I just finished wrapping up a brand campaign for a financial company located in Toledo, Ohio. They were looking for a concept that was bold, modern and that represented the name of their company, Informative Financial Services. After consulting with the Informative Team, sketching out a couple of concepts and rounding up some ideas for choosing, the final piece ended up being a creative and modern combination of the letters I F S.
They are all nestled into one round-edged block, and fit together like a perfect puzzle to represent the strength that comes with a team that can help you reach your ideal of financial freedom. Do you see the letters inside the block?
The power of branding is often underestimated. Some of the best and most effective logos in the world are the simplest ones. Less is more. Less is more. Yes, less is more! It’s a well-known concept within the graphic design and advertising community, but it can be difficult to convince a client that the “idea” behind the design is what needs to be big, bold and complex not the visuals. The simpler the design, the easier it is to spot and remember. Think Target, Apple, Goodwill and FedEx.
The key to a master concept in design is to pair simple, unique, and true to the mission of the business all in one. After all, anyone can create a “simple” design – but not anyone can create a “powerful and simple” design.
Some of my favorite logo concepts that master the art of simple, unique and incredibly intelligent are below. Check out the hidden messages, in the form of words, numbers, icons and other elements that represent the various companies:
Look at the bear inside the mountain. 
Amazon has everything from “a” to “z”, and they boast excellent customer satisfaction – look at the smile the arrow forms.
The Sun logo is one of the most famous ambigrams in the world. You can read the brand name in every direction; both horizontally and vertically.
This is probably one of the best known logos with a hidden meaning. If you look closely, you’ll see an arrow that’s formed by the letters E and x. This arrow symbolizes speed and precision, two major selling points of this company.
Roxy is a company that specializes in clothing and accessories for girls who love snowboarding, surfing. The company is actually a part of Quiksilver, so the Roxy logo is made of two Quiksilver logos that form a heart.
This one is pretty self explanatory…
8 bits, 8 lines in the logo, coincidence? I think not.
