Nothing in the logo of the Honey app can tell you that its function is to find and apply coupon codes when you shop online. And yet, the brand has a distinctive visual identity that echoes its name and also implies that the service has something “sweet” to offer.
The company was established by Ryan Hudson and George Ruan in the fall of 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Over the following months, the number of organic users soared, and by the spring of 2014, it already reached 900 thousand.
What is Honey
It is a browser extension that finds and applies coupon codes on eCommerce websites. The app is operated by Honey Science Corp. based in Los Angeles, California. According to the company, the number of members is around 17 million.
If you take a look at the original Honey logo, you will instantly notice that its overall style is very similar to the current one. There is nothing but the wordmark set in a cursive script imitating handwriting. There’re also five small circles apparently imitating drops of honey.
We can’t say that the wordmark is very meaningful, but it does look like a handwritten label placed on a jar of honey brought from a nearby apiary. So, it’s not just a soulless product bought from a supermarket but something you receive from a beekeeper you had known all your life.
The second logo hasn’t preserved this personal feel. The cursive glyphs have been replaced by a clean rounded type with standalone letters. There are no serifs, and the thickness of the strokes is pretty much the same all over the wordmark.
Moreover, the wordmark doesn’t seem to conjure up the “honey” feel in any way as even the drops have gone. The lettering is white over blue background, and this color looks pretty cool and distant. We should point out, though, that the characters have rounded shapes (especially the “n”), which in a way alludes to the “liquid” theme.
Once again, the Honey logo is set in a cursive script. The shape of the letters is different, though – they have been straightened and made better legible.
This time, the authors of the design made good use of the color. The warm orange conjures up liquid honey with its sweet allure.
The cursive type is there to conjure up the image of a jar of honey bought directly from a beekeeper, like the ones some of us would have in our childhood. Also, there is something liquid about the script, which again echoes the same theme.
The palette of the Honey logo also supports the name of the brand, although this shade of orange appears slightly more saturated than that of real honey.