Forty Years of Brand Logo Literature: A Review and Future Research Directions

A logo is a graphical symbol that plays a pivotal role in communicating a company’s identity and fostering brand recall. Despite logos’ significance in academics and practice, this domain has a dearth of systematic literature reviews. Addressing this concern, our review first traces the evolution of brand logos research over four decades and then describes the various theories, scope, design properties, and methods involved in logo research. By synthesizing findings from 217 articles, this review sheds light on the interaction between logos and other brand elements, exploring their perceptual, conceptual, and contextual properties. Our findings highlight a shift from basic logo recognition in advertising to complex studies on design and meaning-based aspects. The study identifies progress from traditional research methods in logo studies to advanced research employing deep learning and neuromarketing methods. We conclude with multiple research avenues and propose a conceptual framework for future research. This approach offers valuable implications for academics and practitioners in brand strategy and design.