The startup and tech-scene boomed in 2011, wavered somewhat and then soldiered on. Tech businesses weathered natural disasters, GFC "2" and, sadly, Steve Jobs died. Despite this, Groupon and LinkedIn IPO'd, Quora got popular, Google launched Google+ and people developed "Group Buying Fatigue".

While we witnessed some sobering tech developments / news items (delayed IPO's, revenue reporting surprises and stock market jitters), a number of strong startups emerged. Loads of startups got funded. The outlook for 2012 is strong and whether you're in China or the US, it's hip to be an Internet mogul like Pony Ma or Zuckerberg.

 

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In this blog post, we've rounded up a list of 50 startups that either launched in 2011 or that became prominent in the year. We've categorized them into 3 groups: "The Good", "The Average" and "The Ugly".

Group 1 - 'The Good'

 

Quora Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Quora's logo is simple, memorable and effective.

Instagram

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Instagram - a fast / beautiful / polaroid-style photo sharing app. Check out the 2016 Instagram rebrand and alternative logos from our designer community.

Square Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Flipboard Logo

Flipboard Logo

Birchbox Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Fashionlista Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Roamz Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

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Trello Logo

Trello 2011 Logo Example

Coupons.com Logo

Coupons Logo

Chomp Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Myth of Me Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Pygg Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Locu Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Stitcher Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

HouseFix Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Lytro Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

North Social Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

wibbitz Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Shakr Media Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Simple Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Zeromail Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Snog Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example
Snog.com - a UK startup for social / teenage online dating. Was initially (they claimed) growing as fast as Facebook.
Prescreen Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

SellStage Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Alfred Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Wooboard Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Wooboard is a 'game' / tool to help you motivate staff.

Task Rabbit Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Rethink Books Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Cakehealth Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Cakehealth - the Mint.com of health insurance.

Sonar Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Getaround Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Getaround - peer-to-peer car sharing (and winner of Techcrunch Disrupt NYC).

 


Shaker App Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Sphero Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Enloop Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Group 2 - 'The Average'

 

Rent the Runway Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Kaggle Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Note: we love Kaggle (a fellow Australian crowdsourcing startup). Maybe they should crowdsource a new logo on DesignCrowd?



Noosbox Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Bill Guard Logo

Bill Guard

Fingerprint Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Triposo Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Kiwi Crate Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

H.Bloom Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Zaarly Logo

Zaarly 2011 Logo

Udemy Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Group 3 - 'The Ugly'

 

Scality Logo

Scality.com

Scality - raised $7M in 2011 but (apparently) couldn't find $500 for a new logo.


Order With Me Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

IRL gaming Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Skillshare Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Sprouter Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example

Bountyjobs Logo

Startup 2011 Logo Example



The Hot Logo Design Trends In 2011?

Here's five patterns/trends we saw in 2011:

1) Dark background logos / branding (think snog, zeromail, Shaker App, fashiolista).

2) An emphasis on typography (over 15 of the logos are typography/wordform only logos (think chomp, roamz).

3) Greys and green - popular colors (fit that in somewhere and you'll get funded)

4) The word "Shake"

5) Loops (see enloop above but also doo.net from Germany, and Recruitloop from Australia).

If you think that we have missed a worthy logo or a trend from 2011 (good, average or ugly)let us know below!

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Written by Jo Sabin on Monday, January 9, 2012

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.