Penguins are amazing creatures that live in cold and harsh environments. These unusual birds, belonging to the penguin family, fascinate with their unique appearance and behavior. And it is this uniqueness that inspires many representatives of creative professions, including graphic designers who create logos for brands.
Of course, if you compare penguins and kitties, the former are losing out in their popularity, and you are much less likely to meet them on the emblem of a company, however, there are still exceptions. And it is on the logos with the image of penguins we will pay our attention to today.
But first, let’s figure out what is the symbolism of a Penguin, and what its image usually stands for in visual identity design. First, penguins are known for their reliability and ability to survive in the most adverse conditions. That being said, the number one association is reliability and endurance. In addition, penguins have a sense of family and collectivism. Hence, the second main quality of penguins is the spirit of unity. Finally, penguins look funny and friendly, and this adds an element of humor to any serious composition.
Antarctica
The penguin is a symbol of Antarctica, so there is nothing surprising, we see the depiction of this beautiful animal in this logo. The badge is composed of a vertically stretched oval medallion, where the two penguins are facing each other, drawn on a solid red background. Enclosed into a thin silver frame, the medallion is placed inside a negative stave in between two long silver heraldic spikelets.
Jotun
In the logo of the Jotun company, a laconic image of a penguin is inscribed into a blue and white composition with a globe on the background, and the sides of the globe create imaginary wings for the bird. The emblem is set on the left from the bold blue uppercase wordmark, written over a solid banner in intense yellow, with a red stripe on top.
Kinder Pingui
One of the popular Kinder sweet sub-brands is Kinder Pingui, which has a stylized minimalistic image of this animal as the main part of the logo. It is drawn in thick blue lines on the right from the gradient blue wordmark, with the last “I” modified and making up the left part of the bird’s silhouette. The eye of the Kinder penguin is drawn as a small blue crescent.
Linux
One of the most popular logos with the image of a penguin is definitely the emblem of Linux. The bird here is drawn in a three-dimensional manner; keeping its original color palette, composed of black, white, and yellow. It sits on a plain surface, looking off into the distance, and smiles dreamily. The penguin figure is the only element of the Linux visual identity.
McVitie’s Penguin
The McVitie’s Penguin logo looks very stylish and artsy due to the use of an intense color palette, composed of red, yellow, and blue, with delicate white accents. The two birds are holding a solid yellow ribbon with an enlarged lettering on it. The image is drawn on a scarlet-red background.
Penguin Books
Another style of logo with a penguin is the one of the Penguin Books company. The vertically oriented oval medallion in solid orange with a sleek black outline looks sleek and elegant, and the smooth minimalistic image of a penguin, drawn on it in black and white, only elevates these qualities, creating a super professional and fancy badge.
Pingu
The friendly and cute Pingu logo depicts a Penguin-Traveler with a hiking knot behind its shoulder. The bird in black and white, with red and orange details is drawn across a sky-blue roundel in a distinctive black outline, and accompanied by a bright yellow uppercase wordmark with a thick black shadow of the characters.
Pinguin
The unique bird from the Pinguin logo is drawn in a minimalistic abstract manner, in black and white, and placed against a solid bright-blue roundel in a black frame, above the large and sharp wordmark. The lettering is set in the title case of a geometric serif font and features a wide double black-and-white outline.
Pingviini
The friendly and playful penguin on the Pingviini logo is drawn in a smooth and fresh blue-and-white color palette and accompanied by bold geometric serif lettering, arched across its belly in massive capitals. The square serifs and thick bars of the characters are balanced by the soft and rounded contours of the main element of the badge, the penguin.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The logo of the professional hockey club from Pittsburgh looks super cool due to the use of a bright and contrasting black, white, and yellow color palette. The masculine image of the bird, sliding in the ice skates with a hockey stick held by white gloves on the wings, is set on a background with a solid yellow triangle pointing down.
Pontofrio
The main hero of the Pontofrio logo is not an emblem, but the lettering. Written in the lowercase of a bold modern sans-serif typeface, the red inscription is enlarged and placed against a transparent background, followed by a delicate and elegant image of a penguin, drawn in thin black and white lines. The logo is very well-balanced and looks calm yet confident.
Scranton Penguins
The Scranton Penguins hockey club logo features an image of fierce and aggressive penguins in hockey gloves and skates, with a yellow and black hockey stick in its hands. The eyes of the bird are drawn in red, to amplify the sense of danger and strength. The penguin is drawn on a background with a yellow triangle in a double black and white outline, pointing down.
SmartCentres
The logo of the SmartCenters brand looks very modern and strong. Drawn in a sleek laconic manner, it features only a graphical part, with the stylized head of a penguin drawn in profile, facing to the right, on a solid red roundel. The timeless and most elegant black white and red color palette adds chic and excellence to the contemporary style of the drawing.
Tencent Pictures
The Penguin from the logo of Tencent Pictures is almost hidden. The small white silhouette of a bird is drawn at the bottom of a massive black emblem, making up the capital “I”-shaped corridor. The composition is followed by a two-leveled lettering in a custom geometric typeface.
Tencent QQ
The Tencent QQ Penguin is very joyful and fun. Drawn in a simple caricaturish way, the bird makes up the main part of the brand’s badge and is followed by two capital “Q”s in a modern minimalistic typeface. Despite the simplicity of its composition, the Tencent QQ logo is very memorable and strong.
