Artist Recreates Famous Logos Typical of the Middle Ages in the Grotesque Art Style
This creative and passionate artist transforms modern-day logos into whimsical emblems reminiscent of the Middle Ages.
Ilya Denisov turned a love of history into a playful design project, and the results are hard to miss. His series, called "Medieval Branding," imagines what famous logos might have looked like if they were created in the Middle Ages.
The artist, who works as a graphic designer and illustrator, drew inspiration from a recent visit to medieval castles. That atmosphere pushed him to rework modern brands into grotesque, old-world versions that feel both familiar and strangely ancient.
Here are some of the logos he reimagined, and the contrast is part of the fun.
1. Lacoste
Lacoste S.A. is a French firm established in 1933 by René Lacoste, a tennis player, and André Gillier, a businessman. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyeglasses, leather goods, perfume, towels, and watches.
The company's green crocodile emblem is highly recognizable.
Ilya Stallone2. Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is an American global coffeehouse and roastery business. It is the largest coffeehouse chain in the world.
Ilya Stallone3. Burger King
Burger King is a hamburger fast-food restaurant chain based in the United States. Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant business, was formed in 1953. After Insta-Burger King encountered financial difficulties in 1954, David Edgerton and James McLamore purchased the firm and rebranded it as "Burger King."
Ilya Stallone
The medieval makeover gives each logo a completely different personality.
4. Playboy
Hugh Hefner launched PLBY Group, Inc. as Playboy Enterprises, Inc., an American global media and leisure firm. The company's four core business lines are Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming and Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming.
Ilya Stallone
5. Puma
Puma SE, branded as Puma, is a German multinational firm based in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures sports and casual footwear, clothing, and accessories. Puma is the world's third-largest sportswear producer.
Ilya Stallone
6. Firefox
The Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation, developed Mozilla Firefox, a free and open-source web browser. Firefox displays web pages using the Gecko rendering engine, adhering to current and future web standards.
Ilya Stallone
Some of them look surprisingly convincing in this style.
Grotesque classics also show up in these “Old Masters” portraits, proving they were the original influencers.
7. YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website based in San Bruno, California, created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. Google purchased the site for $1.65 billion in November 2006, and it has since become one of Google's subsidiaries.
Ilya Stallone
8. Windows
Microsoft Windows, or simply Windows, is a collection of Microsoft's proprietary graphical operating system families created and marketed by the company. The origins of Windows can be traced back to 1981 when Microsoft began development on a tool known as "Interface Manager."
It was launched as "Windows" in November 1983, following the Apple Lisa but preceding the Macintosh; however, Windows 1.0 was not released until November 1985.
Ilya Stallone
9. Audi
Audi is a luxury vehicle manufacturer based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group's parent company, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
Ilya Stallone
The details make the whole series feel oddly authentic.
10. Instagram
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger founded Instagram, a photo and video-sharing social networking service in the United States. Facebook Inc. acquired the service for $1 billion in cash and equity in April 2012.
Ilya Stallone
These logos created by this artist look tremendously impressive and appealing, as if we lived in the medieval age, but they are best appreciated in their original forms in the modern era. We can only wonder about the effort and hard work that went into creating such imaginative artwork.
Share these with your loved ones and leave a comment to let us know which one you liked the most.
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