A great logo design is essential to communicate values and expertise to your customers. One way to identify unique selling points or mission essential values in your logo is to incorporate a mascot (most often an animal).
What Does an Animal Say About Me?
The features naturally attributed to certain animals help portray characteristics that can be found in various organizations and teams. Sports teams have used animal mascots to extend feelings of athletic superiority (Eagles, Lions), agility/speed (Falcons, Panthers) or ferocity (Sharks, Wildcats, or Wolverines).
The same holds true outside of sports. A web startup may use a monkey to portray a playful, lighthearted personality. An investment firm may use a buffalo to display brute strength in the marketplace or a broad offering of assets. A hummingbird may display a nimble and swift attitude while an eagle displays greatness and a brand you can trust.
Another reason many companies may use animals is to help strengthen their brand recognition. Simple images often help peope remember a company or brand. The smilling face of a kitten or the paw of a bear may be enough to strike up thoughts of that company–even outside of their branded logo and and marketing push.
Whatever the exact purpose of the mascot, a company has put time and effort into merging it with their mission objectives and personality. Here are 25 great examples of logos that incorporate animals in their design. Look through them and think about what the animal is adding to the design.
Animal Logos (logos via LogoPond)
Foxitness
2Can
Rhino
DB Services
DB Services
Hired Monkey
E-Ger
Posh Puppy
EuroSea
Elk River
Sparrow Style
Eagle Eye
Kodiak Insulation
Roots
Blue Cow Creative
Mail Chimp
Sense Financial
Punchy Time
Pink Kitten
Great Bend Gear
Giraffa
Cricket Fire
Smart Designs
Zoo Studios
Frog Creek Apparel
Run across any other great animal logos? If you were to incorporate an animal in your next design, what would you want it to say about you? What design trends have you noticed in animal logos? Let me know in the comments below.
Hi Chris!
Nice roundup. I haven’t seen most of these before, which is always nice with this kind of posts, so props to you for that!
You use the term “mascot” in your description, though, and I have to wonder if there isn’t a strong difference between a logo and a mascot? I think of a site like Freelance Switch, where the logo (simple text) and the mascot are actually quite distinct.
I think a mascot also tends to be more highly rendered than a logo (or should be, anyhow), which is another interesting distinction.
Hmmm… Just some thoughts that came to me as I was reading this post
Nice work though!
Matt,
Good points on the mascot vs. “part of the logo.” Maybe mascot is not the most appropriate word but it does make me think about variations:
1)Mascot is not in their logo (i.e. Freelance Switch)
2)Mascot is featured heavily in the logo (i.e. Smokey Bear “Only YOU can prevent” campaign)
3)Mascot and logo are rendered differently (most all sports teams)
Good thoughts!
Good points Chris. While mascots and animal logos may not be the same thing, I do think logos that include company mascots in the design have a more unified concept of the two and might even be a bit more successful visually. On the other side, the company is then married to that mascot!
Good point Richard. And further, if the company includes that animal in the name, i.e. CreativeCow.net, the marriage is even harder to separate. It again emphasizes the importance of planning and research when selecting a business name/identity.
ROFL I love the Zoo Studios logo the best. It’s almost humorous!
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