Inspired by the hue of the sun, the Etsy logo portrays positive energy and joy. The online marketplace helps artisans sell their handmade products with ease, which was difficult to do before Etsy showed up! The Etsy logo portrays the warm and friendly character of the brand to a T.
The e-commerce platform began its journey from Brooklyn, New York, and had to face challenges from competitors such as eBay and Amazon. However, the online marketplace quickly set itself apart from its competitors by focusing and highlighting vintage and handmade items.
Interesting read: The tricky Amazon logo and its stupendous journey over the years.
Today, Etsy has enabled tens of thousands of people to join the platform to sell their unique products. The profits generated by selling their products on Etsy have allowed many sellers to go full-time.
According to Statista, the online marketplace was growing at a healthy rate before 2019; however, the Covid-19 pandemic catapulted the company’s growth. In 2019, Etsy’s revenue was $818 million, and in 2020, the company generated $1.72 billion.
Etsy’s phenomenal growth amid the pandemic can be gauged by the rise in the number of users between 2019 and 2021.
A brief history of Etsy
Founded in 2005 by Robert Kalin, Haim Schoppik, Chris Maguire, and Jared Tarbell, Etsy began attracting the audience from its first year. The online platform experimented and added various tools in its first year so that the sellers on the platform could gain as much attention as possible. The company focuses on a personal community feel—one of the reasons for Etsy’s success.
In 2010, the online platform announced that it had over seven million registered users. The company also announced that it would continue to work towards building a personal community feel.
Here is an interesting video on Etsy’s community spaces.
Meaning of Etsy logo
Co-founder Robert Kalin was inspired by the Italian avant-garde film 8½ before he named his company “Etsy.” Kalin explains, “I wanted a nonsense word because I wanted to build the brand from scratch. I was watching Fellini’s 8½ and writing down what I was hearing. In Italian, you say etsi a lot. It means ‘oh yes,’ and in Latin and French, it means ‘what if’”
The Etsy wordmark is simple, and unlike most modern script logos, it does not stray from one of the central tenets of English grammar: the first letter in uppercase. Many believe that following grammatical rules makes the logo look ordinary. But that is not entirely true. The combination of font, color, and the traditional style makes the logo different from its competitors.
The evolution of the Etsy logo
We generally explore the various logos that a company has had over the years in this section of the article. Etsy has never changed its logo since its inception. However, the brand uses other variations of the logo.
A logo that goes past a decade in existence can be considered special in today’s world. The 17-year-old logo looks as fresh as it was in 2005. The wordmark is energetic and inspires creativity. The Etsy logo also makes the online platform appear reliable because it has remained intact from day number one.
Apart from Etsy’s easily recognizable wordmark, the company uses other variations. These variations include an orange square or a circle with the company wordmark in white. The simplicity of the variations never ceases to attract the attention of the audience. The mission of Etsy to build “a human, authentic and community-centric and local marketplace” can be seen in the logo variations, which promote originality and creativity.
Color palette
You can easily find a bunch of articles on the internet that explain how various colors affect the human mind. But, do you know that very little theoretical or scientific research has been conducted on the subject?
While science has very little to say about the correlation between colors and emotions, various cultures around the world know how colors can affect mood and behavior.
Orange is known to evoke creativity, courage, happiness, purity, love, and humility.
In the Etsy logo, orange represents innovation, originality, and inspiration, and white evokes goodness and purity.
Good read: Colors and emotion – color emotion guide.
Typography
Designed by Carl Albert Fahrenwaldt, the Minister EF Book font is one of the most readable fonts. Carl used the Guardian Egyptian typeface as a reference while designing the font. The typeface appears perfect for the online marketplace as it paints the perfect picture of the brand personality.
The best fonts for logos are those that clearly communicate the brand personality. From Vogue to Google, top brands use legible and simple fonts to attract their audience.
The Etsy logo was designed by a carpenter!
Yes, you heard that right! The Etsy logo was designed by a furniture maker who later became one of the co-founders of the online marketplace, Robert Kalin.
The logo appears to have been created by an expert designer who has years of design experience. The color palette and the font are properly aligned with the mission and values of the company. Just like his furniture designs, he crafted the Etsy logo to perfection.
What makes the Etsy logo different from the pack?
Creating a logo design has never been as easy as it is today! Gone are the days when entrepreneurs or small business owners had to depend on costly agencies or unpredictable freelancers. Today, anyone can get a logo quickly and at low costs. Various creative online platforms have made it easy for anyone to create a logo.
While creating a logo is as easy as daydreaming, finding one that is unique is difficult. However, the right platform can help you create a winning logo design.
Key point: A simple logo that communicates the brand personality stands out from the crowd.
The Etsy logo, for example, has many winning combinations that make it different from the crowd. Let’s find out what separates the Etsy logo from its competitors.
Simple: One of the signs of a great logo is its simplicity. The simpler your logo design appears, the better are its chances of communicating with the audience.
The attention span of the audience is declining as we speak. Complicated designs kill the interest of the people, which is why designing simple logos that highlight the most important aspects of the brand personality keeps the audience interested amid all the chaos.
Some of the famous logos are minimal and simple. Minimalism in logo design is a trend that has been around for some time and is here for the long haul.
The Etsy logo is surprisingly simple and conveys the key personalities of the brand: creativity and joy.
Versatile: From a company’s point of view, you want a logo that can fit everywhere. A logo that can be resized and used in many different ways is perfect for your brand. A logo needs to be printed, used online, and be a part of the packaging design, which is why you should aim to design a versatile logo.
From a designer’s perspective, you should strive to create a logo that is simple with minimum clutter. Excess use of colors, patterns, elements, symbols, and lines will make the design appear complicated and scale imperfectly. A one-size-fits-all approach could be disastrous when designing a logo that requires being versatile.
Etsy has to reach several different customer segments in various countries. A simple logo with the capability of merging with various marketing applications was the best way for the online giant to go. The versatile Etsy logo can easily merge anywhere. From online networking sites to billboards to marketing campaigns, the Etsy logo is a perfect fit everywhere.
Relevant: One of the most important qualities of a good logo is that it is relevant. It is relevant to the market their brands’ target and connects with the audience at an emotional level. Apart from clearly communicating the brand personality, a relevant logo is uncomplicated and free of excess design elements. Designers use a combination of colors, fonts, and symbols to trigger the right emotions among customers and potential buyers.
The Etsy logo is clutter-free and communicates the brand personality clearly. The wordmark is executed using legible fonts that appear perfect for the creative platform.
Take a look at some of the iconic logos in the world today: they are simple and relevant. Be it Google or Amazon, relevant logos always leave their mark.
Memorable: One of the reasons behind creating a good logo is to generate the interest of the people in the brand it represents. A logo can heighten the interest of the audience once it has connected with them at an emotional level. And how can a designer ensure a logo connects with the audience at a deeper level? As a brand owner or a graphic artist, you should strike the right balance between textual and visual elements to make the logo memorable.
A memorable logo is uncomplicated, unique, and attractive, just like the Etsy logo. The simple wordmark is attractive and does not use any complicated design elements. The Etsy logo is to the point, simple, and does not scream for attention.
Timeless: A timeless logo is simple, relevant, versatile, and memorable (all of the above). Such logos remain fresh even after decades have rolled past. From Coca-Cola to Starbucks, most famous brands also have timeless logos.
- Following design trends can backfire
The Etsy logo does not follow any design trend; instead, it focuses on highlighting the key personalities of the brand. As a brand owner, following the latest design fads may prove disastrous because once the trend fades, you will have to redesign your logo to keep it looking contemporary.
- Quality over quantity
As a designer, your focus should be on creating logo designs that are not cluttered with unnecessary elements. You should focus on a brand’s core ideas and values and find ways to transmit them in the most effective way through your logo design. The Etsy logo is free of excessive design elements and focuses only on highlighting the dominant personality of the brand.
- Strive to be unique
Striving for uniqueness is what will separate your brand from the crowd. You should never put yourself under any kind of pressure to follow the usual norms of your industry. The Etsy logo stands out from its competitors because it resonates with the brand.
Interesting read: How to make your logo leave an everlasting impact on the client.
Conclusion
The simplicity by which the logo has been created can enthrall any graphic designer. When everyone is trying to be unique by experimenting with new trends, the Etsy logo reminds us how using conventional design methods can be as effective.
Head of Design at DesignBro and is responsible for UI/UX Design, managing the global designer community, and ensuring quality levels of both designers and designs remain high.
