20 iconic brands - and why they work

We count down 20 brands that may not be the biggest but can be described as 'iconic', and speak to leading design and branding experts to find out why they work.

'Iconic' is a big statement - by definition, it must be rare for a top brand to be elevated to that status. And if there's one point on which all the global branding experts that have contributed to this list agree, it's that it's rarely about the logo design alone.
"It's churlish to focus on the logo," confirms Ben Marshall, creative director at Landor Associates. "We respond to experiences, stories we can pass on, and frankly, some things that are simply unusual or inspired."
Michael Johnson, principal and creative director of Johnson Banks, agrees that an iconic brand should deliver on multiple levels - the product or service itself, the environment it appears in, its tone of voice, and more. "Thinking about 'branding' from this cinematic perspective is relatively new," he admits. "It's pretty difficult to deliver successfully."
In some cases, volume of exposure can force brands into public consciousness - though it's debatable whether that makes them iconic. "By sheer force of ad-spend and/or ubiquity, many would nominate brands like Coca-Cola or Nike without thinking," says Johnson.

Such scale of repetition is enormously expensive. "I can't tell you how many times we've been asked to design a logo 'as iconic as the Nike tick'," smiles Paula Benson, partner at Form. "Our question: do you have the budget to repeat it boldly and consistently all over the world?"
With the above factors in mind, we asked these experts and others to select 20 brands that they feel have earned - or deserve to earn - that coveted iconic status. Here's what they came up with...

01. The Red Cross

"Top brands are universal in what they represent," argues Andra Oprisan, strategist at Saffron Consultants. "Some of us have never interacted with the Red Cross, yet we perfectly know what it stands for and how it changes people's lives across the world. We are able to recognise its logo anywhere."

02. Apple

It would have been inconceivable not to include Cupertino's finest on any top brands list. "It's a truly great brand because it's become synonymous with innovation and outstanding design," says Paula Benson, partner at Form. "Its brand values permeate through absolutely everything, from usability to design to language to packaging to retail stores."
"Apple has large revenues but only a very small number of products," Benson says. "The real hallmark is care."

03. Bass

For Kieren Thorpe, creative director at BrandOpus Australia, beer brand Bass's bold use of a very simple primary shape and colour has helped it towards top brand status. "It's since been redesigned with a bigger icon and a smaller word mark, giving it a much clearer standout," he believes.
"We recognise colour and shape before the written word," explains Thorpe - and Bass goes for the jugular on both.

04. Uniqlo

Founded in Japan as the 'Unique Clothing Warehouse', this basics-clothing line became Uniqlo, or yoo-nee-koo-roh in Japanese. "What sounds very Japanese actually derives from English," explains Johnson Banks' Michael Johnson. "They'd already developed a world-class product and environment - the bilingual logo was the masterstroke that pushed them into being iconic."

05. Subway

Logo Design Love's David Airey believes all of the top brands offer the 'go to' product or service within its market. "If you want a quick sandwich made with care, you think of Subway," he shrugs. "Some people might consider them great simply because of the product or service that backs up the brand: ultimately, that's what it's all about."

06. Ralph Lauren

Although its logotype may be relatively uninspiring in and of itself, Ralph Lauren is unquestionably iconic and one of the top brands in the world. "It has successfully connected the Ralph Lauren mythology with the American collective psyche and the American dream. Together, they form the brand," suggests Geoff Phillips, design director at MetaDesign. "That goes much deeper than any logo itself could achieve."

07. Veuve Clicquot

This luxury champagne brand, according to Kieren Thorpe, has used colour to great effect to stand out from its competitors. "As a distinctly yellow brand in a world of category conventional colours such as black, gold and cream, the scope to create instant recognition across a multitude of touch points is clear," he points out. The identity carries across its advertising, with the signature becoming the flourish of an artist's brush.

08. Zippo

For Ben Marshall, Zippo is a prime example of a brand that easily transcends its logo, which he dubs almost irrelevant. "It's a great innovation - windproof - and has great integrity in its history, having switched from commercial to military-only supply in the war," he says. "Its form, interaction and even sound are all unique."
"I love the smell of a Zippo," says Marshall. "Face it, even people who don't smoke want a Zippo."

09. Adidas

Two distinctive graphic devices lie at the core of the Adidas brand: the trefoil of Originals, and the three stripes of the Sports division. "It also received the most positive uptake of any brand involved with the Olympics, which helped it secure its iconic status," says Paula Benson.

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10. Google

Google's visual identity is expressed through its logo, the signature colours, and its much-loved 'Doodles'

Google is another must-include on this list - although its logo alone is hardly a work of art. "Consider the bigger picture," advises Andra Oprisan. "Google's brand lives in its products; its culture (those famous job interviews); its environment (its enviable creative offices); its advertising; and also its visual identity."

11. Paul Smith

The Paul Smith signature wordmark is beautifully crafted in itself, but for Kieren Thorpe it's the continuity of the pinstripe livery that brings the brand iconic status: "It represents the 'classic with a modern twist' ethos." Michael Johnson concurs, having nominated the same brand: "This recognisable 'graphic wallpaper' makes everything from carrier bags to scarves instantly recognisable."

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Paul Smith stripes — The pinstripe livery is at the heart of the brand's iconic status

12. IKEA

David Airey believes that modern customers are looking for a complete experience, and highlights the free coffee that IKEA gives family-card holders as part of the global home furnishing giant's wider brand experience: "If you want to kit out a new home without spending a fortune, you think of IKEA," he adds.

13. Charity Water

Compared to most non-profits, argues Geoff Phillips, Charity Water has particularly high design acumen. "The founder said that charities' poverty mentality reflects in their brands: he wanted a more aspirational approach," he says.

"The jerrycan logo is an iconic symbol of water accessibility. It has some notoriety, but it's not in the top brands yet - although it deserves to be."

14. Toms

Like Charity Water, Toms is another brand tipped for iconic status in the future: "It doesn't necessarily have a great logo," admits Kieren Thorpe: "A modern-looking san serif font, in the context of an Argentinian flag - the place where inspiration struck. But it's a cause-related brand dedicated to making things better, or in the words of the founder: 'Making things that matter.'"

15. Dyson

Ben Marshall advocates a simple mantra: "to be iconic, be the first, best or only." In the modern marketplace, this often means truly innovative products cut through the competition. "When I was a kid, a vacuum cleaner was a Hoover; it was the byword," he recalls. "By using new, radical (and importantly, better) technology, Dyson eclipsed all others in people's minds."

16. The Rolling Stones

The Rolliing Stones — Homage to Mick Jagger's famously full pout, the graphic has been used by the Rolling Stones ever since

Designed by John Pasche in 1970 and first used on the /Sticky Fingers/ album cover, the illustrated lips and tongue became an iconic emblem for the Rolling Stones. "It sums up the band brilliantly, and is one of the world's most instantly recognisable symbols of rock and roll," argues Paula Benson.

17. Coca-Cola

If any of the top brands have nailed global ubiquity, it's Coke. "It's a shining example of continual evolution, as relevant and desirable today as it was over a century ago," believes Kieren Thorpe. And the highly distinctive script logotype has remained a constant throughout its lifetime - compare that to bitter rival Pepsi's multiple radical rebrands.

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18. The V&A

"Everything about it is working; I think few Londoners would disagree," says Johnson of the V&A brand

Alan Fletcher's V&A logo has been a classic since the late-'80s, but Michael Johnson recalls a time when it was better loved than the museum: "It was dusty, labyrinthine - the kind of place a design student loved to get lost in, but confounded the everyday visitor," he says. "It's since elevated itself into one of the world's greats."

19. Pixar

"The animated intro of the bouncing lamp isn't grandiose, like most production company intros," Geoff Phillips observes. "It's witty, simple, down-to-earth and intimate. Pixar's brand is rooted in original stories, rather than sampling traditional children's literature, sugar coating it and watering it down. They've proven that audiences don't always want what they've already seen and heard."

20. Irn-Bru

Perhaps a slightly unconventional choice from Landor Associates creative director Ben Marshall: Scotland's finest, Irn-Bru. "Looking beyond its distinctive neon-ginger aesthetic and brilliant straplines, why is it one of the few markets that outsells Coca-Cola?" he poses. "Because it's part of the Scots' outlook. The challenger. It will always be this."

Source: http://www.creativebloq.com

Brand Track

Monday, March 3, 2014