Celebrating iconic logos and their stories

X–Z in my A–Z of inspirational and authentic logos, and the meanings behind them...

X: Xerox

Considering the potential of the letter X, it's slim pickings out there for great looking X logos. Musk's X has zero appeal, Microsoft Xbox Series X was considered due of its global following, but there's no real meaning behind the design. Then I remembered the pixelated serif X from Xerox – I always liked it because it represented their business perfectly and didn't require a wordmark. Also known as the Digital X, it was designed by Margo Zucker of Landor in 1994 to represent Xerox's shift into document services and the movement between analogue and digital worlds. I hadn't really clocked that they dropped it way back in 2008 and replaced it with, erm, a symbol resembling the Xbox logo (which incidentally surfaced 3 years earlier – see the last image to compare). This more generic globe was designed by Interbrand to symbolise the company's latest transition in line with changing technological standards. They should have kept the Digital X.

Y: Yamato Transport

This one might be new to anyone unfamiliar with Japanese graphic design, nevertheless it's supremely iconic. In fact, it's as recognisable as the Coca Cola brand to locals and a brilliant concept which immediately depicts the purpose and values of the business. The concept was inspired by US company Allied Van Lines who'd been delivering packages with feline care since 1928. In 1957, Yamato founder Yasoumi Ogura commissioned an in-house designer to create the Kuroneko (black cat) mark, and it remained unchanged for 64 years until a subtle update in 2021 (no need for anything drastic when your logo is as recognisable as this).

Z: Zebra Technologies

If I thought X gave me a headache, Z fared no better. I seriously considered Ziflow, the excellent online proofing platform I look at every day, but I didn't want to do another logo that was better before they updated it (the original had more 'flow' IMO). Zoom? Yawn. Zippo? Meh. Then I stumbled upon this gorgeous Zebra Technologies logo. Yeah, you can argue it's an obvious symbol (so is Apple), but it's been crafted so nicely, just look at the precision in those diagonals. According to their brand guidelines it was designed to "...signify our expertise in innovation and in optimising our customers' front lines." And it "...captures the essence of our end-to-end expertise." Impressively, it was designed internally by the company's own design team – excellent work!

That's it, my logo A–Z is complete. I also want to shout out the logos that almost made the list, including those close to my heart: Liverpool Football Club, Hasbro's original Transformers icons and V Recordings – there's more honourable mentions on below:

As you can tell, I appreciate a great logo and enjoy crafting them even more. If you need help developing a brand identity, we'd love to hear from you.