If you pay close attention to branding, you’ve probably noticed that a few themes for successful branding images seem to stick out. Simple yet exciting colors, snappy taglines, and even the way the logos are done. In terms of logos, one thing that has always remained fairly constant is the fact that animals always appear to make good logos.

The reason for this success is anyone’s guess but can be attributed to a few basic concepts.

Most animals are instantly recognizable and tend to make great logos. The fact that most people can recognize the majority of animals that are on company logos are even in company names creates an instant link. This philosophy can be seen in many popular sports teams and translates well into the business world. Animals are, for the most part, iconic and bring strength and familiarity to your brand.

An animal creates a simple yet powerful metaphor.  If you choose an animal to represent your logo or brand, make sure it has a positive or powerful connotation. Tigers, lions and bears (oh my!) represent power and strength. Foxes, cheetahs and so forth represent speed and agility. Think of a few traits you want your brand to be known for and see if you can find an animal that represents those traits and could look good on a business card, too.

Think of some of today’s most iconic animal-driven brands. Some aren’t even immediately obvious. Twitter’s logo of the little tweeting bluebird has become iconic in and of itself; even people that don’t use Twitter recognize the logo. There’s also the instantly recognizable Jaguar logo for the sleek automobile brand.

These brands are basically carried by the animal that represents them. In the case of Jaguar, one feels a sense of class and refinement. With Twitter, there is a cuteness to the logo, but its crisp clean design also conveys a sense of professionalism and speed.

What animal do you think might best represent your brand? Would it work better into a logo, a tagline, or both?