Logo Design Shape

Logo Design Shape

The shape of logos and their overall look is not only useful to associate your business with an identity. I believe it helps your brand become memorable for customers. Think of the largest brands in the world – Nike, Google, Amazon, Ford. These all have memorable logos which can easily be identified from their shape alone. 

The Importance Of Logo Design Shape

From the moment we can draw and take in shapes as a child, we associate certain shapes with certain emotions. Recognizing shapes is one of the first things we do as a child. Therefore, the connotations that we attach with certain shapes at a young age typically follow us through into adult life. 

We often attach specific emotions to certain shapes. Therefore, it is important to use the right shapes to attain the right emotional connection and identity from your customers. 

Types Of Shapes And Their Identity For Logo Design

Understanding the different shapes and how they trigger certain identities and emotions is essential. Ensuring that they are igniting the right emotions from their customers. For instance, if you run a sustainable and friendly business, you will want the shape to be a friendly feel.

Circles and Curves

Circles are among the most welcoming and comforting shapes of them all. The soft curves and lack of sharp edges make them almost appear cloud-like, which are warm and positive. 

It is common for people to associate a circular elicit shape with an infant’s face, which is a warm and welcoming identity. It also provokes a safe identity, which is another reason people gravitate towards circular shapes and find comfort in them. 

In addition, circles and curves can associate strong connections and bonds, such as a knotted shape or interlinking circles. For instance, when you think of a circle, you might associate it with a circle of friends or protection. Hence, it is a shape that many people will find safety in.

Logos with soft and round edges do not have to be circles. They can be curved lines too, which can associate the logo with similar emotions. Circles are more consistent and therefore, offer reliability and safety. Whereas curved lines will still offer a welcoming identity yet connote more freedom and a sense of openness. 

In summary, circles and curves are among the most welcoming and warming shapes for logos. Do you want your brand to be seen as open, reliable, and consistent? Try circular logos and curved shapes and lines as the ideal logo design shape to choose for your logo.

Examples of brands that are highly recognizable and use circular logos include Apple, Target, Olympics, Starbucks, and BMW.

Squares and Rectangles

Squares and rectangles are more rigid shapes, which portrays brands that use squared logos as rigid and structured. This brand identity is useful if you want to showcase high-quality products or help to find confidence in using your brand. 

The structured and linear lines offer a sense of strong emotion, which can be connected with feeling organized and confident. We see squares and rectangular shapes in everyday life, from photo frames to buildings. In these objects and shapes, we find a sense of balance and security. Square and rectangular shapes are often the most reflective, which strengths their connotations of feeling balanced. 

Squares are great shapes for brand logo design as they offer structure and predictability. For example, should a customer feel the need to get their life in order then they know that putting things in a box will organize and structure their lives. Hence, they can connect with square logos if they are seeking balance, structure, and more rigidity in their life. 

It can be clever to utilize both circular logos and square shapes if you are attempting to create a softer emotion. Should you wish to reduce the structuredness of your brand identity and portray your business in a lighter and softer way, then combining the shapes is a great idea.

Some easily recognizable brands that use square and rectangular shapes for their logos include YouTube, BBC, American Express, and Microsoft. All of which, are brands that aim to help structure people’s life and offer high-quality products/services.

Triangles

Triangular shapes are not as popular as circles or squares, yet they are great shapes to use for your brand if you want to convey emotions of creativity, risk, and power. The shape of a triangle is often seen as a hierarchical structure, whereby the ‘best’ are positioned at the top. Hence, it can convey the emotion of power and hierarchy. 

Likewise, it can convey motion in terms of physical movement or achieving life goals (in both personal life and work). For instance, it can be seen as a pushing movement as people would assume to push from the bottom to the top, due to its smaller top. Moreover, it can be portrayed as a ladder, in that people can climb their way from the bottom to the top. 

Either way, triangle logos are ideal to portray risk and power. Should a person wish to take a risk, they will think of a triangle and try to figure out their way to get to the top. Hence, triangular shapes are great to push the emotion of progression, success, risk-taking, and power. 

Triangle logos are popular among construction and manufacturing businesses, as the shape indicates dynamic movement and motion. 

Some prime examples of successful brands that utilize triangular shapes in their logos include CAT, Delta, FedEx, and Mitsubishi Motors. All of which help people achieve something through the act of motion – FedEx delivers parcels and therefore, helps people obtain their product through movement and a journey.

Shields

Shield logos are a creative way to combine the softness of circular shapes and the rigidity of squares and triangles. This is a popular logo design shape. Shield shapes, which are a combination of various shapes, often portray and ignite feelings of positivity, innovation, and comfort. 

Customers can feel easily welcomed by brands that use shield shapes as they portray comfort and safety through the connotation that shields have with being protective objects.

Likewise, the feeling of protection can convey the feeling of strength. The brands that utilize shield logos to convey strength often use more rigid lines in their logos, such as Tesla and Lamborghini, two luxury car brands that want their customers to obtain power through using their products. 

Brands that use softer edges in their shield logos often want to convey comfort and familiarity, such as Warner Bros and UPS, whereby customers use their brands to seek these emotions. 

Shield logos are ideal for brands that want to convey multiple emotions. Combining circles and squares and changing their softness or rigidness can help to portray different emotions, which will depend on the purpose and personality of your brand. For instance, should you want to obtain powerful and innovative emotions from your customers, then using more rigid lines (through the use of squares and triangles) is ideal. Hence, using softer and more circular shapes in the shield logo will portray more positive and comforting emotions. 

IN SUMMARY

Overall, the power of logo design shape is immense. It is vital to use the right shapes in your logos to convey the right messages, emotions, and identity to your customers. Simply using circles instead of triangles can make your brand look more comforting and therefore, help customers seek comfort by using your brand. Whereas should a customer wants to seek risk and power, using triangles and more rigid lines will help portray those emotions. 

Using professional logo design shape advice will ensure that you portray the right messages through your logo. Experts will help to design and create the ideal logo to help convey your brand’s identity and message in the right way. Therefore, should you want to look over our portfolio and services, you can do so in order to gather inspiration and after some consideration and planning, reach out to us so that we can help you attain your business’s logo goals.