Vintage logos are powerful. If you drew one in the sand on an empty beach, a hundred hipsters would instantly emerge from the sea, looking for adventure, freshly ground coffee, and scented beard oil.

Vintage is the sign of the open road, the Walt Whitman of logo styles. It insists on rugged self-reliance, a love of the good earth, and facing the unknown with whatever tools you happen to have at hand.

And while a vintage logo is sometimes hard to define, you know when you see one. So saddle up and dust off your work boots, because we’re about to go lookin’.

What is a vintage logo?

What makes a logo ‘vintage’, anyway?

At its heart, vintage logos are about storytelling. Think prohibition-era USA, or the Golden Age of Exploration. Think mountaineers, pioneers, and Henry David Thoreau in his cabin with a Herschel backpack.

Vintage logos are a nostalgic departure from the present to some faraway time and place. Often, this takes the form of going back to your roots with visual elements that refer to an old pedigree, heritage, or tradition.

Whiskey-makers, for instance, still use the same techniques they have for decades, so it makes sense to incorporate this into their brand identity.

At other times, Vintage inspires a restlessness for the outdoors. A good vintage logo should make you want to quit your job immediately to hit the road and plunge into the wilderness. (Disclaimer: don’t do this, a bear WILL eat you).

Who can use a vintage logo?

From liquor companies to adventure gear and coffee shops, vintage is a versatile style favored by an eclectic group of industries.

However, it’s important to note that vintage logos aren’t industry-specific. It’s the underlying themes like self-reliance and – paradoxically – togetherness and teamwork, that often make vintage logos so appealing to some sectors.

But how does a vintage logo actually look? Here are a few pointers to get you started:

Common themes and symbols in vintage logos

A vintage brand identity or logo often involves one or more of these visual themes:

• A vintage brand identity or logo often involves one or more of these visual themes:
• Adventure
• Nostalgia
• Homegrown
• Rural
• Rustic