Artificial intelligence (AI) has now become the center of attention in the creative industry, considering how quickly it generates outputs. As impressive as AI is in visual outputs, it can never capture the creativity that logo designers possess. And if you want to see actual creative logo designs, check out the samples our Penji designers produced. Plus, know how to get a logo here!
Are Designers Still Necessary?
DALL-E and its alternatives are OpenAIs designed to generate digital images from natural language descriptions. In essence: you write up a prompt, as simple or elaborate as you like, and, within minutes, you have the deliverables.
This poses a potential existential crisis for designers, whose collective relevancy is now being challenged for the first time. It isn’t hopeless just yet. The defining characteristic of the human artist is the ability to filter creative prompts through an amalgam of associations, sensibilities, stylizations, and imperfections— all unique, impressionable, and ever-changing— to present a piece of work that is directly attributable to the sum of those ingredients.
The ingredients are different for every artist. This is good. The ratios are different for every artist. This is also good.
While machine learning continues to threaten the future (and the present) of graphic designers, illustrators, animators—and, eventually, every creative profession out there—there’s still an opportunity for artists to separate themselves from the automated trends and express their talents in all its living, breathing glory.
But, how?
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Is AI Design the Future? Or Is It Already Here?
Advertisers are already integrating AI platforms into their workflow. Options like Pencil and Bannerbear offer quick, hassle-free ad generation, provide transparent insights, and the ability to learn from your data and improve your results. Let’s face it: no human designer can pump out work in a sub-three minute timeframe, as Pencil supposedly can.
But, to be fair, no self-respecting human designer would earnestly and shamelessly bring this atrocity (pictured above) to the table as a prospective ad design. Lest they be stripped of their legitimacy for life (but when the computer does it it’s fun and cute!)
And while we’re facing things, here’s a shoehorn-sized fact for all of us (certainly myself) to sink our teeth into: the technology to replace most of our jobs either exists or will exist in the next decade. This should offer us every reason to celebrate the ingenuity of mankind as it eviscerates the tedious need to work for a living. In actuality, most of us are left to cope with the creeping fear of uncertainty as professional opportunities shrink — just in time to see inflation spike to a 40-year high!
Penji: The Creative Choice
You can cower in dread, counting your days and fearing the worst, or you can revel in the lively potential of the creative abyss that is the human mind! Penji understands the power of imaginative, clever, creative designs and the role of the dynamic human behind them. After all, our staff is— and this is an insane sentence to type out—100% human.
It’s sewn into the fabric of what we do. But don’t take my word for it; the proof is in the pudding. And here are 39 heapings of it.
What’s In A Logo?
Before we dig in, let’s dissect what goes into a logo design. Logos can be broken down into sub-categories. Typically, all logos can fit reasonably well into one of these four branches:
- Word Mark / Lettermark
- Emblem
- Mascot
- Pictorial
Wordmark / Lettermark
The wordmark is a logo design that only uses the company’s name. The lettermark, similarly, only uses the company initials. Both types are void of any symbols, mascots, or badges. Plain and simple. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of room to experiment.
Emblem
The emblem is a logo that features text, symbols, and other imagery within a geometric shape. They can be a clean and minimalistic design or a full-blown crest. The automobile industry famously loves emblems, but you’ll see them everywhere from institutions of higher education to coffee shops.
Mascot
A mascot is a logo that includes an image of an identifiable brand ambassador, typically in the form of a cartoon. They can be humans, animals, or even a personified object – like whatever the f*ck the Michelin man is.
Pictorial
Pictorial logos are perhaps the most abstract of the bunch. They can include graphics, symbols, and images to express the brand’s identity.
Consider which logo style best suits your company’s brand, industry, and intentions. Your designs will benefit from your firm understanding of what you want.
39 Creative Logo Designs
Here are 39 inspiring logos designed by Penji’s world-class design team, divided by logotype.
Word Mark
The following 10 designs are in the word mark style. Penji’s design team created all of the work. Consider the techniques deployed by the designers. Each logo showcases a unique approach, weaving symbols into the typography to represent the brand.
Emblem
The following 10 designs adhere to the emblem logo style. Despite the somewhat restricted format of the emblem, there is still a great deal of space to creatively express your brand. These designs showcase a contemporary take on the classic emblem.
Mascot
Mascots should be fun, inviting, and expressive. But they should also represent your brand’s essence. After all, they are brand ambassadors for a reason. The following Penji-designed mascot logos provide some inspiration for those looking to incorporate a mascot into their logo repertoire.
Pictorial
The pictorial mark puts the company name alongside a graphic or symbol. This provides viewers with two pieces of information to latch onto. A successful pictorial mark becomes the stand-in for your brand name. The following logos are created by Penji’s design team.
Final Thoughts
Did these creative logo designs convince you to get a logo from Penji? If so, you can easily subscribe here! But if it’s only a logo you need, you can get one from our Marketplace for only $70! Hurry, though, this is a limited-time offer!
