Automated logo designers GraphicSprings have released a study revealing the world’s most powerful logos, in terms of public recognition. In order to understand the impact well-designed logos have on a brand’s success, the graphics company commissioned a poll asking individuals to identify the logos of the top 200 most profitable companies worldwide.
The results of the study show that the profit and market value of a company don’t always correlate with levels of recognition, as many of the world’s most profitable corporations are virtually unknown. For example, less than 1% of Americans recognize China’s top 20 brands.
The study focuses on the top 200 corporations around the world based on yearly revenue, taking into account sales, profits and assets in billions. The visually-aided survey asked 24,000 participants from Europe, America and Asia to rank each logo on their recognisability, and the results are divided generationally, regionally and ranked by average responses. The participants were divided into the following age categories: Millennial, Xennial, Generation X and Baby Boomers.
The results were then numbered and ranked. Each rank is expressed as a percentage, meaning that a rank of 100 indicates that 100% of respondents correctly identified the logo.
Of the 10 corporations which 100% of Americans could identify, all were companies from the United States except for German BMW Group and Japanese Sony. Of the 51 corporations that 0% of the American public could identify, 63% were Asian companies hailing from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. In comparison, the only company which received 100% recognition from Asian respondents was Coca-Cola, while 47 corporations were completely unknown. Of these 51% were American companies, and one Chinese company was completely unrecognizable to Asian respondents.
