20+ Famous Logo Designers & Their Most Iconic Work (2024)

The world is expansive and has been influenced by iconic logo designers over several decades. Regardless of whether you are a minimalist or an enthusiast of complex designs, you’re sure to find their contributions interesting, to say the least.

The world of design influences the products we buy, the clothes we wear, and even the websites we visit. So despite what you’re inclined to feel, there’s a high chance your purchase decisions are influenced by the work of an accomplished designer somewhere.

To some, this may seem like a huge leap, but over the years many surveys and case studies have gone to show this. Simply put, typography and color scheme, as well as other branding elements can either make or break your brand essence. But, while there are many designs out there, there are a few designers who have work that is instantaneously recognizable.

If interested in branding, you should be sure to check out our best logos and iconic fonts articles.

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Who Are the Most Famous Logo Designers?

Some graphic designers have done an outstanding job leaving their signature on their design work. Although coming up with a list of them can be somewhat daunting, it all comes down to the most popular and notable ones to date.

There are several different fields that the best designers have influenced to date, but in this article, we’ll be focusing primarily on logo and brand designers. Why? Well, the world of design is vast and filled with several unique fields. So focusing on a single relevant one can help add more context to the impact of these iconic designers.

While vastly subjective, here is our list of the top 20 best logo designers and their most iconic work.

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The 20 Most Iconic Logo Designers & Their Work

1. Paul Rand

One of the most iconic logo designers of all time and was born in 1914. Paul Rand started with a job setting the page layout at Apparel Arts, which is now GQ, and went on to take a position at Esquire Cornett magazines.

Through the iconic use of modernist elements, which are Swiss-influenced, Rand developed a subtleness and minimalism, which he implemented in his iconic logo designs. This icon designed some popular company logos, some of which include IBM, ABC, UPS, and even Enron.

 

2. Peter Saville

Peter Saville is one of the most prominent art and graphic designers when it comes to designing record sleeves. Heavily inspired by Jan Tsachold, the typographer behind the icon Sabon typeface, Peter has worked with prominent names. Saville was commissioned work by the most famous logos brands and personalities in fashion like Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, and even Jil Sander.

Going on to become the creative director for the city of Manchester, Peter Saville even designed the jerseys for the city of Manchester. Ultimately awarded the CBE award for his contributions in the field of graphic design, it’s safe to say that Peter Saville is a household name.

 

3. Massimo Vignelli

Arguably the most iconic logo designer on this list, the design firm Massimo Vignelli is almost legendary in the design world. Creating logos and brand designs for major names like IBM, Knoll, Bloomingdale’s, and American Airlines to name a few.

Mentor to Michael Bierut, another iconic logo designer, it’s been mentioned that New York in the 80s in some ways felt like a permanent Vignelli exhibition. Vignelli’s designs were minimalist and narrow, making for neat and compact designs.

Massimo Vignelli, to some degree, can also be credited with the popularization of the fonts Akzidenz-Grotesk, Bodoni, Helvetica Garamond No. 3, and Century Expanded. Unlike most designers, Vignelli is known for the mind-blowing and enormous collection of awards he’s won for his design work.

 

4. Ruth Ansel 

Born in 1938, Ruth Ansel was one of the first prominent female graphic designers to direct a major magazine. Hailing from Brooklyn New York she started out working alongside Bob Cato at Colombia records.

Ruth Ansel later moved on to work with major magazines, like the New York Times, House and Garden, Vanity Fair, and Vogue.

Why is she iconic? Throughout the course of her career, Ansel has influenced the look and feel of American magazines leaving her visual stamp on the industry as a whole.

Working on magazines like Bazaar, doing works that were classy to look at, she still managed to induce a sense of stark color and excitement on the cover page.

 

5. Aleksandr Rodchenko

Born in 1891, Aleksandr Rodchenko was originally an artist influenced heavily by cubism and futurism. However, later on, drifted towards graphic design in films, posters, and books.

Designing majorly for the Russian airline company Dobrolet, his designs were heavily influenced by the Russian Revolution. He also pioneered the concept of using art elements in everyday products, which is what we see today in modern-day graphic design.

How was he an iconic designer? Other than being at least 30 years ahead of his time, his designs to this day shape the way we see Russia in media. Rodchenko still also continues to influence the design world in the form of album artwork.

 

6. Michael Bierut

Micheal Bierut started his design career under Massimo Vignelli; one of the   Although he had many achievements throughout his career, Bierut pioneered the democratization of design and made designs palatable for everyone.

During his career at Pentagram, this iconic logo designer worked with big names, like the Walt Disney Company, Motorola,  the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the Library of Congress, and even the New York Jets.

Beirut has permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Museum of Design Zurich, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and even the Library of Congress with an exceptional career and portfolio.

 

7. Max Miedinger

Although this Swiss designer may not be the most exciting, he made one of the most prominent contributions to the design world. What was this contribution? Well, he was the creator of one of the most popular fonts, Helvetica.

Starting his designing career at the young age of 16, this legendary typographic composer worked mostly with typography in publications and advertising. For a duration of time, he worked with the Hass Foundation as well under whom he created the Porte Arte, a condensed serif font.

Why is he on the list of iconic logo designers? Well for those unaware, Helvetica is a typeface used across several different industries in the modern era. Some of the more prominent ones include Panasonic, Harley Davidson, BMW, Kawasaki, and Motorola.

 

8. Milton Glaser

When it comes to iconic American logo designers, this list cannot be complete without Milton Glaser. One of the most renowned most influential logo designers when it comes to more dynamic work, his love for color is certainly visible. Milton Glaser has done everything from psychedelic-inspired posters and even some of the most popular logos in media.

When it comes to notable work, Milton is most famous for designing the ‘I love New York’ logo, an album jacket for Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits, and even the older logo for DC comics. From designing his own logo ‘Glaser Stencil’ and founding ‘New York’ magazine, Milton’s design career is nothing if not note-worthy.

 

9. Claude Garamond

Best known for creating the Garamond font, Claude Garamond is one of the best logo designers for typefaces. Operating in the 1500s when typesetting was almost alien, Garamond created typefaces that aimed to imitate organic writing. This was way before fonts like Baskerville, Didot, or Times were even around.

One of the pioneers in old-style serif, this french designer has still managed to stay relevant to this day with his font still being found in media. Garamond was later revived in other typefaces, one of the most well-known ones being Sabon.

While not one of the most well-known designers contemporarily, Claude Garamond’s contribution shaped the way serif fonts are viewed today. So, although predominantly a typesetter, Garamond is definitely one of the most iconic logo designers to ever exist.

 

 

10. Rodrigo Corral

When it comes to more fun and experimentative design, Rodrigo Corral is one of the best designers out there. With an illustrious career and an even more illustrious portfolio, Corral has managed to work with some of the biggest names out there.

Rodrigo Corral has worked with clients like Jay-Z, John Green, Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen, and even Judd Apatow. Undoubtedly one of the best book cover designers of the last decade, he’s well known for his iconic visuals designed logos, and conceptual artwork. Besides this, Rodrigo is currently the creative director for New Directions Publishing, Farrar Straus & Giroux, and his own design studio, Rodrigo Corral Design.

Without a doubt, his impressive portfolio and designs put Rodrigo Corral on the list of contemporary iconic designers.

 

11. Chip Kidd

When it comes to American graphic designers known for book covers, Chip Kidd is one of the best in the industry. With a fascination with American pop culture from an early age, Chip eventually went on to be a graphic designer, author, and editor.

With a portfolio that includes major names like Doubleday, Farrar Straus & Giroux, Grove Press, Amazon, HarperCollins, and Columbia University Press. Other than this, Chips worked on major covers for likes of Haruki Murakami, Dean Koontz, Frank Miller, and Alex Ross.

With designs that have been described as striking and unpredictable, Chipp is one of the most iconic creators in the world of book cover design.

 

12. Carolyn Davidson

Carolyn started her career in 1971 while still a student at Portland State University. Quite a private individual, Carolyn made her fame by designing the logo for Nike.

Carolyn created what is arguably one of the most iconic logos of all time. With a bachelor’s degree in design, Carolyn joined Knight and Davidson to work on Nike brand-related designs (eventually even awarded 500 shares in Nike).

Due to her contributions to one of the most recognizable brands, Carolyn is definitely one of the most iconic and influential logo designers of our time.

 

13. Rob Janoff

Throughout his career, American designer, Robb Janoff, has worked with a wide variety of international companies. While not too well-known, he’s most famous for his contribution to the design of the iconic Apple Logo.

Interestingly enough, Janoff states that the bite in the apple logo was to help draw attention to its difference from any other fruit. After working with Regis McKenna, Janoff worked on designs for a large number of silicon companies; one of which was Apple.

Although there aren’t too many big names in Rob’s portfolio, the Apple logo has over the years become one of the most recognized brands across the globe.

 

14. Lindon Leader

Lindon Leader has over three decades of experience in corporate identity design and can boil all of his designs to words ‘simplicity’ and ‘clarity’. The receiver of the Annual Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award in New York, his contributions to designs are certainly noteworthy.

Most famous for creating the FedEx logo, Lindon Leader has worked on various logos and brand designs. Some of his more well-famous logos and clients include Disney, Hawaiian Airlines, Toyota, and Jurgensen’s.

 

15. Saul Bass

American graphic designer and oscar-winning filmmaker, Saul Bass, is a Renaissance man. With a design career spanning over 40 years, this iconic designer is most famous for his work on Hollywood films by Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese.

When it comes to brand design, Saul Bass created logos for Continental Airlines and United Airlines, as well as Geffen Records.

To some extent, most of his innovative work in the film industry can be seen in most modern film openings. What made bass one of the most iconic designers was his use of graphics and animated sequences to put across the overall mood or theme of the film.

 

16. Paula Scher

The first female designer to serve as principal at Pentagram, Paula Scheer has certainly made a name for herself through the years. Working with big names, like CBS Records and Atlantic Records.

Incredibly enough, Paula’s work has been nominated for over 4 grammy awards. Paula is known for bringing back historical typefaces. Other than this, she also leaned toward Russian constructivism with which Aleksandr Rodchenko was a pioneer.

Through the course of her career, Paula has worked on Esquire, and eventually moved on to become the principal at Pentagram. At Pentagram, she worked with major clients like Bloomberg, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and even the Museum of Modern Art.

 

17. David Milan

When it comes to contemporary iconic logo designers, David Milan’s name should definitely be on the list. Known for his 3D artwork, typography, and unique graphic design, Davids’s work is adventurous and vibrant.

What makes David’s style so unique is his daring approach to the use of colors, textures, and other various forms of design. However, from a traditional design perspective, it may in some ways seem garish to a few skeptics.

Naysayers aside, Davids’s work speaks for itself with major clients like Pepsi, Apple, Huawei, and Washington Post.

 

18. Herb Lubalin

Herb Lubalin was an American graphic designer and typographer. Known majorly for the creation of the typeface ITC Avant Garde and his collaboration on three Ginsberg magazines.

Lubalin, along with John J. Graham, is credited with the creation of the original NBC Peacock. Surprisingly enough, the “100 Days of Herb Lubalin” shows Andy Warhol and Art Kane among some of his employees.

During his private practice, Herb Lubalin also designed versions of Reader’s Digest and New Leader. For all his impressive contributions to the world of graphic design firm up, Herb Labalin is definitely an iconic logo designer to take note of.

 

19. Jessica Walsh

An American Director, Illustrator, and Designer, Jessica Walsh is definitely one of the more current iconic designers. Hailing from the Rhode Island School of Design, Walsh has done work for Levi’s, Aizone, Adobe, and Colab Eyewear.

Other than this, Walsh has created her own design studio, &Walsh, and even documented a social experiment on video, for which the film rights were acquired by Warner Brothers.

 

20. Aries Moross

An English graphic designer, artist accomplished graphic designer and illustrator, Aries Moross has been profiled in popular magazines and awarded for their creative talent.

Known for their typographic illustration, they do major Billboard champions, Cadbury’s, and illustrations for magazines. Featured in major media, like Dazed & Confused, Vice magazine, and Creative Review, this iconic designer also went on to win the Creative Future award.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

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The 20 Best Logo Designers in Branding and Design

Picking the best logo designers is a daunting task, especially with so many talented personalities out there. Design and art are subjective in many ways, so for that reason, we aimed to gravitate more towards what suits us best.

With that said we wrap up our list of the best logo designers, do you agree with this list? Let us know in the comments below.

If you’re after a custom logo design, please contact us.