Home Animals Horses in Logo Design

Horses in Logo Design

The horse is one of the most beautiful animals, symbolizing freedom and success. Horses were one of the first objects, depicted in caves, they are also known to be sacred animals in many cultures. And many famous brands use this animal as their symbol, reflecting all the meanings of the horse image and its grace.

There are dozens of companies and labels, using the horse in their visual identity designs. And most of them are high-end brands with logos, that are instantly recognizable across the globe.

Cars

Probably the category which uses horse emblem most is the car industry companies. Using the most obvious associations with the animal — speed, agility, and strength, the world’s auto-brands with horse logo are on the top of the list of the most luxury and expensive carmakers in the world.

Porsche

One of the most famous car brands with horse insignia is Porsche. The German car manufacturing company uses a delicate black image of a gracious animal placed on the ornate shield, which is a tribute to the company’s roots and heritage.

The Porsche logo is one of the most elegant car badges ever, which fully reflects the brand’s character and legacy. Visit here to read the full story of the famous logo.

Mustang

Another style of the horse-based visual identity is used in the Mustang logo. Being a truly American brand, they chose the animal as a symbol of power in Native American tribes. Of course, it is also about the speed, as the horse, or pony, on the Mustang logo is running.

The pony, drawn by a famous artist Philip Thomas, today is synonymous to a sport-car and its different versions became collectible.

Fashion

Among other industries, adorning horses is fashion. Many high-end brands use this amazing animal to shows the elegance and finesse of the label. Besides speed and strength, horses also symbolize independence, nobility and sexuality, the qualities, which perfectly characterize a modern luxury fashion house.

Burberry

One of the leading fashion houses of Great Britain, Burberry, embodies a horse on its logo. The brand, established in the middle of the 1850s, uses the horse with an equestrian as a symbol of purity, loyalty, and pride, and their insignia is considered to be one of the most iconic in the industry.

Hermes

One of the most luxurious fashion brands in history, Hermes, appeared as a saddlery producing business and grew into the iconic label in no time.

The company’s logo depicts a horse with a carriage and is executed in a white and orange color palettes, which symbolizes energy and happiness. Both the symbol and the colors of the logo reflect distinctive style and attention to detail.

Corporations

The horse is also known to represent the power of mind and spirit, along with service to others and dedication, that is why big corporations also chose this animal for their visual identity. Among other meanings of the horse, image is financial stability and prosperity.

Lloyds Bank

Lloyds Bank was one of the first big companies to use the horse for its logo. The symbol was inherited from London goldsmiths, and the bank changed its emblem with a beehive (a reflection of thrift and industry) to a black horse, as it looked more elegant and kept a lot of meanings.

Though the color of the Lloyds horse was changed throughout the bank’s history, the logo is still referred to as “The black horse” and is considered to be one of the most iconic in the banking visual identity designs.

Exxon Mobil

Another example of a remarkable horse logo is Exxon Mobile. The gas and oil corporation has been using a mythological red Pegasus in its visual identity since the beginning of the twentieth century.

A winged horse from Greek mythology is an immortal creature, symbolizing wisdom, speed, and courage. Greek culture is not the only one to have myths about horses. The Celtic stories showed horses as the o lot animals able to travel to and from the Underworld.

The horse motif is one of the oldest themes in visual arts. This elegant and beautiful animal was depicted on many masterpieces of famous artists — on paintings and in sculptures, alone or with a rider. (George Stubbs, a painter from the 18th century, is the most famous horse painter). During some period of time, it was also a symbol of battle and victory. Many cultures attribute all the four main powers (earth, air, water, and fire) to the horse.

But today it only keeps the most positive meanings and getting more and more popular in logo design, as allows to reflect all the essential principle and sides of any modern and successful company.