Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
User submission
200.6K
Designer Fixes The ‘World’s Worst Logos’ (9 Pics)
Interview With ArtistA brand logo can make it or break it in the big game. Just look at the most iconic logo designs—from Apple to Nike, there’s something genius, yet so simple about them. But that’s an exception rather than a rule.
Italian graphic designer Emanuele Abrate knows very well how bad logos can be. From unclear messages and typography gone wrong to designs that are just too far to be saved altogether, these are some of the problems Emanuele is targeting in his new project. And “The worst logos ever, redesigned” does exactly what it says. Emanuele has picked 9, in his opinion, of the worst company logo faux pas that could be saved from a distasteful limbo. He interpreted them in his own ways and the results are down below.
Bored Panda contacted Emanuele based in Cherasco, Northern Italy to find out more about the idea behind his project. “I had the idea of redesigning the worst logos ever for a long time. I’ve been coming across the articles about bad design logos with unclear messages from all over the world for several years (one of these articles I think I read on Bored Panda,)” he told us. Scroll down to read the full interview below and check the new logos!
More info: EmanueleAbrate.com | Behance.net | Facebook | Instagram
RELATED:
Instituto de Estudos Orientais
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
This particular case is a great example of a logo with ambiguous message. “I wanted to keep the concept unchanged, working on the negative space and enhancing the figure of the pagoda,” he writes on Behance. Emanuele eliminated the outline for a fresh and modern look. He also aligned the typography with the pictogram and converted the font to sans serif, which “matches the symbol better.”
Emanuele selected 9 of what he thought were the worst logos and rolled up his sleeves. “I was trying to figure out how I would approach them if they were really commissioned to me.” The result is not only fun but also “educational and helps to understand that design is not only aesthetic but, above all, it’s about problem solving.”
The designer believes that the best logos are those “that manage to indelibly enter people’s minds through simplicity and that manage to create an effective and coherent visual ecosystem with the brand they represent.”
Kudawara Pharmacy
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Emanuele believes there are many different problems with this logo. He names a couple of them: “a poor use of typography, disproportionate elements, and the defective use of shapes that creates an ambiguous message.” He said he was ready to delete the whole thing and keep the K as a lettermark only. “I used simple shapes to build the letter K and give a sense of trust linked to nature.” Plus, “In the negative space you can also see a cross (a distinctive element in the pharmaceutical field).”
Fire Prevention Products
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
“This logo suggests that something ‘down there’ is on fire, uh là là!” joked the Italian designer. Of course, it doesn’t hold the sense of safety one would expect. “That’s why I decided to develop a new concept starting from circular shapes that enclose the figure of a flame in the negative space.” The name has been shortened to the acronym “FPP,” which gives the logo great recognition even if the full text isn’t present.
Emanuele said he’s “a big fan of the work of Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv and I fully agree with their philosophy” because “their logo design projects are the ones that best resist the ‘test of time.'” Such logos should be both simple and unusual enough to look appealing. A good logo should also always “have an interesting concept and be in line with the company identity which it represents,” he commented.
Mama’s Baking
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Emanuele has given this logo a whole new concept. The idea was inspired by “the figure of the mother who cooks with passion.” Imagine her taking the hot pan out of the oven. “I started from the oven mitt as an iconic symbol, and tied it with a heart for the message of love and passion.”
The Computer Doctors
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Emanuele dubbed this design so bad that “nothing could be saved of it.” Thus he came up with a new concept that combines the worlds of technology and health care. “The idea behind the new logo was to start from the shape of a monitor to insert a cross in the negative space and at the same time enhance the initial letters C and D,” he explained.
Clinica Dental San Marcelino
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
“A dentist or a seducer?” That’s what came to Emanuele’s mind when he saw this one. “The logo is so unclear that I came up with a simpler and less descriptive solution.” Thus, he arranged the letters C and D so that they form a smiling face. “The clean, rounded lines and the blue color are intended to convey a sense of confidence and cleanliness,” he commented.
Emanuele currently teaches a course called “Logo Hero” that provides all the education you’d need about logo and brand designs. He also manages “Logofonts” on Instagram, where he reveals what kind of fonts famous logos are using. In fact, “the idea for this page was inspired by the success of my project on Behance.”
OGC (Office of Government Commerce)
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
At first, it seems like the original OGC logo has nothing wrong with it. “But by rotating the logo, you can see a rather embarrassing figure (definitely not a good move for a government agency),” explains Emanuele. That’s why he restyled the logo by enhancing the letters, eliminating the outline and giving it a modern look.
Safe Place
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
This case has just too much going on: “It’s all shapes inside shapes inside other shapes.” Emanuele rolled up his sleeves: “Ok, let’s do some tidying up, let’s take away everything that is superfluous: the house is the only really evocative element of this logo and so, let’s enhance it!”
Arlington Pediatric Center
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
Image credits: emanueleabrate.com
The new logo starts with the same concept, but it’s more confident. “The simple and circular shapes make the pictogram friendly and warm. I also replaced the typography with more modern but still institutional sans serif.”
3.9Mviews
Share on Facebook
What do you think ?
M DR 5 years ago
Well, at least the big figure isn't forcing the little figure into fellatio anymore...
Load More Replies...
Charlotte A. 5 years ago
All but a few of the originals takes my mind in the way wrong direction. I can't help but wonder what the original designers were thinking, or the people who approved of those designs and decided to make use of them...
loading... 5 years ago
I agree that pretty much all the originals were terrible, but some of the redesigns are pretty flat too.
Luca 5 years ago
Look at world's most famous logos. Aren't they simple if not just stylish brand names sometimes even without any or just very simple graphic elements? (gucci, armani, vuitton, apple, nike, adidas, google, microsoft, audi, bmw, etc). Many people thinks logo should be something elaborated but actually a logo should be able to communicate an idea in the simplest and immediate way is possible
Load More Replies...
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
The original mamas baking....what the hell. I like his much better in all of them.
HempFairy 5 years ago
Funny how most of them has a sexual/phallic resemblance! Guess we all have penises and vaginas planted in our subconscious and it shows whether we want it or not.
earringnut 5 years ago
Blame it on evolution. We "look" for sex everywhere so we can pass down our DNA.
Load More Replies...
Hoppinger 5 years ago
Who designed the original logos? As a former graphic designer, I can guarantee that some of those were designed by the company owners / family members / friends etc. in order to save a few bucks. It takes talent to design a successful logo and company brand. I never understood why people give so little thought to the one thing everyone will see and remember.
Jon S. 5 years ago
I like most of these redesigns, but I prefer the original Mama's Baking logo. It may be slightly sexually suggestive, but it is also memorable and has strong domestic quality. People like the idea of big woman with a big family who is good with an oven and unashamed in bed. To me it goes all the way back to palaeolithic venus statues.
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
IDK, the first thing I thought of was a woman whose crotch was on fire -- made me think yeast infection!
Load More Replies...
Wendy Boustani 5 years ago
I like the safe place logo. It needs to show you can surrender your child without legal repercussions (if you feel you are unfit; these signs are usually at hospitals).. That's why there are hands holding out a baby. The house is *not* the important element. I think he considers it inelegant design because he doesn't understand its purpose. I myself think it's very clear and simple in conveying complicated messaging.
Up All Night 5 years ago
To me, it's not someone "holding out a baby", it's someone grabbing a bigger child from behind (notice the zero distance between the two figures). Everything is simplified, but the grabby fingers are detailed, signalling that this is the main element in the logo. Very predatory looking, sorry.
Load More Replies...
Scott Miller 5 years ago
I like that the solution to the Arlington Pediatric Care is to make it look almost exactly like the original Safe Space logo.
fainasKeturatis 5 years ago (edited)
what's wrong with original OGC? edit: penis, as always... it's always penises.
lonk owo 4 years ago (edited)
all of them look very wrong 1. it looks like there goes something in his a*s 2. this one is not that bad bud itlooks like love making 3. shame lips 4. shame hair 5. d**k 6. everyone sees this one 7. less obvious but a man (head to the left) holding his **** but it was hard to find 8. well...... 9. men holding child in a strange way..... I hope i'm not the only one who sees all these things
Mateusz Kolanek 5 years ago
Half of those are "I literally force myself to see something wrong here". Kudawara Pharmacy for example. NOTHING looks wrong here. Only some real perverts see what they want to see. The FPP too. And some others. But yeah, there are few that really looks weird.
Carl Bennett 5 years ago
What were they even thinking with the first designs? How did they get through any committee? Unless...o.I get it. The boss's wife did them, and she did Art at A Level back in 1985 "so that's the one we're going with."
Marek Yanchurak 5 years ago
Guy MacGregor 1 day ago "When you turn you head 90° to the left, the logo looks like soleone masturbating. The "O" become a head, the "G" is the torso with a penis and the "C" are the legs."
Load More Replies...
Ann O'Riley 5 years ago
All that sex in advertising. Was it from the warped mind of the designers? Deliberate manipulation (sex sells!)? Or just a bunch of Freudian slips?
Jakki Wetherall 5 years ago
All the redesigns are better than the originals except the last one, Arlington Pediatric Center, which is still a bit 'off' in my opinion. Some of the new designs need to be taken up by the companies concerned!
Erasmo Garcia 5 years ago
I like the first one with the building going into the giant red butt.
elia 84631 5 years ago (edited)
I love it your job to transform awful logos into something modern and happy looking. Do more, please I want to transform that Nickelodeon logo. Also check out https://m.facebook.com/mamasbakingofficial/?locale2=el_GR
Mateus PLISZKA 8 months ago
the first one makes me think of a needle going into a red b******e
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
A couple of these (i.e. the first one) are revenge-designs from unpaid designers.
SirPatTheCat 5 years ago
I couldn't stop laughing at the computer doctors one - what were they thinking?? Also I liked the safe place one much much better because the normal one looks like a child who's rib cage is sticking out/ has been eaten like an apple
bob foormanek 5 years ago
I like the originals. Redesigns are blunt and uninteresting. We would not know they ever existed.
Wendy Emlinger (ManyTotems) 5 years ago
Is my imagination running off with me or do many of the logos that he reworked all tend to be erotic or extremely suggestive in nature? I do much prefer the new logos he designed which removed those elements and made them much more business-like and attractive.
Gloria Polis 5 years ago
Am I alone in thinking that some of these original logos are inappropriate for the company they're representing? (Safe Place, Clinica Dental and Arlington Pediatric Center)
Michael Vicente 5 years ago
I think he did an awesome job on the redesigns, very simple, yet readable and clever
bill marsano 5 years ago
I prefer the original logos--at least they're unintentionally funny. The new logos are without exception mundane and boring.
Eglė Bukauskaitė 5 years ago
Cool but a) designer probably wouldn't get paid; b) no watermark and it's on the internet (as you see i have no hope for humanity)
weatherwitch 5 years ago
Either I missed it or all but one of the original designs were also exceedingly rude yet the writer never once mentioned that!!! Seriously improved on most though the final bakery one didn't much appeal to me. But I don't buy from a bakery because of their logo, I buy because of their products!
Max Calderon 5 years ago
As a former Creative Director, Art Director (in Advertising Agency) and now as a Freelance Graphic Designer, as we said: there are still room for improvements, not all, a few.
Jessica Cifelli 5 years ago
Anyone else rotate the OGC logo to see what the designer was talking about?
kobra 5 years ago
Is this whole post a huge troll? Take a closer look at some of those before logos
Julie Hanford 5 years ago (edited)
i like the Computer Doctors original better than the redesign
Candy Tallent 5 years ago
Logos used in car dashboards are the WORST. I still have no idea what some of them allude to. Maybe he could have a go at redesigning them.
Dawn K 5 years ago
These designers have to know what their logos appear to look like to the consumer. Especially the ones that appear to look sexual in some way. They can't be that naive or stupid. Could they? Sometimes I think they do it on purpose because, after all, sex sells. But it's just disgusting what they try to get away with.
Ilyas Mohammed 5 years ago
OGC still the same and last one was bad and now worse so better change again
Hamish Joy 5 years ago
The OGC logo isn't exactly fixed. The original logo was problematic when you look at it sideways... That exact problem is still there when you look at it sideways too. In pretty much the same way.
Quffaz Alaswad 5 years ago
To be honest the redesign of the OGC logo isn't all that better. I would've tilted the G at least 30 degrees to fully break the... you know... image
Jenica Thomas 5 years ago
Turn it sideways and imagine the O as a head... once you see it, it cannot be unseen. Lol
Load More Replies...
Amelia Bee 5 years ago
Uhh...he made the last one ten times more inadvertently hilarious, tbh 🤦🏼♀️
john doe 5 years ago
These days you can see whatever you want to see (if you see harder or simply stare at something long enough) Looking at the logo that emanuele created for himself (https://emanueleabrate.com/) , call me old fashioned but I see an european person sitting on top of an american toilet. Staring long enough part I was referring to earlier .... imagine you are looking up from inside the toilet bowl.
troufaki13 5 years ago
Everything is about branding and marketing. From the way you sell a product to the way you "sell" yourself.
Martin Whitestream 5 years ago
I think he didn't improve anything. The first is a fail and whatever you do to it is an improvement. But all he did was turning each of them into some generic bubbly s**t, i.e. the Mama's Baking logo looks just like Dunkin Donuts now. Was way cooler before. He is not creative at all, just another big mouth.
Rollin Rayce 5 years ago
I did the same for a Nigerian DJ also but mine is a website cause I'm a web developer . Check the tweet out https://twitter.com/RayceRollin/status/1261647072979288064?s=19 Check the website out : http://godigitalinc.org/demo/gelato/ The original website: https://djcuppy.com/
Mewton’s Third Paw 5 years ago
I like the redesigns. People are just complaining for no reason.
Ellie Ragsdale 5 years ago
Why did the commentary even ACT like there was a problem bigger than the dirty- minded interpretation?
Amy Grant 5 years ago
Logos are not bad. Our mind is polluted and conditioned :) I am amazed to see the reaction of americans, seeing old soviet photos and posters. Guys holding hands - gay, small girls without bikini top - paedophile material. It is just scary to see this different reaction to totally innocent pics!
Celeste Grant 5 years ago
These are great. I love the explanations too. Informative and interesting. Great post
M DR 5 years ago
Well, at least the big figure isn't forcing the little figure into fellatio anymore...
Load More Replies... Charlotte A. 5 years ago
All but a few of the originals takes my mind in the way wrong direction. I can't help but wonder what the original designers were thinking, or the people who approved of those designs and decided to make use of them...
loading... 5 years ago
I agree that pretty much all the originals were terrible, but some of the redesigns are pretty flat too.
Luca 5 years ago
Look at world's most famous logos. Aren't they simple if not just stylish brand names sometimes even without any or just very simple graphic elements? (gucci, armani, vuitton, apple, nike, adidas, google, microsoft, audi, bmw, etc). Many people thinks logo should be something elaborated but actually a logo should be able to communicate an idea in the simplest and immediate way is possible
Load More Replies... Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
The original mamas baking....what the hell. I like his much better in all of them.
HempFairy 5 years ago
Funny how most of them has a sexual/phallic resemblance! Guess we all have penises and vaginas planted in our subconscious and it shows whether we want it or not.
earringnut 5 years ago
Blame it on evolution. We "look" for sex everywhere so we can pass down our DNA.
Load More Replies... Hoppinger 5 years ago
Who designed the original logos? As a former graphic designer, I can guarantee that some of those were designed by the company owners / family members / friends etc. in order to save a few bucks. It takes talent to design a successful logo and company brand. I never understood why people give so little thought to the one thing everyone will see and remember.
Jon S. 5 years ago
I like most of these redesigns, but I prefer the original Mama's Baking logo. It may be slightly sexually suggestive, but it is also memorable and has strong domestic quality. People like the idea of big woman with a big family who is good with an oven and unashamed in bed. To me it goes all the way back to palaeolithic venus statues.
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
IDK, the first thing I thought of was a woman whose crotch was on fire -- made me think yeast infection!
Load More Replies... Wendy Boustani 5 years ago
I like the safe place logo. It needs to show you can surrender your child without legal repercussions (if you feel you are unfit; these signs are usually at hospitals).. That's why there are hands holding out a baby. The house is *not* the important element. I think he considers it inelegant design because he doesn't understand its purpose. I myself think it's very clear and simple in conveying complicated messaging.
Up All Night 5 years ago
To me, it's not someone "holding out a baby", it's someone grabbing a bigger child from behind (notice the zero distance between the two figures). Everything is simplified, but the grabby fingers are detailed, signalling that this is the main element in the logo. Very predatory looking, sorry.
Load More Replies... Scott Miller 5 years ago
I like that the solution to the Arlington Pediatric Care is to make it look almost exactly like the original Safe Space logo.
fainasKeturatis 5 years ago (edited)
what's wrong with original OGC? edit: penis, as always... it's always penises.
lonk owo 4 years ago (edited)
all of them look very wrong 1. it looks like there goes something in his a*s 2. this one is not that bad bud itlooks like love making 3. shame lips 4. shame hair 5. d**k 6. everyone sees this one 7. less obvious but a man (head to the left) holding his **** but it was hard to find 8. well...... 9. men holding child in a strange way..... I hope i'm not the only one who sees all these things
Mateusz Kolanek 5 years ago
Half of those are "I literally force myself to see something wrong here". Kudawara Pharmacy for example. NOTHING looks wrong here. Only some real perverts see what they want to see. The FPP too. And some others. But yeah, there are few that really looks weird.
Carl Bennett 5 years ago
What were they even thinking with the first designs? How did they get through any committee? Unless...o.I get it. The boss's wife did them, and she did Art at A Level back in 1985 "so that's the one we're going with."
Marek Yanchurak 5 years ago
Guy MacGregor 1 day ago "When you turn you head 90° to the left, the logo looks like soleone masturbating. The "O" become a head, the "G" is the torso with a penis and the "C" are the legs."
Load More Replies... Ann O'Riley 5 years ago
All that sex in advertising. Was it from the warped mind of the designers? Deliberate manipulation (sex sells!)? Or just a bunch of Freudian slips?
Jakki Wetherall 5 years ago
All the redesigns are better than the originals except the last one, Arlington Pediatric Center, which is still a bit 'off' in my opinion. Some of the new designs need to be taken up by the companies concerned!
Erasmo Garcia 5 years ago
I like the first one with the building going into the giant red butt.
elia 84631 5 years ago (edited)
I love it your job to transform awful logos into something modern and happy looking. Do more, please I want to transform that Nickelodeon logo. Also check out https://m.facebook.com/mamasbakingofficial/?locale2=el_GR
Mateus PLISZKA 8 months ago
the first one makes me think of a needle going into a red b******e
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
A couple of these (i.e. the first one) are revenge-designs from unpaid designers.
SirPatTheCat 5 years ago
I couldn't stop laughing at the computer doctors one - what were they thinking?? Also I liked the safe place one much much better because the normal one looks like a child who's rib cage is sticking out/ has been eaten like an apple
bob foormanek 5 years ago
I like the originals. Redesigns are blunt and uninteresting. We would not know they ever existed.
Wendy Emlinger (ManyTotems) 5 years ago
Is my imagination running off with me or do many of the logos that he reworked all tend to be erotic or extremely suggestive in nature? I do much prefer the new logos he designed which removed those elements and made them much more business-like and attractive.
Gloria Polis 5 years ago
Am I alone in thinking that some of these original logos are inappropriate for the company they're representing? (Safe Place, Clinica Dental and Arlington Pediatric Center)
Michael Vicente 5 years ago
I think he did an awesome job on the redesigns, very simple, yet readable and clever
bill marsano 5 years ago
I prefer the original logos--at least they're unintentionally funny. The new logos are without exception mundane and boring.
Eglė Bukauskaitė 5 years ago
Cool but a) designer probably wouldn't get paid; b) no watermark and it's on the internet (as you see i have no hope for humanity)
weatherwitch 5 years ago
Either I missed it or all but one of the original designs were also exceedingly rude yet the writer never once mentioned that!!! Seriously improved on most though the final bakery one didn't much appeal to me. But I don't buy from a bakery because of their logo, I buy because of their products!
Max Calderon 5 years ago
As a former Creative Director, Art Director (in Advertising Agency) and now as a Freelance Graphic Designer, as we said: there are still room for improvements, not all, a few.
Jessica Cifelli 5 years ago
Anyone else rotate the OGC logo to see what the designer was talking about?
kobra 5 years ago
Is this whole post a huge troll? Take a closer look at some of those before logos
Julie Hanford 5 years ago (edited)
i like the Computer Doctors original better than the redesign
Candy Tallent 5 years ago
Logos used in car dashboards are the WORST. I still have no idea what some of them allude to. Maybe he could have a go at redesigning them.
Dawn K 5 years ago
These designers have to know what their logos appear to look like to the consumer. Especially the ones that appear to look sexual in some way. They can't be that naive or stupid. Could they? Sometimes I think they do it on purpose because, after all, sex sells. But it's just disgusting what they try to get away with.
Ilyas Mohammed 5 years ago
OGC still the same and last one was bad and now worse so better change again
Hamish Joy 5 years ago
The OGC logo isn't exactly fixed. The original logo was problematic when you look at it sideways... That exact problem is still there when you look at it sideways too. In pretty much the same way.
Quffaz Alaswad 5 years ago
To be honest the redesign of the OGC logo isn't all that better. I would've tilted the G at least 30 degrees to fully break the... you know... image
Jenica Thomas 5 years ago
Turn it sideways and imagine the O as a head... once you see it, it cannot be unseen. Lol
Load More Replies... Amelia Bee 5 years ago
Uhh...he made the last one ten times more inadvertently hilarious, tbh 🤦🏼♀️
john doe 5 years ago
These days you can see whatever you want to see (if you see harder or simply stare at something long enough) Looking at the logo that emanuele created for himself (https://emanueleabrate.com/) , call me old fashioned but I see an european person sitting on top of an american toilet. Staring long enough part I was referring to earlier .... imagine you are looking up from inside the toilet bowl.
troufaki13 5 years ago
Everything is about branding and marketing. From the way you sell a product to the way you "sell" yourself.
Martin Whitestream 5 years ago
I think he didn't improve anything. The first is a fail and whatever you do to it is an improvement. But all he did was turning each of them into some generic bubbly s**t, i.e. the Mama's Baking logo looks just like Dunkin Donuts now. Was way cooler before. He is not creative at all, just another big mouth.
Rollin Rayce 5 years ago
I did the same for a Nigerian DJ also but mine is a website cause I'm a web developer . Check the tweet out https://twitter.com/RayceRollin/status/1261647072979288064?s=19 Check the website out : http://godigitalinc.org/demo/gelato/ The original website: https://djcuppy.com/
Mewton’s Third Paw 5 years ago
I like the redesigns. People are just complaining for no reason.
Ellie Ragsdale 5 years ago
Why did the commentary even ACT like there was a problem bigger than the dirty- minded interpretation?
Amy Grant 5 years ago
Logos are not bad. Our mind is polluted and conditioned :) I am amazed to see the reaction of americans, seeing old soviet photos and posters. Guys holding hands - gay, small girls without bikini top - paedophile material. It is just scary to see this different reaction to totally innocent pics!
Celeste Grant 5 years ago
These are great. I love the explanations too. Informative and interesting. Great post
You May Like 88 Funny Graphic Design Fails Reminding Us That No, Not Anyone Can Do It These Creative Business Cards Surely Win The Advertising Game 93 Graphic Design Fails So Atrocious That We Wonder How They Were Approved
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Akvile Petraityte 🇺🇦
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Related on Bored Panda
557
194