Design Classic

One of the most common shapes used in logo design is the circle. This eye-catching shape is everywhere in nature, art and the built environment.

From architecture to crafts like textiles, jewellery and industrial design, we find circles at every turn. Major brands like Firefox, LG, Burger King, the Olympics sport (pun not intended) a circular shape within their logo.

So as a follow up to our discussion on famous triangle logos we're turning our attention to the awesome circle logos of the world to learn why circles work so well in freelance logo design.

Shape as Metaphor

The popularity of circular graphics began in ancient times and, as Vanseo Design points out, is still a cross-cultural archetype used to represent celestial bodies, such as the sun and moon. It can also be used to represent other round objects, such as wheels, balls, rings, or certain round fruit.

Circles are often used to convey a much deeper meaning than a simple round object, however. Martin Cristie in his article on Creative Bloq points out that circles have a positive meaning and suggest friendship, love, unity, stability, endurance, and sometimes even femininity. A circle is unending, which is why it can also signify infinity or wholeness or even protection. Businesses aspiring to convey those brand values, should consider circle logos in their logo or branding.

Design Review

The first five logos listed below come with an analysis of why a circular design is a simple yet effective shape to convey brand attributes and values. Take a look and gather your own ideas for creating amazing circle logos for projects that need to portray any of the emotional messages that circles convey.

As an open source project, it just makes sense that WordPress took on a circular logo. The "W" enclosed inside of the circle in the logo helps to convey this message of unity and sense of community, which fits with Wordpress' 'made for the the community by the community' foundation story. The double rings on the circle gives it an even stronger message of stability, which is another important message that WordPress hopes to send.

AT&T's mission is to "help connect its customers with their world". The circular lines around the globe give a technical feel as well as further support the global connection message. The logo was last updated by famous graphic designer Saul Bass, dropping 'Bell' from the name, in the 1960s. In 2005 when SPC acquired the brand, the new company hired global branding agency Interbrand to unite the new companies and overhaul the brand.

Global cosmetics maker, Nivea, is a 130 year old brand and is still considered one of the world's leading innovators in modern skin care. As a veteran brand, Nivea's logo has been redeveloped several times to keep it relevant and connected to consumers. This latest iteration sees the logo flattened out to portray its depth and stability acquired over the years, as well as its leadership in modern skin care development. The simple circular shape is easy to recognize and also portrays the global message of strength, timelessness, characteristics that are important to the category leader.

One of the main goals of Starbucks is to provide a sense of community and a place for good conversations over a good cup of coffee, enriching human interaction. The Starbucks brand wants to be seen as a responsible company in regards to creating a positive impact in neighborhoods and across the world. Working with international branding agency Lipponcott, Starbucks launched a new logo which dropped letters altogether to promote the idea of a brand beyond coffee. The circular mermaid graphic is enclosed within the circular brand name graphic, which is then also enclosed within a circular stroke. The circles within circles really enhance the Starbucks tagline: one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time.

The Pinterest logo is a good example of how a circular graphic can be feminine. The simple yet effective logo looks like a target and pin combined. A metaphor that similtaneously conveys the brand's values of connection and community. In this case, it is the cursive "p" with the circular curve that lends to the femininity of the design, which works with the fact that the majority of users are female. The visual bookmarking company aims to connect every person in the world through anything they find interesting. The choice of color - vibrant hue of red - makes the logo easy to recognise.

Best of the Rest: 35 Stunning Circle Logos

Olympic symbols

Mastercard

uTorrent

FC Internazionale

Chrome

Burger King

NASA

Wikipedia

Mercedes-Benz

Xbox

Vodafone

Audi

Firefox

FC Bayern Munchen

BMW

Allianz

Pepsi

LG

GE

Real Madrid

Safari

Sony Ericsson

Texaco

Xerox

Alfa Romeo

Detroit Pistons

USA Today

Dell

HP

Chanel

Circles convey unity, their classic shape makes them a popular choice for brands and designers. They are also versatile, as they can represent Earth for space-related agencies or a pizza pie for your mouthwatering pizza logo. Which circle logo is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Written by Jo Sabin on Thursday, February 20, 2014

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.