Unlike Superman, Captain America is a superhero from Earth, an enhanced super soldier to be precise. He took the two “W’s” from her name and stylised them, turning them into a winged motif that celebrated the heroines flying superpower, which was also a subtle nod to the original eagle design. Legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser took on the task to redesign Wonder Woman’s logo. Thinking in terms of merchandising opportunity, the designers knew they couldn’t easily trademark the symbol of an eagle for Wonder Woman – after all, the Eagle is a symbol of the USA. It was only in the 80s when DC chose to invest in the character, that the female warrior was given a distinct superhero logo. At the time, her emblem was an eagle and her name was scrawled in an open script on the cover of the comic. Wonder Woman made her prolific debut in 1941.
With the success of the new Wonder Woman film, we have to mention the incredible logo that goes along with the brand. It was in 1945 that the logo was trademarked, which kicked off a profitable merchandising market for the Superman brand, with the Superman logo printed on posters, stickers, caps, t-shirts, and just about anything you can think of. Just like the colours of the Superman logo, the shape emotes strength, courage, and power.Ī lot of thought and consideration went into the design of the logo, and this is why it works. Then there is the logos diamond shape, which is bold and masculine in its presentation. Superman’s home planet Krypton is red, while superman’s source of power comes from Earth’s yellow sun. But the colours also represent more than meets the eye. These colours are powerful, strong, and confident (perfect for the character of Superman). We all know that colour is an important part of branding, and the designer chose to stick with a primary yellow and red palette. However, as superman’s popularity grew, the logo went through some changes, until the creators finally settled on a logo design – the large “S” inside of an inverted pentagon. Originally, the logo was a simple yellow and red police badge or shield. The iconic logo was created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. This stoic character was introduced to the world sporting the classic “S” logo. DC Comic’s Superman is the world’s original superhero, making his first appearance in 1938. We should begin with the first superhero logo to ever be trademarked. Here, we look at 5 iconic superhero logos, and learn from their excellence. But, as a design and branding professional, you can learn a lot from superhero logo designs.