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1. Wonder Woman
Though Wonder Woman made her debut in 1941, it wasn’t until the early 1980s that legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser (who had also designed the DC comics logo) was tasked with refreshing her identity, and gave her this instantly iconic logo. Previous logos for the character had all used the golden eagle that Wonder Woman wore as an emblem – while there was nothing especially wrong with the designs, no-one would associate them with Wonder Woman if they didn’t already know that she wore an eagle. Glaser’s genius was to deftly take the eagle motif and combine it with the character’s initials, creating an instantly iconic double-W.
When rendered in gold as it often is, this logo also takes on the appearance of a golden crown – a nod to Wonder Woman’s noble origins as Amazonian royalty. Combining so many meanings into a single, instantly identifiable emblem is a spectacular feat of design, and it’s not surprising that this logo has remained so strongly associated with the character for more than forty years. When Gal Gadot’s version of the character was introduced into the DC Cinematic Universe, it was with this logo. You don’t mess with perfection.
2. Spider-man
There have been many, many iterations of your friendly neighbourhood webslinger’s logo over his many decades of existence. Unsurprisingly, the central motif has always been a spider, but as you can see in this useful infographic by designer Ricky Franklin, there’s been a huge amount of variance in the shape, style and body of the spider itself.
For my money, the best versions of the logo are the ones from the Sam Raimi films starring Tobey Maguire, first for Spider-Man (2002) and then the slight rejig for Spider-Man 2 (2004), featured above. The design is elegant and unfussy, with the distinctive body shape of the spider rendered using simple shapes. The length of the legs implies agility, while the sharp points, pincers and subtle stings in the tail convey a sense of danger.
3. Batman
It’s effective thanks to its simplicity, with the red-and-black colour scheme mirroring the colours of Deadpool’s costume, and the white eyes staring straight at the viewer, evoking Deadpool’s well-known habit of breaking the fourth wall. In a similarly meta touch that the merc with the mouth would appreciate, this icon actually originated as part of Deadpool’s costume – it was originally on his belt buckle.
4. Deadpool
It’s red, white and blue, it’s stars and stripes, and if you’re a bad guy, it’s flying directly towards your face and hitting you with sounds like WHAP and PANG and WANK.
5. Captain America
You don’t name your character ‘Captain America’ because you’re terribly worried about subtlety or nuance. The circular stars ‘n’ stripes shield, which also doubles up as the character’s immediately identifiable logo, isn’t one of those ones where there are all these tiny hidden details and easily missable clever touches. It’s red, white and blue, it’s stars and stripes, and if you’re a bad guy, it’s flying directly towards your face and hitting you with sounds like WHAP and PANG and WANK.
In his first outing in 1941, Cap originally sported a triangular-style shield, though complaints from the people at Archie Comics regarding its similarity to their similarly patriotic ‘Shield’ character (look, there was a war on) led to a hasty rejig. From issue #2 onwards, Captain America wielded the disc-shaped shield that would become the character’s most distinctive piece of iconography.
6. Green Lantern
As we’ve seen, superhero logos tend to trade in similar colour schemes – reds, blacks, yellows, the odd bit of blue. Green Lantern’s logo immediately sticks out by being, well, green, but also by being somewhat more abstract than some of the others – it doesn’t immediately clue you in the way a big picture of a bat does.
This symbol carries multiple meanings that are important to the character, simultaneously representing both the eponymous lantern that is the symbol of the Lantern Corps, and the ring that Hal Jordan and his contemporaries use to exert their powers.
7. The Avengers
Finally we have the iconic ‘A’ from the most famous superhero team-up of modern times, the Avengers. The circle that encases the letter suggests themes of unity, while the thick, blocky lines project strength.
There’s also a right-pointing arrow contained within the A, suggesting forward momentum and a call to action. You might have assumed that this was a bit of a rip-off of the famous Fedex logo with its concealed right-pointing arrow, but remarkably it appears that the Avengers got there first, with their arrow appearing on comic-book covers as early as 1971, more than two decades before Fedex.
Conclusion
When it comes to superhero logos, the best ones are those that are simple, stylish and convey the essentials of the character. They should be instantly recognisable, and evoke the right emotions in the viewer. Whether it’s a classic design like Wonder Woman’s or a more modern take like Deadpool’s, a great logo can make all the difference in a character’s appeal.
FAQs
Q: What makes a great superhero logo?
A: A great superhero logo is one that is simple, stylish and conveys the essentials of the character. It should be instantly recognisable and evoke the right emotions in the viewer.
Q: What is the most iconic superhero logo?
A: The most iconic superhero logo is probably Wonder Woman’s logo, designed by Milton Glaser in the early 1980s.
Q: What is the significance of the right-pointing arrow in the Avengers logo?
A: The right-pointing arrow in the Avengers logo suggests forward momentum and a call to action. It also appears to have been designed before the famous Fedex logo with its concealed right-pointing arrow.
