A Logo’s Touch of Christmas Magic: Brands that Go Big for the Season
A logo seems like the perfect vessel to show off key moments in a brand’s yearly calendar with a clever addition or temporary iteration, but you’ll be surprised to find out that some of the most famous moments of Christmas marketing don’t always come with revamped logos.
01. Google
Google doesn’t need an introduction when it comes to design relevance, and its ‘doodles’ are no exception. This year’s Christmas doodle features beautifully illustrated fairylights wrapped around the standard Google logo design. A seasonal hot tip: if you click on the ‘share’ icon next to Google’s logo on the homepage, a link will appear for you to copy. If you paste this into your browser, you’ll get to see a darkened version of the Google homepage featuring the lights lit up and glowing in a live animation. Small touches like this are what make this season feel just that much more exciting.
02. Tesco
In 2012, Tesco Extra adorned with an LED green Christmas cracker hat. The hats also appeared in shots of Tesco in their 2012 Christmas adverts, as a fun novelty for shoppers at the time, an excellent marketing decision in a year where even at Christmas, grocery demand was rapidly declining. I expect the Christmas party hats quickly righted that statistic for Tesco.
03. M&S Food
In a 2018 Christmas advert, M&S Food redesigned their logo as spelled out in fairylights to match the blue and snowy, Norwegian-esque design of the advert. This gold and glittery version of the logo featured in more of their Christmas branding that season, and I am a huge advocate for bringing it back. M&S Food have also added a gold shine to their logo at Christmas in recent years, but the letters spelled out in fairylights is a design that thrives in digital formats (and is also a personal favorite of mine) so I think it should become a much more frequently used design of the company’s Christmas branding.
04. Unilever
Unilever put their house illustrator to work with the Christmas version of their famously intricate logo. They swapped out their nature-inspired collection of birds and plants carefully placed in their brand’s title letter ‘U’ with an assortment of Christmassy items including baubles, presents, snowflakes, and other winter-inspired objects. It’s a subtle and classy way to show the brand’s celebration for the festive season while reminding consumers of the message behind their iconic logo and the important message behind it.
05. Facebook
Staying on the politically neutral side, Facebook chose to err on the edge of ‘generally festive’ rather than specifically Christmas-focused. It’s unclear when Facebook opted for this design, and I am surprised the move is not more well-documented, or even used again by Meta. It swapped out its two letter ‘o’s for snowballs, a smoothly non-invasive seasonal touch. Nothing of the kind has yet been seen this year, but a wintry addition to everyday logos always brightens up the season, so I can only hope that Meta chooses to bring back a newly appropriate winter design to its various logos in 2025.
06. Target
In 2020, Target joined the Christmas party of revamping their logo. They transformed their world-famous, literal ‘target’ symbol into a bauble concisely with just a piece of string and some glitter. They also added some sparkle to the stripes, conveniently already a festive red. Some renditions of the Christmas logo have used snow rather than glitter when designed for the company’s banners. It’s a design that perfectly maintains Target’s succinct and eye-catching brand while simultaneously evoking the Christmas season.
Conclusion
The examples above show that a revamped logo is not always necessary to create a festive atmosphere. Some brands choose to use their existing logo with a seasonal twist, while others opt for a completely new design. The common thread is that all of these brands use their logo as a way to connect with their audience during the holiday season. Whether it’s a minor tweak or a full-on redesign, a logo can be a powerful tool in building brand recognition and creating a sense of excitement and joy.
FAQs
Q: Why do some brands choose not to change their logo for Christmas?
A: Some brands may choose not to change their logo for Christmas in order to maintain a consistent brand image throughout the year.
Q: How can I create my own Christmas logo design?
A: Check out our list of the best laptops for graphic design to get started on creating your own Christmas logo design.
Q: What is the most important thing to consider when designing a Christmas logo?
A: The most important thing to consider when designing a Christmas logo is the target audience and the brand’s overall message and tone.
