The circle is a fundamental shape of the natural world, so it makes sense why circular logos have appealed to brands ever since there were (literal) brands. The shape is so clean and recognizable that it becomes a great vehicle for organizing and conveying information, and the lack of any hard angles makes it pleasing to the eye. The downfall of using such a simple shape is that, without any nuance, your own circle logo might come off looking just that—simple.
Lucky for you we’ve rounded up some awesome circular designs to give you a few fresh ideas on how best to take advantage of the circle in your branding. To help you out, we’ll start from square one—or should we say circle one!
Earth-toned and wholesome
—
The circle is a shape that occurs frequently in nature: oranges, dew drops and even the planet earth have circular shapes. From a design standpoint, this means that circles can be used to reflect a sense of nature or wholesomeness in a brand.
This works especially well when circular designs are implemented with earth-tones. Take for example the Organic Basket Co. logo, which uses earthy, dark-yellow tones in a simple, circular design to communicate their wholesome and organic brand values.
Minimal and modern
—
Circles lack angles, edges and corners. They are a single, continuous line without variation and are therefore extremely minimal. This means that they are also well-suited to designs aiming for a sleek and modern appearance through reduction and refinement.
The logo for luxury home brand Nimbu captures this idea well by pairing a simple blue circle with abstract flowing waves and a minimal sans serif typeface. The circle merges with these elements to convey simple, luxurious and modern brand values.
Geometric and sophisticated
—
The basic, geometric nature of the circle makes it a great departure point for more complex geometric designs. In this case, symmetrical patterns can revolve around a circular format, or geometric embellishments can be added to a circle to emphasize a sophisticated brand concept.
In the Obradov Design logo, for instance, a circle is partially obscured by an outer partial sphere. This geometric embellishment creates a spatial inside-outside relationship between the two elements—perfect for an interior design brand!
Soft-colored and cute
—
The circle’s inherent lack of sharp corners and edges allows it to feel visually safe and comforting, especially when paired with a soft or pastel color palette. Hence, it’s no surprise that gentle and cute brands decide to go with round logos.
Take for example the Little Friends Shop, which features a dog and cat cuddling each other in a circular form. The light yellow and grey color palette in combination with the rounded shape grants this logo an undeniably soft and cute appearance!
Decorative and hip
—
Hip and decorative “badge”-style logos have been a trend ever since the dawn of digital design. They feel like a nod to classic ink stamps, pins or belt-buckles—the overall circular nature of the material assets from bygone eras. And vintage throwbacks are great for creating a sense of long-term establishment or authenticity in any brand.
While stamps and pins may be less common today, this style of design is still practical in its ease of application to commonly used circular brand assets—like beer coasters! In one example, record label Novotone Newcastle uses a rounded badge-style design featuring a vintage tube, commonly seen in analog amplifiers. The combination of old-school imagery and circular typography gives this company a retro and hip feel. Not to mention it would look great stamped in the center of a record!
