[ 01-04 ]

There are countless logos out there, but only a few are truly exceptional. The best blend concept, uniqueness and instant recognition. A great logo requires thoughtful choices of font, icon and colour. Done well, the logo tells a brand's story in the most concise and compelling way possible.

Logo [01]

Overview and style

The typical apparel logo often embodies a confident, understated style. It usually features a black or red, all-uppercase word mark with a serif typeface, striking a balance between boldness and elegance.


Logo [02]

Composition

It’s all about the brand name: Over half of apparel brands (56%) favor word marks, opting for a minimalist approach that puts the spotlight on their collections, materials and patterns. Only two major brands, Adidas and Nike, have taken it a step further by eliminating the word mark entirely, choosing instead to rely solely on their iconic picture marks.


Composition of logos (%)

picture mark

8%

word/picture mark

36%

word mark

56%

Logo [03]

Lettering

Capitals for confidence: 80% of apparel brands use all-caps logos. Font choices vary by segment – sports brands like Nike and Adidas use bold sans serif styles, while luxury brands like Tiffany favor more delicate and classic, sometimes even poetic serif logotypes.


Use of lettering categories (%)

8% of the logos analyzed have no word mark.

capital

80%

lowercase

4%

mixed

8%

8% of the logos analyzed have no word mark.

serif

52%

sans serif

28%

other

12%

Logo [04]

Color

It’s either red or no color at all: The logos of the world’s biggest fashion and sports brands are either black or red. Rolex is an exception with gold as the dominant color coming from its picture mark.


Overall logo color distribution (% and hex value)

Display of colors used in logos

51.90 % | #000000
19.70 % | #c00317
8.00 % | #e70f1b
5.80 % | #221f1f
5.70 % | #95002e

Logo color distribution by brand

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Adidas

Armani

Burberry

Cartier

Chanel

Chow Tai Fook

Coach

Dior

Gucci

H&M

Hermes

Louis Vuitton

Lululemon

Nike

Omega

Prada

Puma

Ralph Lauren

Ray Ban

Rolex

Tiffany & Co

UNIQLO

Victorias Secret

Yves Saint Laurent

Zara

Nearly three out of four apparel brands use exclusively black logos. Those that don’t generally avoid combining a black word mark with a colored icon, opting instead for solid red logos (e.g., Omega or the Hong Kong-based jewelry brand Chow Tai Fook).

Get your individual
industry report

Developed by

and

What can we do for you?