Which corporate logos truly embody the personality of the brand? Communicate surveyed UK branding and design consultants to unearth the best example of coherent logo design. Here’s what the experts said:

Paul Dennis, creative director, 400
The Economist. Its logo perfectly captures the newspaper’s personality, reflecting its analytical, insightful approach to journalism in a style that strikes a balance between confidence and understatement, tradition and topicality.

James Beveridge, creative director, Further
FedEx. It captures a perfect balance of being businesslike, looking efficient and conveying a sense of global authority. We love simplicity, the use of purple, orange and white, but best of all, we love the fact there’s a hidden idea that once you ‘get’ you never forget.

 
Sholto Lindsay-Smith, managing director, UffindellWest
Open University. It is the perfect modernist interpretation of a classic university identity, fit for a new way of learning...

Domenic Lippa, partner, Pentagram
Mont Blanc. Like Apple, the Mont Blanc mark
connects cleverly to the product. It is witty, quirky,
instantly recognisable, stylish and timeless – truly
encapsulating the essence of the brand.

 Nigel Davies, managing director, 300million
LSO. The logo for the London Symphony Orchestra perfectly
suits the organisation. One of the world’s leading orchestras, it has
a symbol that combines precision and flair – exactly the attributes
required for a classical music brand. And if you look closer,
the ‘bonus track’ hieroglyph becomes clear – alluding to their
intelligence and British sense of charm and wit.

Ryan Brown, designer, Bell Design
Amazon. One of the staple brands of the internet, it
encapsulates the simplicity and ease of the brand and
service. From a design point of view, the fact that the
logo says the service gives you everything from A to Z
with a smile, is nothing short of genius.

Mark Pursey, creative director, Blue Marlin New York
BBC 2. One seemingly simple logo with almost endless possibilities, which can add a wondrous array of personalities to suit any desire. Genius!

Alicia O’Dell, director, 400
Hiscox. There is more to a brand than just the logo but all the elements for Hiscox encapsulate the personality of the organisation – straightforward, upfront and easy to deal with.

Debbie Spence, strategic planner, UffindellWest
TV Licensing. This is interesting, as the desired relationship with consumers is verging on an ‘anti-brand’, (they want people to pay their bill). The brand personality risks undermining the business objectives if it’s seen as amenable or friendly. The new logo modernised the brand and moved it away from a uniplatform application while retaining the necessary degree of deference.

Simon Case, creative director, Greentarget
Christianity. You don’t have to be a believer to admire the simplicity of the Christian crucifix. Two crossed lines and you have a visual short hand for 2,000 years, a whole belief system, the crusades, the new testament, Easter, etc etc. A commercial organisation would sell their soul for a symbol of such power.

Mark Pursey, creative director, Blue Marlin New York
More th>n. Another beautifully simple logo, but with a
bit more of a fun approach to the normally dull world of
insurance which talks straight to a younger audience.

Simon Case, creative director, Greentarget
Evolutionism. Although not strictly a corporate logo, I’ve always
really admired the ‘fish with the feet’ symbol that identifies
believers in evolution. It’s simple, well drawn and tells the whole
story of variation by natural selection while at the same time
poking gentle fun at fundamentalist Christians, whose symbol is
the same fish without the feet.