Brands and logos are part of our everyday life. Every second of our life we’re surrounded by them. From birth to death. You’d have to be naked in the desert and maybe you’d manage to escape them. Since that’s unlikely and silly, why not just embrace them and have fun with them? Some logos are actually works of art themselves, beautiful and tasteful instead of manipulative and exclusively sales oriented.

These are my personal favorites. Most of these are very simple: Simplicity equals beauty. Some of these brands I see everyday, some I wish I did. There are a lot of good designs around, but these are also some brands I can personally identify with.

5. Fair Trade
Whenever I read bio or fair trade on a product I feel a certain confidence the product is somehow worth more. “I am a better person for choosing it”. In return I just have to pay a little surplus, but can you put a price tag on a good conscience? I also like the color choices and stylized image.

4. Skrillex
In case you hadn’t noticed this is the same font used for the logo of my blog. Skrillex is one of my favorite artists and the three red lines (“ILL”) epitomize perfectly everything he stands for. The raptor. The scream. The wolverine scratch. It feels ‘electronic’, poignant and totally fits Sonny Moore’s persona.

3. The Louis Vuitton Monogram
As far as status symbols go owning a Louis Vuitton bag is on the top of my list. Seen in vintage films, bought by Hollywood royalty and  just incredibly stylish this is my favorite designer brand. Again a very simple design, but a timeless icon appreciated by fashion lovers all over the world.

2. Venice Film Festival
Being a film fan, to me the Golden Lion is the highest honor you can get. Won by my favorite directors: Michelangelo Antonioni, Sofia Coppola and Kim Ki-duk, and very Italian, this simple design is very effective and surely the best logo for any film festival, followed closely by Sundance. Every time I see it on a DVD/Blu-Ray I feel like I need to buy it.

1. Criterion
The Criterion Collection emblem is probably my favorite logo. A triumph of simplicity, married to design and aesthetic. Every time it appears on screen I know I’ll get at least a very interesting classic film. The Criterion logo is more than a logo, it’s a quality seal. A stamp of approval. If you’ve made it into the Criterion Collection, you’ve made a good film.