At a certain point, people stop recognizing your brand by its name and just go by its image.
That's where a great logo comes in.
But for every great logo, there are plenty of bad ones.
With help from the design community on the question-and-answer site Quora, in addition to Debbie Millman, head of the branding department at the School of Visual Arts and author of "Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits," we compiled the worst logos of all-time.
Do your best not to cringe.
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According to Millman, American Airlines shot itself in the foot by changing its iconic double-A.
"Massimo Vignelli designed a timeless, elegant, and powerful identity for American Airlines," she tells Tech Insider. "There was absolutely no need to change it and this redesign is a soulless shell of its former self."
It broke Rule #1 in design, Millman added: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Quora product designer Jessica Fung says IHOP's logo gives off a sinister vibe that puts her in no mood to enjoy a stack of pancakes.
"The logo is supposed to like it's smiling, trying to emulate what Amazon has done with their logo," she writes. "Needless to say, it looks incredibly creepy."
Fung also has issues with Kumon, the private tutoring organization.
"Does this represent how excited the employees are about helping children learn, or how excited children are about Kumon?" she says. "I don't know if it's possible to draw a more apathetic face out of the MS Paint program."
She calls the logo "pretty sad."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider