We all know how important logos are. Case in point: Formula 1 unveiled a brand new logo last year that majorly upset its fan base and became a topic of contention for months. So, when we heard Supreme’s logo is at the center of attention for positive reasons, we had to spotlight it.
Supreme is the king of the streetwear game, but it turns out its logo is a major influencer, as well. In a new report from Lyst, Supreme’s logo was voted the most powerful in the world for fashion brands.
The history of Supreme’s logo is nothing short of controversial, of course. The company started as a skateboard shop in New York City. To celebrate the opening of the store, owner James Jebbia decided to sell three different T-shirts with the company’s branding. One of the T-shirts featured a simplistic logo designed by one of Jebbia’s friends. It was this T-shirt that outsold all the others, but Jebbia decided he wanted to update the logo, and he drew inspiration from some of conceptual artist Barbara Kruger’s work. The new logo looked very similar to Krugrer’s work, with white letters surrounded by red background.
Kruger had no copyright on the logo. While she could not take any legal action, she was very outspoken about Supreme’s imitation. In light of this controversy, Supreme still thrived, and as you can see from these rankings, the logo was a big contributor to that.
So, why is this logo so successful? For one, it’s very simple. The white font choice is bold, yet classic. And the red backdrop makes the company name pop, even from a distance. The simple logo also lends itself to collaborations and alternative designs, making it the ideal branding foundation.
Aside from Supreme, Lyst released the other nine brands with the top logos.
Here’s the full list:
- Supreme
- Champion
- Fila
- Prada
- Fendi
- Gucci
- Kappa
- Versace
- Louis Vuitton
- Celine
Most of these speak more to the underlying popularity of the brands than the logos themselves, but it’s still a testament to the way brands and logos are tied together. (Seth Godin has some thoughts on that.) We’re currently living in an age where Logomania continues to dominate the fashion world, and all the brands on this list have taken full advantage of this trend. Of course, that’s great news for promotional apparel suppliers and distributors, because your clients will be looking for ways to get their logos front and center.
