Within modern commerce’s complex web, footwear brand logos serve as more than simple emblems. They silently champion style, quality, and heritage, with each design element narrating stories of creativity, resilience, and trendsetting. Embarking on this exploration, we discover logos rich in history and imbued with identities that drive brands towards continual progression.
Footwear logos stand as icons, connecting deeply with consumers. They invite individuals into realms where footwear is as crucial as their aspirations. These symbols extend beyond mere trademarks – they embody cultures, revolutions, and lifestyles. Whether it’s a check mark symbolizing sports dreams, a tree representing adventure, or a wordmark suggesting relaxed ease, these logos bear significance that surpasses their visual appearance.
It’s about peeling back the narratives each brand has meticulously crafted. We examine the psychology behind color choices, shape dynamics, bold fonts, and strategic spacing, elements that logos use to establish a place in the consumer psyche. These logos aren’t just identifiers, they’re influencers of consumer behavior, guiding choices in a choice-saturated market.
Entering the domain of footwear titans, we engage with the essence that intertwines functionality, brand essence, and lifestyle promise. The ensuing pages celebrate design’s power and the enduring tales told by these logos.
Adidas
The Adidas brand retained the symbol of the “parent” company – shamrock. In after years the logo was refined and modified many times, the modern logo is not an image of a shamrock only (traditionally having a symbolic meaning, the roots of which are in Christian culture). Also there are five horizontal stripes on the logo – blue and white. The three white stripes – is a symbol of the time (past, present and future), and the blue stripes – the main elements (if to perceive the shamrock as a symbol of the God and the Universe). By the way, Adidas is the creator of the world’s first football boots. Actually, Adidas is one of the three world leaders in the creation of footwear for sports.
Asics
The logo of ASICS, a globally recognized Japanese manufacturer of athletic footwear, is known by all people who value comfort and style. The sleek and sharp stylized “A” emblem, drawn in the shape of a smooth with a pointed end of the line, symbolizes the progressive approach of the company and makes up a quality mark, as the ASICS sports shoes meet all the criteria for the perfect sneakers. The emblem is accompanied by a simple yet strong and stable lowercase wordmark, which represents professionalism and an innovative approach.
Bata
Established in 1894, a family-run entity carved its niche in the global market as a purveyor of fashionable, quality, and accessible footwear. Bata, a trailblazer in shoemaking, sports a lively red logo. Its ‘B’ and ‘a’ play a symmetrical dance, injecting a spirited cadence, while the ‘t’ rises with dignity, anchoring the design in reliability.
Beckett Simonon
Beckett Simonon is a young brand of classic men’s shoes, created by two friends from Colombia in the early 2010s. The main idea of the company is adequate pricing, where neither the design nor the quality of shoes suffer. The brand managed to gain popularity thanks to the fact that it did not deviate from the original policy. As for the visual identity, everything is also within the framework of modern classic style. Black lettering on a white background, but at the same time interesting serifs on the letters.
Brooks
Brooks, a legendary American athletic footwear brand, that was established in the middle of the 1910s, has never changed its direction and never betrayed its values. It was created as a brand of running shoes, and it still is classified the same. In its logo, Brooks perfectly managed to combine both classic confidence and professionalism, and the desire for development and innovative approach. Executed in a pleasant shade of blue, the Brooks logo looks quite simple but confident and stylish.
Burberry
Of course, first of all, the legendary British brand Burberry is famous for its clothing line and perfect beige trench coats. However, the shoe line of this fashion house is also very good. Burberry shoes are the perfect embodiment of every day classics in the highest level of materials. And all this perfection, mixed with traditional graphics and a minimalistic color scheme are the three pillars on which the Burberry logo is built.
Columbia
Columbia is a popular American brand, which in addition to quality footwear also produces clothing and accessories, and all the items represented by the brand have one thing in common: they are made of super-technological materials, making both Columbia clothing and footwear ideal for outdoor activities. It is the technologically advanced fabrics that form the basis of the brand’s logo. Here, in the form of a modest rhombus, the weave of threads is drawn. And the inscription following the logo looks more traditional, promising high quality of all products.
Converse
Converse is much more than just a brand. Today it is an essential part of streetwear culture, a symbol of a youth lifestyle, and the whole generation. And the visual identity of Converse perfectly combines its heritage and its main targets. This badge, with a slanted five-pointed star and a chevron pointing to the right, is a depiction of both the legacy of the brand, which evolved from sports shoes to iconic streetwear; and its progressive plans in evolving and creating new models for its loyal customers.
Crocs
Lightweight rubber Crocs clogs, which won the love of customers all over the world in the early 2000s, are shaped like cute cartoon crocodiles, which fully corresponds not only to the name of the brand but also to its logo. The smiling crocodile, drawn in the black and white color palette on the background with a round medallion, has become a symbol of convenience, lightness, and ease, and the bold rounded wordmark only strengthens the friendliness and playfulness of the whole composition.
DC Shoes
DC Shoes is a brand of skateboarding and extreme sports footwear, apparel, and equipment, which was established at the beginning of the 1990s when the niche was still relatively small. Today the company has significantly expanded its assortment, but shoes are still the number one priority. As for the logo, the DC Shoes logo looks both elegant and brutal at the same time, due to the classic font of letters in the monogram and the thickness of the lines. Black color only elevates both sides of the badge’s concept.
Diadora
The logo of this famous Italian activewear brand is instantly recognizable by sportsmen from all over the globe. This combination of a sharp and minimalistic emblem with softened lowercase lettering perfectly reflects the path of the Diadora brand and its ability to evolve and adopt innovative approaches to the production of its collections. Another feature of the Diadora logo is the negative space inside the lowercase letters painted in black, and this is what makes the badge truly unique.
Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens is another highly recognizable and progressive brand on our list. The company, established in 1947, was initially focused on the production of work shoes, but today their brutal boots and lace-ups are an essential attribute of a casual streetwear outfit. The logo of the famous brand uses an intense eye-catching color palette, composed of yellow and black, and quite a complex composition with the graphical element overlapped by a massive wordmark written in a curled line with the bottom part featuring a thinly striped pattern.
Fila
The logo of Fila, a famous sportswear brand with Italian roots, is executed in a sleek and intense blue, red, and white color palette, and has the lettering as the only element of the composition. The uppercase inscription is written in a stylized rounded sans-serif typeface with the detached upper bar of the “F” and the merged lines of the last two characters. The simplicity of the concept here is balanced by the heaviness and stability of the lines, which look much friendlier due to the rounded ends.
H&M
The logo of this brand provides, on the one hand, minimalism, on the other – originality. In fact, it is “just” the name of the brand H&M, made in crimson and designer’s font. Being focused on the middle class of consumers (including mid – price), the company mainly produced clothing and accessories, but shoes also, and recently – and cosmetics.
Hoka
Hoka is a relatively young brand, compared to other giants in this list, however, it has managed to quickly gain popularity. And it’s all due to its unique approach to designing and producing super comfortable and effective athletic footwear. Established in 2009, today the brand has thousands of fans all over the globe, including famous sportsmen. The Hoka logo, executed in a calm and pleasant blue and white color palette, is all about freedom and speed, with the elegant bird inscribed into the massive slanted “O”.
Hush Puppies
Hush Puppies is an American footwear brand, which was established in 1958, and rocked the market with its revolutionary suede chukka boots, which are super comfortable and lightweight. Today the assortment of the brand covers all the possible shoe needs of both men and women. The logo of the brand perfectly reflects the qualities of its footwear: with the cozy and comfy realistic image of a basset hound dog sitting above the stable and confident geometric sans-serif lettering in plain black.
Giovanni Fabiani
The brand and logo was created in 1971 in Milan, Italy and is laconic. In fact, the image is a combination of stylized letters (he first letters of the name of the owner and creator of the business). The creators of the logo dispensed with frills and even the simplest decorations, despite the fact that the brand itself belongs to the domain of high fashion. Everything is very restrained and organic. Initially, brand the candle light was chosen as the symbol of the brand, but this idea was dropped. But, the shape of the current logo suggests that the idea to consider the brand as a ray of light in the world of shoes is relevant nowadays. Giovanni Fabiani brand is best known for extremely high quality materials and reliable accessories, highly decorated with decorative elements.
Jordan
The name Jordan is familiar to millions of people around the world and first and foremost as the surname of one of the most prominent basketball players in the history of sports. It was in collaboration with Michael Jordan that Nike released a line of sneakers under the same name brand. And today Jordan sneakers are not just shoes, but a symbol of modern streetwear culture. The brand logo, predictably, is built around the silhouette of Michael Jordan, depicted in a jump with a ball. Executed in plain black, it is set against a transparent background without any additional elements.
Kappa
Another Italian name in our list today is Kappa, the brand, that was established in the 1960s and became a symbol of its times. However, today Kappa is still super popular, and the brand’s red and white logo is recognizable all over the globe. The badge of the sports brand is composed of an emblem, depicting two outlined figures sitting back to back, and a massive extended title case lettering in a modern geometric sand-serif typeface, with the characters also outlined in red.
Lacoste
Lacoste, a luxury athletic fashion brand from France, has a history that began in the 1930s when it was established as a company for designing and manufacturing tennis apparel. Today the brand still has a lot of collections dedicated to this sports discipline, but its portfolio has been significantly widened. The emblem of the iconic brand features a depiction of a crocodile, drawn in profile using a green, white, and red color palette. The emblem is placed above a laconic uppercase wordmark with distinctive contours of the medium-weight characters, looking elegant and powerful.
Lotto
The visual identity of Lotto, an Italian active-wear brand, that has been around since the beginning of the 1970s, is executed in an intense and powerful black, red, and white color palette, which is always actual. The badge features a white emblem and lettering inscribed into a horizontally stretched rectangular banner with the left part composed of a solid red square and a stylized diamond-shaped geometric figure, and the right part is set in black, with the white slanted inscription on it.
Merrell
An American footwear manufacturer Merrell was established in 1981 as a brand focused on the production of super reliable and comfortable footwear for hiking and other outdoor activities. The logo of the brand is based on simplicity and stability and features just one element, the wordmark. The inscription is written in the uppercase of a medium-weight Sam’s-serif typeface with square shapes of the characters and uses a calm terracotta-orange shade for the bars, which look very interesting and stylish on a plain white background.
Mizuno
The famous Japanese athletic brand Mizuno has been hitting the market since the beginning of the 20th century. Established in 1906, today the company has grown into one of the leaders in the production of perfect shoes for sports activities. And the Mizuno logo only elevated this high reputation. The badge is executed in a bright blue color palette, which stands for quality and reliability. The upper part of the badge is decorated by a sharp yet massive swoosh-like emblem, and the bottom boasts a stylized heavy lettering in a custom sans-serif font with futuristic motifs.
New Balance
Today, no shoe collection of a modern city dweller can do without at least one pair of sneakers by the New Balance brand, which was founded in 1906 in Boston. Sneakers of this brand are known for their high quality, comfort of wear, and, of course, recognizable design, because each pair of New Balance is decorated with a massive geometric letter “N”. The same font is used in the company’s logo, but the abbreviation NB is decorated with white pointed horizontal stripes, which symbolize speed and freedom.
Nike
The Nike logo has marked a place for itself in the textbooks as the logo of optimal design, consisting of both a short and catchy brand name (only one syllable) and a very simple and recognizable image. Ex-athletes (brand creators) developed Nike shoes that is why Nike goods are in such unprecedented demand.
Onitsuka Tiger
Onitsuka Tiger is not simply a footwear brand, it’s a legacy. This company became an inspiration for the creators of Nike, the sneakers of this brand have always been super innovative, and their design is far ahead of its times. Today there is barely a corner on our planet where the name of this brand is still unknown. In terms of visual identity, Onitsuka Tiger is classy and traditional. Its black-and-white badge features a shape of a horizontally-extended traditional crest, with the bold serif “Onitsuka” written above it in solid black characters, and a white gothic cursive “Tiger”, set diagonally against a solid black crest. Stable and powerful.
Oofos
Oofos, a young and innovative footwear brand, was established in the beginning of the 2010s and instantly attracted the attention of extoettsnin the footwear industry and people looking for comfortable shoes. The brand is known primarily for creating a unique outsole that allows the foot to get fewer tires and has certain orthopedic properties. As for the visual identity, Oofos is sleek and minimalistic, with the smooth gray uppercase lettering as the main part of the composition, and a bright lime-green dash line inside the negative space of the second “O”. The badge looks playful and at the same stone stable and professional.
Ozark Trail
An American brand of footwear, apparel, and equipment for outdoor activities, Ozark Trail, has a super good reputation among nature and hiking enthusiasts. The brand offers a wide variety of items of high quality, at truly affordable prices. The badge of the company, executed in a monochromatic color palette, is composed of a laconic emblem depicting a silhouette of a mountain with a white wavy line drawn on it as a path, and a two-leveled geometric inscription in a futuristic designer typeface.
Puma
It is interesting to note that, the following two brands were “born” by the same company – a small family business of Dasslers. But, the economic crisis in Europe at the end of the Second world war demanded decisive measures to promote its project in the market. The brothers Dassler, who did not see eye to eye, divided the business into two, today very famous – “Puma” and “Adidas“. The Puma logo is of a substantive nature or, in other words, contains a stylized image of the brand symbol – a big jumping cat. The logo is monochrome and recognizable: it emphasizes the rather aggressive market policy of the company.
Reebok
Reebok is the name of the brand, which is definitely sitting at the top of the list of the most recognizable sportswear and footwear manufacturers in the world. The company has been around since the middle of the last century and has always enjoyed making its customers surprised by innovative ideas and superb designs of their sneakers and garments. The logo of the athletic wear company features a sleek and sharp graphical emblem, which looks like a stylized delta symbol, and a title case wordmark, written in a unique and instantly recognizable geometric font with open contours of some of the characters.
Sanuk
Founded in the late 1990s in America, the Sanük footwear company moved to China some time ago, which allowed the company to reduce the cost of some processes and, consequently, make the shoes more affordable for consumers. The same “customer at the center of priorities” strategy is applied in the design of the brand’s logo. The brand’s badge features a smooth white handwritten lettering set across a solid bright green background, with the letter “Ü” looking like a fun smiley face.
Saucony
Saucony, the legendary American manufacturer of comfortable sneakers, was established at the end of the 19th century and hasn’t lost its popularity today. On the contrary, by applying new technologies for the materials, and creating stylish designs, the brand has won more hearts of customers from all over the globe. The logo of the brand looks very restrained and at the same time unique, due to its emblem, with the three white roundels on a sleek wavy line, which stands for a river. The emblem is accompanied by lowercase lettering in a modern and minimalistic sans-serif font.
Skechers
Another super popular American footwear brand on the list is Skechers. Established in 1992, today the brand has its sneakers and comfy sandals sold all over the world. The shoes of the label are known for their interesting design, high-quality materials, and affordable prices. As for the visual identity, Skechers is sharp and progressive, with the lettering bearing the only element of the composition. The name of the brand is written in the uppercase of an italicized geometric serif typeface with titular serifs on the ends of the thick distinctive bars.
Sperry
Sperry is a popular footwear brand, known internationally primarily as the manufacturer of boat shoes. The visual identity of the company fully corresponds to its main focus. The emblem, set in the left part of the composition, boasts a solid blue roundel with the laconic white contours of a sail, drawn in a white line with softened ends. As for the lettering, it is set in the same shade of blue, in the uppercase of a distinctive modern sans-serif typeface with lots of air in between the capital characters.
Timberland
Timberland, born in 1952, has become an iconic footwear brand for those, who seek comfort and durability in their everyday shoes. The waterproof materials the brand uses for its lace-ups and sneakers have made the lives of thousands of people bearable during heavy rains and other not-the-most-pleasant weather conditions. The visual identity of Timberland symbolizes strength and willingness, and these qualities are shown in the brand’s emblem, which depicts a stylized geometric tree inscribed into a circular medallion.
Toms
Today the canvas slip-one, made by the young footwear brand Toms, is super popular all over the globe for its lightness, comfort, and versatility. The brand was established in 2006, and always tried to follow the path of minimalistic design, and it can clearly be seen in the Toms logo, where the uppercase lettering appears to be the only element. The plain black wordmark is written in the clean medium-weight geometric sans-serif typeface with distinctive contours and a lot of air in between the bars of the characters.
UGG
Australian sheepskin boots named UGGs started conquering the world in the early 2000s, and today barely any person who lives out of the tropical climate can imagine their life without these warm and comfy shoes. The logo of the brand looks sharp, elegant, and professional, with just the uppercase lettering set in plain black against a transparent background without any framing. Executed in a classy serif font, the inscription has its central letter enlarged and slightly overlapping the side characters.
Umbro
Umbro is the brand mostly known in the football world, as since its establishment in the 1920s, the company has been producing football boots and equipment for professional players. The logo of the brand looks very modern and intense, with the simple geometric emblem in the shape of a rhombus, drawn in a black, red, and white color palette, and a restrained lowercase wordmark, written at the bottom of the composition in a classy and heavy sans-serif typeface.
Under Armour
The emblem with two stylized overlapping letters “U” forming an “X” is a symbol of a strong and popular brand, Under Armour, which is known for its stylish and innovative sportswear and athletic apparel. The brand was established at the beginning of the 1990s, and it took not much time for it to gain a worldwide audience of fans. The lettering under the emblem is executed in a bold geometric typeface with futuristic shapes, symbolizing the innovative approach of the brand.
Vans
Vans is the well-known American brand, that has become a symbol of streetwear lifestyle and extreme sports. The brand is known not only for its cool apparel and footwear but also for its slogan, “Off the Wall”, which is an essential part of Vans visual identity. Written at the bottom of the badge, the motto, executed in the uppercase of a bold geometric sans-serif typeface, makes up an underlined for an enlarged “Vans”, set in bright red capitals with the right diagonal bar of the “V” elongate and bent to the right, roofing the following characters.
Wilson
Wilson is the brand, which is mainly known for the production of equipment and apparel for tennis players, however, the company also has a wide selection of high-quality sports shoes in its portfolio. The logo of Wilson looks elegant and sleek due to the use of a custom serif typeface with lowercase cursive characters connected by smooth bold lines, and the capital “W” with square serifs turned to the left, detached. The wordmark is set in a dark and calm shade of red, which symbolizes excellence and professionalism.
Wolf & Shepherd
Wolf & Shepherd, known for merging Italian craftsmanship with athletic innovation, revolutionizes dress shoes by incorporating running shoe technology. This provides exceptional comfort and performance for professionals on the go. The Wolf & Shepherd logo stands out with its minimalist design, employing a strong, sans-serif font that conveys modernity and simplicity. The balanced text, with “WOLF” and “SHEPHERD” of equal weight and separated by “and”, symbolizes a mix of agility and stability. The deep black color emphasizes the brand’s straightforward, no-nonsense approach, while the tight yet spacious lettering allows each character to assert its presence. This logo represents contemporary elegance and a dedication to quality.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga footwear is all about sophisticated style and futuristic brutal models, trendy variations from the most sought-after fashion designer in the world. You can choose from bright leather pumps, luxurious sandals, laconic ankle boots, or casual sneakers. In terms of visual identity, Balenciaga follows all the trends of fashion branding, which are minimalism, geometry, and readability. The logo of the brand is composed of bold uppercase lettering in a fancy geometric sans-serif typeface, which looks very stable and elegant.
ECCO
Ecco is a Danish brand, established in the middle of the 1960s with the idea of manufacturing super comfortable shoes for everyday life. And this idea has been kept by the company until today. The visual identity of the Ecco brand is composed solely of a stylized wordmark, written in a bold lowercase font in black, against a plain white background, without any graphical accents. The contours of the “E” and the “O” are opened, balancing the shapes of the “C”s and creating a super recognizable image.
Fendi
The history of the Fendi brand began in 1918 when the first leather fur store was opened in Milan. And then it was on and on, and the company began to produce women’s clothing, as well as shoes and accessories. One of the most iconic designers in the history of the brand was Karl Lagerfeld. It was he who came up with the legendary Fendi logo, literally sketching a composition of two letters f in a few seconds. At first double F, also known as Zucca, was applied on the lining of fur coats, and then began to be placed on shoes and bags. In 2018 the logo was modernized and simplified.
Miu Miu
The Miu Miu brand was founded in 1992 by the famous Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada. The brand name Miu Miu was derived from Miuccia’s childhood nickname. The brand’s target audience is young fashion lovers in their 20s and 30s who are looking for a more provocative style but opt for high quality and understated elegance. Many of the Miu Miu footwear models have become iconic, and some of them have enlarged logos on the outside. The Miu Miu logo is a bold lowercase wordmark in a custom sans-serif typeface with the detached bars of the “M”s and stencils in the “U”s.
Quiksilver
Quiksilver has been around since 1969. Its story began with the seaside town of Torquay in Australia, a great love of waves, and two young surfers, Alan Green and John Law. In 1973, the Quiksilver brand was officially registered. Its logo is the image of a wave that seems to embrace a snowy mountain peak. The name was invented by Alan’s wife Barbara. She was reading a novel and saw in it the name “Quiksilver” – mercury – which in ancient times was believed by alchemists to be the element that would help turn any metal into gold.
Roxy
Roxy is a youth sportswear brand from Australia, which announced itself in 1990. It was then that the owners of the famous Quiksilver brand decided to launch a line of women’s sportswear. Subsequently, the brand also began to produce shoes and colorful accessories. Today, Roxy is a world-famous brand with stores all over the world. The Roxy visual identity is based on the iconic Quicksilver logo. The emblem is composed of two icons, set diagonally and forming a heart. Very tender and feminine.
Salomon
Salomon is one of the most recognizable premium active footwear brands. The brand uses only its technological developments, devoting a huge amount of effort and money to this process. The skill of developers and strict evaluation of professional mountain athletes, a long history of existence, and the rapid golden development of the brand allow for the creation of sports shoes of the highest quality. The visual identity of Salomon is all about confidence and strength. The black-and-white color palette and progressive geometric shapes of the elements create a stylish and memorable image.
The North Face
The North Face is a world-renowned American brand of clothing, footwear, and accessories for outdoor activities and sports with more than 50 years of history. The name of the brand means mountaineering the most difficult climbs on the northern slope of the mountain, which is famous for its unpredictable weather conditions. As a basis for the brand logo, it was decided to choose some important California points that would symbolize the brand. The founders chose Half Dome Mountain, located in Yosemite National Park.
Tod’s
Tod’s is the name of a luxury Italian footwear manufacturer which is known for superb leather moccasins for men and elegant comfortable pumps for women. The logo of the sleek brand features a combination of traditional heraldic elements, the lions’ heads, with modern minimalistic geometry, and a timeless sophisticated serif typeface of the uppercase wordmark, set in the center of the composition.
Conclusion
As you have noticed from our long list of footwear brands, there is now an exact trend in the logos of the companies in this field. Each of the manufacturers chooses its way, and it’s not only about the visual identity design but also about the concept and style of the shoes they make.
Some of the labels prefer to pay the attention of a customer to its historical heritage and traditional approach to craftsmanship, while others are all about innovations and technological materials. All the main aspects of the companies’ philosophy are reflected by the designers in their unique logos.
This also applies to the frequency with which brands conduct restyling or redesigning of their emblems because some prefer not to do it at all, thus further emphasizing the loyalty to tradition. Others are not afraid to experiment in search of the perfect image, thus showing their willingness to adapt to the ever-changing requirements of the target audience.
