images.

3. London Logo Design

This colorful image of people dancing is festive and inviting, but it also hints at the diversity of this city by making each person a different color. This city’s name is written in an all capital, serious font, hinting at its serious and traditional side. However, the underlining in an impromptu wave gives a sense of fun and spontaneity that counteracts this conventional touch. This logo design both acknowledges and counters the somewhat stodgy image that London and Great Britain have through the world.

4. Oslo Logo Design

The wave-like shape that dominates this logo design could be interpreted as a wave representing either the ocean or simply positive change, but it in fact is the prow of a Viking vessel. This ties the logo design in with the area’s notable history while also creating an attractive image that interests people unfamiliar with the area’s history. The bright colors are modern and eye-catching, while the use of both upper and lower case letters creates a sense of balance between formality and fun.

5. Copenhagen Logo Design

This logo design relates to one of the city’s best known landmarks, a statue of a mermaid by sculptor Edvard Eriksendal. The hard edges are rounded into friendly curves and a wavelike shape placed below to imply ocean while also suggesting movement and change. The blue is calming while also relevant to the sea. The wording is written in both thick and thin fonts, which again creates that all important sense of balance that vacationers are looking for.

6. Belfast Logo Design

There is nothing serious or staid about Belfast’s new logo design, which features a letter B made of a slightly angled heart shape. The way the name is written inside the heart implies that there is a lot to love about the city. The curved shape combined with the rounded lettering give a friendly image that will make travelers feel welcomed. The use of many different bright, youthful colors in this logo design adds to the fun promised by the city.

7. Las Vegas Logo Design

Instead of the city name or an image taking center stage, this city tourism logo design uses a well known nickname, Sin City. The use of black and white as well as a font that appears to have been handwritten in a feminine hand adds to general image of sensuality and temptation. Swirling accents on the letters create a sense of movement that is definitely relevant to the area, while the inclusion of the city’s website address ensures that people will know exactly where to go for more information.

8. Paris Logo Design

This logo design features the city’s most famous attraction, the Eiffel Tower, but re-created in a modern series of dots that appear to be blobs of brightly colored paint. This emphasizes both the traditional side of the city as well as a more current, fun aspect that will surprise and intrigue people thinking about visiting Paris. The name of the city as well as the rest of the wording are written in plain, thin letters that don’t take away from the power of this image.

9. Dublin Logo Design

This logo design has both a traditional and a wild side, which is definitely representative of the city it is portraying. On one hand, the name of the city and its web address are written in plain, newsy letters in a serious and business-like gray hue. However, this is brightened substantially by the words “Truly, Madly, Deeply” written above in scrawling handwriting. The bright colors of these words pulls all attention from the more serious writing, which implies that, while this city has a serious side, you probably won’t notice it for all the fun to be had.

10. Mexico City Logo Design

Mexico City is a colorful place, so a colorful logo design such as this is exactly what it should have. The bright hues are tropical, relating to the famous warm weather of the area. A bird, which is central to the mythology surrounding the founding of the city, is the key image, drawn in splashy watercolor strokes. The name of the city is written in a mix of upper and lower case letters that might have been confusing had it not been for the fact that they are all identical sizes.

International Appeal: The Top Five Lessons Your Can Learn from Global Logos

Have you ever wondered how a company grows from a small business to an international giant? The logo is at least one piece of these success stories. Here are ten companies that are dominating their markets on a global scale and what we can learn from their logo design about how to build a logo that speaks in a language everyone can understand.

Use Shape to Convey Your Meaning. Two good examples of this are the Olympic logo and the OPEC logo.

1. Olympics Logo Design

While every Olympics has its own logo, designed by the country in which the games are occurring that year, the Olympics itself has a logo that is recognizable around the world. The lesson here is that to build a logo that will be universally recognized, you must use shapes that have universal meanings. In this case, the circle is an inclusive shape. Intertwining the circles emphasizes the point that these are global events, including people from many countries. Read more about the top 10 Olympics logos.

2. OPEC Logo Design

OPEC is another example of how to use shape to build a logo with international appeal. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies is an international conglomerate that has perhaps the most control over the global economy of any organization or even any country. Their logo uses modified circles to express inclusiveness, and is remarkable in its ability to carve four very different letters from this one simple shape.

Use Color to Your Advantage. Google and the Red Cross are both companies that use color successfully in both their logo and their branding.

3. Google Logo Design

Google has changed their logo slightly throughout the years, but one thing that has never changed is the primary color scheme that has become part of the company’s brand. Because this company has tried to be different, easier, and more fun than their competitor’s, this elementary school palette is very appropriate. Google is a good example of how to use to color to build a logo that portrays a certain image.

4. Red Cross Logo Design

The Red Cross has built an image as a worldwide humanitarian organization, and their choice of color is especially significant. Red is not just the color of blood; it is also a color that gets attention. Because the Red Cross needs to be recognizable from a long way away and to be easily distinguished from military organizations, this is an especially appropriate choice of color. If you need to build a logo that gets instant notice, using a bold color such as red may be one way to get the job done. Read more about the top 10 charity organization logos.

Be Consistent. Two companies that have built a global brand through consistently using the same image are Coca-Cola and IBM.

5. Coca-Cola Logo Design

The Red Cross has built an image as a worldwide humanitarian organization, and their choice of color is especially significant. Red is not just the color of blood; it is also a color that gets attention. Because the Red Cross needs to be recognizable from a long way away and to be easily distinguished from military organizations, this is an especially appropriate choice of color. If you need to build a logo that gets instant notice, using a bold color such as red may be one way to get the job done. Read about the top 10 beverage logos.

6. IBM Logo Design

IBM does not use its original logo, but the current logo has a high recognition factor because it has been used for several consecutive decades with very few changes. The logo uses simple letters with lines going through them. The lines both add recognition and are representative of the lines of coding that are seen in many IBM products. However, there is nothing trendy or dated about this logo; it is a good example of how to build a logo that can withstand the test of time. Read about the top 10 hardware logos.

Stay As Simple As Possible. The BBC and Walmart are two very different organizations that nonetheless are both clear winners when it comes to creating recognition through keeping it sweet and simple.

7. BBC Logo Design

From the BBC, we can see that one way to build a logo with impact that crosses cultures is to keep it simple. This logo’s black and white color scheme shows that they are all business, an impression driven home by the use of business-like squares and a bold but basic font without serifs. As a result, people all over the planet recognize the BBC logo and understand the purpose of the company it represents. Any frills or additional details would only detract from this well recognized international logo. Read about the top 10 media logos.

8. Walmart Logo Design

Walmart is another global giant that has a simple logo. The lettering is simple and bold. The color blue is known to be calming, while the sun-like image beside the lettering suggests that the letters represent a blue sky. The new tagline, ‘Save money. Live better’, is prominently written under logo. A lot of information about the company is conveyed in this simple logo, making it another good example of how to build a logo that works.

Be Industry Specific. McDonald’s and Playboy International are both experts in conveying a message about their products with logo design.

9. McDonald’s Logo Design

Children all over the world recognize the golden arches of the McDonald’s logo, and part of this is due to the fact that the logo is unusually expressive of its industry. McDonalds has a lot to teach about how to build a logo that immediately communicates the corporate industry. First, it uses colors that are strikingly similar to ketchup and mustard, the two condiments you will see the most of at this fast food restaurant. Second, the ‘M’ appears to be made out of French fries, the product for which McDonald’s is perhaps best known. Read about the top 10 restaurant logos.

10. Playboy Logo Design

Playboy is a controversial but nonetheless successful company that has used its logo to build an international brand. It’s no coincidence that this logo is highly industry specific. The rabbit refers to the Playboy ‘bunnies’ for which this company is known, while the formal necktie is an allusion to the gentleman image that the company has tried to cultivate. Playboy’s success is no secret, making this another good example of how to build an international logo that is both industry specific and generally recognized by a worldwide audience.

Branding a Country: Ten Interesting and Meaningful National Flags

Logos are all around us, so much so that few people give any thought to them. One good example of logos that have a daily subconscious impact are national flags. A country’s flag communicates key facts about that country, often without saying a single word. Here are ten flags that communicate key information about a nation and its values by using the best principles of professional logo design.

1. South Korea Logo Design

The South Korean flag uses a common concept of professional logo design: incorporating the culture into the logo. This flag features traditional Asian religious symbols such as the yin and yang of Taoism and the four I Ching symbols for earth, water, air, and fire. Because the four elements balance each other both in idea and in the actual graphic, the impression is that this is a country that cares about its past while treasuring nature and balance.

2. Brazil Logo Design

Brazil also uses aspects of its history to create a professional logo design that is representative of its history and its future. The green and gold represent the two traditional royal houses of Bragança and Habsburg. The sphere has the blue and white of the Portuguese flag along with the constellation Cruzeiro do Sul, which can be seen from much of Brazil. The words are Portuguese for Order and Progress, which are key values of the Brazilian nation.

3. Kiribati Logo Design

This Pacific island nation may be small, but they must know the fundamental rules of professional logo design. The flag is an eye-catching red, which sets it apart from most other logos. There is a vast sea, which is appropriate for an island. The rising sun shows that this country has only begin its ascent to greatness, while the bird is one that locally is associated with royalty and noble birth. In all, this small nation has done great things with this attractive, highly symbolic flag design.

4. Mexico Logo Design

The flag of Mexico features three bold strips of color in green, white, and red. Although there are different views on the meaning of these colors, the most common story is that the green stands for hope, the white for purity, and the red for the blood of the nation’s fathers. In the center of the flag is the National Coat of Arms, with a Mexican eagle in an aggressive pose holding a nopal, a common plant in this nation, and a snake held in the beak and the other talon. Two branches form a semicircle that is tied by a ribbon in the flag’s colors. Not only is this a visually striking and historically significant flag, it is also well balanced and uses principles of professional logo design.

5. Zimbabwe Logo Design

This African nation has a long and rocky past that is explained by the symbolic colors used in its flag. The flag uses one key principle of professional logo design: color as a universal language. In this case, the black stripe represents the race of native Zimbabweans, while the red represents the blood shed in revolution. The yellow stands for the gold and other minerals that are found in this nation’s fertile hills, while the green stripe represents the agriculture that fuels the nations. In addition to the stripes of color, there is symbolism even in the shapes found on the flag. A white triangle represents peace, which is a commonly held value in this nation. The red star connotes the nation’s high aspirations, while the yellow bird is a traditional national symbol. As you can see, it is possible to incorporate many meanings into one small rectangle.

6. South Africa Logo Design

When two businesses merge, the new logo is often is a blend of the two former logos. South Africa has taken this principle of professional logo design and used it for their new flag. The new flag uses the red and blue of the former flag, but these colors are separated by the colors of the African National Congress, black, green and yellow.

7. Thailand Logo Design

The way many businesses use professional logo design teams to create a logo that is recognizable in any color or resolution, the nation of Thailand, legend holds, purposely designed a flag that cannot be hung upside down. The official story is that a Siamese king was riding through the countryside and was distressed to see the national flag hung upside down. He responded by having the flag changed so it could not be upside down. Originally it was red with two white bands, but the blue stripe was added during World War II to show support for the Allies.

8. Philippines Logo Design

While many companies change logos throughout the years, the Philippine flag is designed to be changed in times of war. The flag features an eight rayed sun, representing the eight provinces that took part in the revolution, as well as three stars representing the three regions that make up this nation. The colors are also symbolic, with the red meaning courage, the blue representing noble ideals, and the white meaning peace. However, the flag is flown with the red side upward during times of peace and the blue side upward during war. This representation of the different orientation of a nature during peace and war is unique among nations, making this a very exceptional flag.

9. Kazakhstan Logo Design

The flag of the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan has a newly redesigned flag to express their relatively new status as an independent nation. The flag is sky blue, representing the blue skies that the country is known for along with the sense that the sky is the limit for the future. The details are in gold, a color traditionally associated with wealth. A national ornamentation, common in Central Asian countries, runs down the left side of the flag, while the eagle and the sun reinforce the impression of a wide blue sky. In all, this is a very professional logo design.

10. Antarctica Logo Design

Antarctica is not a true country, but the proposed flag is another example of using professional logo design to portray key aspects of the area. This flag features the shape of the mainland in white, for the ice covering this concept most of the year, in a surrounding sea of blue. The lines drawn through the flag represent the longitudinal lines that intersect the country. Because this is the only continent with land in every longitude, this flag communicates the uniqueness of this icy continent.