Arek Dvornechuck
Branding Expert
Animal Symbolism in Logo Design
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I specialize in the development of brands—from brand strategy & identity, to web design, motion and beyond.
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Want to use animal symbolism in logo design?—I’ve compiled a lot of inspiration for you.
Branding your firm with an animal logo is a great way to bring some personality to it.
Animals are often used as a symbol for what the company stands for.
For example, a bull can represent power and strength and that’s why Lamborghini is using a bull in the emblem.
So you need to be careful to find a perfect match between the your brand’s values and the animal’s features.
However, you might see some famous brands using an animal logo which does not make a lot of sense.
Still, these are some of the best kind of logos you’ll ever see.
Using animal symbolism in your logos could also depict several things your company stands for — what the animal represents.
Strength, loyalty, endurance, transformation and dependability are just some of the things an animal could represent in your brand.
And this is the reason why companies around the world choose to use animals as a symbol while designing their logos.
Check out some of the most famous brands that have animals to represent their company and the meaning behind them.
The Twitter brand is one of the top social media platforms, and especially these days since Elon Musk bought it for $44 billion.
Twitter is derived from Tweet, which is a sound made by birds.
The logo also represents the fact that birds were used to deliver messages very fast in the past.
Commonly known as the Twitter bird, the Twitter logo consists of a blue bird on a white background.
The bird’s warm blue color also represents trust and loyalty which the company stands for.
The bird flying to the right is an indicator that Twitter has innovating ideas and they are also future oriented.
The very first logo was used from it’s launch in 2006 until it was replaced in October 2010.
Twitter's logo is a stylized bird with an open beak, which serves as the company's primary symbol.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Twitter logo.
WWF is the world's leading conservation organization.
Panda in WWF logo is a symbol of all endangered species.
They work across 90 countries to ensure Mother Nature's wellbeing.
The panda represents the WWF, World Wide Fund for Nature.
The WWF logo depicts nature and humanity, an animal symbolism for the company's aims.
Saving endangered species is especially the primary purpose of this organization.
In this case, with a panda in their logo, one of the most endangered mammals on earth.
They remind us of how strong but fragile the nature of the planet and how it is our responsibility to take care of it.
Learn more about animal symbolism WWF logo.
The Ferrari logo represents the brand of the Italian car producers.
The prancing horse is a symbol of good luck.
The logo was also used to honor the memory of a great pilot from Italy.
Since Ferrari is an Italian brand, it represents the flag's colors as stripes at the top of its logo.
As I have said, the horse represents a fallen pilot and that is why it is in black.
This pilot, Francesco Barraca, was an hero of the first world war.
The background color of the logo is yellow which represents the Modena city where the Ferrari founder was born.
The Ferrari logo also generally represents luxury, elegance and power.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Ferrari logo.
Lacoste is one of the most popular clothing brands in the world, founded in 1933 in France.
Crocodile in Lacoste logo stands for the high cost, elite, and exclusivity of the products.
The Crocodile in the Lacoste logo also represents René Lacoste, the founder of Lacoste.
The Lacoste logo was inspired by an incident where the founder saw an alligator skin on somebody's suitcase on the streets of Boston.
That founder, Rene Lacoste, had an instant liking and decided to use a crocodile as his brand image logo.
The unique feature of the Lacoste Logo is it’s simplicity.
A clever but instantly recognizable logo, the crocodile represents the brand well.
The crocodile symbolizes freedom and power while remaining gentle.
This speaks volumes for the brand and its product.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Lacoste logo.
Lamborghini is a brand of automobile manufacturing company.
The bull is a symbol of power, beauty, prestige, strong but fast.
The logo features a golden bull, also surrounded by a shield.
The Lamborghini bull symbolizes power, beauty, prestige, strength, and speed.
And these are features of every vehicle ever produced by this company.
The founder of Lamborghini is a big fan of bull fights, was also a Taurus so this logo is also personal.
The founder of the Lamborghini brand is Ferruccio Lamborghini.
And originally earned attention in the industry with its unique approach to car development.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Lamborghini logo.
Red Bull is an Austrian brand of energy drinks.
The bull is a symbol of power, pride and spirit.
The Austrian brand is dominant in the energy drink market.
The phrase "Red Bull gives you wings" is among the most well-known catchphrases of our time.
The colors are simple but quite complementary, there’s nothing more simple than red with yellow.
The basics of a really good logo is simplicity and Red Bull was able to achieve that.
This drink is famous among the working class—notably truck drivers. It contains taurine, caffeine, and sugar.
Red Bull reduces mental stress, improves the ability to endure, boosts alertness, and enhances the body.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Red Bull logo.
Puma is known for making high quality athletic shoes and other sports-wear with a design-oriented approach.
The Puma is a symbol of strength, agility, and grace.
The logo was designed by Lutz Backes, an artist from Nuremberg.
While Puma is already one of the biggest sports wear manufacturers in the world.
It still competes with top brands like Adidas and Nike.
The Puma brand’s name has changed a lot over time but the animal in the logo has always remained as the company’s symbol.
Their present logo is the most popular in the sports wear industries.
Puma had always stood by what their logo represents—strength, agility, and grace.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Puma logo.
The Evernote application is designed for storing and organizing data.
The elephant is known to have strong memory.
Basically, Evernote helps you keep track of all your tasks.
The primary reason Evernote used an elephant as their logo is because elephant have really strong memory.
In fact, studies say these animal never forget anything.
Whenever you need to remember something, you go to Evernote.
The purpose of taking notes is to remember every little detail people tend to forget if they do not write them down.
So what better animal to show this than a creature known for its ability to remember things?
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Evernote logo.
Playboy is an American men’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine.
The rabbit is a symbol of prestige, sexiness, and mystique.
The logo is one of the most classic logos in the world.
The Playboy rabbit head logo was designed by Art Paul for $200.
This logo was first used by the magazine on it’s first issue in December 1953.
Along with appearing on all covers of one of the world’s best-selling magazines.
The Playboy logo has appeared on a variety of other products as well.
In fact, selling products that featured the Playboy logo has and continues to be a major source of income for the brand.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Playboy logo.
The ING Group is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation.
The ING bank’s lion is a symbol of strength, courage and authority.
ING bank has grown from a single bank to a European banking and insurance conglomerate.
The ING Bank’s lion goes way back to ING’s Dutch roots — lion is the country’s national symbol.
During the period 2005-2009, the company was ranked as one of the world's top financial services firms.
In it’s country home ING Bank is the biggest bank and a leading insurer.
The lion being orange is also a symbol of being full of energy.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the ING Bank logo.
Over the past decades, Penguin Books has brought high quality books to the market.
The Penguin is a symbol of self-confidence and love.
Their books are also affordable with high end designs.
The Penguin publishing company is the result of the merger between Penguin of Pearson and Random House of Bertelsmann.
The new Penguin Random House logo is a design made by Pentagram.
The Penguin in the logo is also a symbol of purpose and order.
It represents good manners, right conduct, and wisdom.
This publishing house has brought great comfort to every book lover and it also provides audio and e-books.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Penguin logo.
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer.
The Ralph Lauren horse is a symbol of royalty, dignity, class, and elegance.
The brand’s logo features a polo player on horseback.
The Ralph Lauren brand was founded in 1993 and that was when the logo was designed.
Unlike other brands Ralph Lauren has never made any changes to its logo design.
Royalty, dignity, class, and elegance is the vision of the designer behind this luxurious line of clothing.
Polo and horse-riding games are pursuits for the upper class and reflect the crowds that they cater to.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Ralph Lauren logo.
NBC is an abbreviation for the National Broadcasting Company.
The NBC’s peacock is symbol for honor and elegance.
It is an American news television, and radio network, which was established in 1926.
The NBC television network broadcasts entertainment, sports, and news programs to over 200 countries in more than 30 languages.
The NBC logo features a peacock with its tail drawn in six colors, each for one of the rounded feathers.
In the NBC logo, each of the colors represents a direction of the corporation.
Yellow is for news, orange is for sports, red stands for entertainment, purple is for the radio section, blue — network, and green is for production.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the NBC logo.
The British multinational consumer goods company, Unilever, owns the Dove brand.
The dove is a symbol of love, ease, and freedom.
The company manufactures products and support women all over the world.
The Dove logo gives the lightness and softness feeling that the brand’s products give.
The golden bird on the logo is an international symbol of peace.
It represents purity, tenderness, and love, which perfectly aligns with the values of the Dove brand.
The brand was founded in the USA in 1955 and is a subsidiary of Unilever Corporation.
Today Dove’s products are among the least expensive in the world and are aimed at a wide range of consumers.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Dove logo.
MSN means Microsoft Network.
The butterfly in MSN logo is a symbol of freedom and excellence.
It is a web portal and news network from Microsoft.
MSN's visual identity introduced in 2000 features the butterfly with its wings colored in four official Microsoft colors.
In spite of the fact that there are numerous versions of the logo, this has been the most popular one for over ten years.
The MSN’s butterfly is in blue, green, red, and yellow transparent wings.
Which is on the right from the bold italicized MSN lettering in blue.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the MSN logo.
Hermès is a French luxury fashion brand known for its high quality products.
The Hermes horse is a symbol of power and luxury.
The logo features a Duc carriage with a horse.
Hermès has evolved into a world-renowned brand selling leather, ready-to-wear, accessories, perfumes, and jewelry.
The company began as a harness workshop in Paris and it was founded by Thierry Hermès.
The horse in the logo is a symbol of power and the carriage of luxury.
One of the main moto of this brand is the balance between wisdom and power hence it is represented by the man in front of the horse.
Learn more about animal symbolism in the Hermès logo.
In conclusion, we’ve seen animal logos have thus contributed to the success of companies by reflecting various attributes.
Attributes that cannot be expressed any better than through their logos.
Not only has the imagery helped further the goals of the company through familiarization.
But it has also been used as a way for the company to tell stories about its owners, and will continue to do so in the future.
If you are designing a logo for your brand, find the purpose of existence for your company and use and animal that is a perfect symbolism for your brand values.
Either keep it simple as or keep it bold.
You can use geometrical representations in your logo designs.
The more you take inspiration from animal symbolism in logo design, the sooner you will learn the drill to design one for yourself.
You can also send me an email if you need assistance with logo design.
A logo is the most crucial factor that can help with brand identity.
Therefore, you must do it right, at all costs!
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I'm a branding expert and graphic designer based in NY. I specialize in the development of brands: brand strategy, identity & web design. Need help with your project?—Get in touch
