Fill Your Brand with Meaning!
Logo design symbolism is so important when developing your brand. The best logos are the ones with hidden meanings, even if a consumer passing by it might miss them. When a logo can tell a piece of a bigger story and create some intrigue, it’s done its job.
When we’re developing a logo design, we make sure every element has a layer of meaning that adds to the design. When every piece of a logo is intentional, it allows you to keep it as simple as possible — nothing is there without purpose.
We’ve talked about brand colours and brand fonts but we’ve never taken a deep dive into individual elements. Now every brand and logo is different, but here are some common tools we pull from besides selecting the right colours and fonts. Let’s look at the different types of logo design symbolism. 
Shape
Squares, triangles, circles, and more are all used in logo design to convey different meanings. Circles are a softer shape and represent closure, a continuing cycle, safety or an embrace. Squares, by contrast, have structure. Rigid 90-degree angles create a powerful grid to base a design. Triangles are the strongest shape, used in engineering to build bridges and other structures that can bear a lot of weight. They are often used to represent mountains or a trinity (or the Trinity) as well.
You can make combinations with basic shapes (such as ovals are diamonds) to get the exact shape that represents your business.
Animal Symbolism
It’s no surprise that cars and shoe brands pick fast animals to represent them. No one wants to drive the Chevy Sloth. While this example is quite literal, using an animal to represent something or create deeper meaning is a great strategy. One of our favourites is the Toblerone logo. Have you ever noticed the bear in it before? Toblerone originates from the city of Bern, Switzerland–Bern, in German, means bear!
Other common examples include:
Butterfly = transformation
Dog = loyalty
Turtle = mother earth, grounding
Plant Symbolism
Like their fauna counterparts, plants have a lot of symbolism as well. This is an even longer list as flowers, trees, and fruits all have their own meanings! Did you know you could send a very specific message to a love interest based on what different flowers mean?Here are some of our favourites:
Rose = love
Oak = strength
Apple = knowledge
Sage = wisdom
Birch = new beginnings
Heraldry
Heraldic symbols take some of their meaning from the categories above. Heraldry also includes man-made objects and mythical creatures. Because the tradition of heraldry still endures to some extent (I know you’ve Googled your family coat of arms) the meanings behind the symbols are still relevant today.
Dragon = brave and cunning
Arrow = readiness
Cartwheel = industry
Horseshoe = luck
Knot = love
While we can’t cover everything in this blog post, the combinations of graphic symbols, colours and fonts are endless to tailor a logo design to your specific customers’ needs, values and aesthetics.
Need a more meaningful logo design?
Is your logo imbued with meaning, or is it a literal logo? If you’re ready to level up your branding game, book a consultation call with us today!