The Best & Worst Real Estate Logos of 2020 [+ pro Design Tips] (2024)

As the real estate industry continues to evolve, building a brand that stands out is more important than ever. Impactful real estate logos are fast becoming one of the main ways real estate agents cut through the noise.

That’s why we put together this list of our favorite real estate logos for 2023. We also look at some of the worst logos in the industry and go over some important tips, tricks, and mistakes to avoid to ensure you get the best return on investment (ROI) on your own logo.

Speaking of ROI, if you need a great logo quickly, check out Tailor Brands. Their easy-to-use logo maker will help you design a professional-looking logo in minutes—without the expense of hiring a designer. The Close readers even get 30% off their order with promo code 30FSB.

1. SERHANT.

If you want inspiration for your logo, why not start with an agent who’s built one of the most successful personal brands in the history of real estate? Sure, you can argue that Ryan started on third base with a hit TV show, but he wasn’t the only agent on that show. Why is Ryan’s name still instantly recognizable more than a decade later? Simple. He worked thoughtfully and strategically to build his personal brand from the very beginning.

Why we love it:In a word, simplicity. His logo is just his name in all caps with a period at the end, but that’s the point (pun very much intended). “Which brokerage should I hire to sell my $10 million brownstone?” SERHANT. Period.

The deep blue color he chose for the logo evokes trustworthiness, stability, and security—key qualities people look for in a brokerage.

The brand mark might work even better than the logo.

Of course, the real test of a great logo is how it works in different settings. Well, in this case, it works printed six-foot tall on the side of a building in SOHO…

…and the brand mark works as an 8-foot-tall sculpture in the SERHANT. offices. In fact, it works so well that it’s probably the most Instagrammed spot in their office:

Which is certainly saying something when their office looks like this:

2. Coldwell Banker Warburg

Now a part of Coldwell Banker, my vote for best branding in New York City is still 125-year-old luxury brokerage Warburg Realty. We’re thrilled they kept their logo after being acquired by Coldwell Banker.

Why we love it:Stellar typography, a simple yet powerful brand mark, and the icing on the cake, “ESTD 1896,” which reinforces its deep roots in New York City real estate.

Check out how great the brand mark works next to historically well-designed logos like Forbes and even a reworking of Milton Glaser’s famous “I Heart New York” branding.

As you might imagine, the agents and teams that hang their licenses with Warburg also take branding very seriously. Here are a few standout examples:

3. The Agency

When you’re a plucky Beverly Hills startup brokerage with global aspirations, copying the staid and safe branding of your competitors is not an option—not if you want your brokerage to survive, that is. That’s why The Agency went bold to the point of brash with their branding when founding the brokerage in 2011. The Agency is now achieving those global aspirations and the branding still goes down like ice cream.

Why we love it:If you look under the hood, the brand is actually more clever than bold. The Ferrari-red-and-white brand colors, clean, mid-century typeface, and “paperclip” brand mark are actually a nod to the iconic Creative Artists Agency script covers that every Hollywood power player would be intimately familiar with. Smart.

The now iconic brand mark even made its way into the design of the company’s Beverly Hills flagship office.

From the street, the brand colors and logo really pop on signage and scream LA cool.

4. Hilton & Hyland

Founded in 1993 by developer Rick Hilton and broker Jeff Hyland, Beverly Hills’ most prestigious brokerage has long set the tone for luxury real estate in Los Angeles.

As you might imagine, scoring trophy property after trophy property in one of the most cutthroat markets on the planet wasn’t easy. It took a rare combination of skill, great branding, and determination to get to the top.

Why we love it:Simple, spare, elegant, and timeless, Hilton & Hyland’s logo oozes Beverly Hills glamour.

The monogram, in particular, wouldn’t look out of place on the hood of a priceless vintage car or emblazoned on a Cartier cigarette case. Perfect for a real estate brand that competes for well-heeled clients in Beverly Hills.

It works great stacked with their wordmark:

It even stands out among more established luxury real estate brands like Christie’s International Real Estate, of which Hilton & Hyland is a founding affiliate:

Hire the designer:Hilton & Hyland’s logo was designed by Los Angeles-based senior graphic designer and globetrotter Ann Dang. If you’re looking for a supremely talented designer for your next project,check out Ann’s website here.

5. Century 21

OK, I know what you’re thinking.

I just waxed pretentious over Hilton & Hyland’s and SERHANT.’s real estate logos, and now we’re talking about boring old Century 21? You bet we are. Century 21’s rebranding was and still is all kinds of awesome. More to the point, good design doesn’t have to be fancy. It needs to project the right message to the right audience.

Why we love it:For Century 21, that audience is global, and increasingly represents every walk of life you can imagine. Sure, Century 21 agents sell the same eight-figure mansions that Hilton & Hyland does, but they also sell $90,000 starter homes in Iowa. Their new logo and branding tick the boxes for both markets. If you think that’s easy, try it.

It even looks amazing on tote bags:

6. Compass

It’s hard to talk about branding in the real estate industry without mentioning the plucky upstart brokerage that focused on branding more than any other in recent memory. Loaded up with millions in venture capital funding, Compass took branding seriously early on. Instead of hiring a flashy marketing agency like Pentagram, Compass developed their brand identity in house. The results speak for themselves.

Why we love it:The Compass logo is minimal, bold, and manages to combine the look of a luxury real estate brokerage with a tech company. The subtle tracking—the space between each letter—perfectly balances the all-caps font to make it feel spacious and inviting.

Learn more about the design process:If you have a few minutes to spare and want to learn how the company came up with their branding, Compass former chief marketing solutions officer Mark Spangler hasan excellent write-up of their 120-day design journey over on Medium.

7. Williams & Williams Estate Group

OK, here we are again back in Beverly Hills. The thing is, luxury brokerages take branding seriously and probably spend close to your gross commission income on branding and videos alone. Their logo is no different.

Why we love it:Using John Lautner’s iconic Goldstein residence is an inspired way to connect a relatively new brand to Los Angeles’ history of luxury and elegance. The gold might not pop very well on this page, but on a twilight shot of one the duo’s eight-figure megamansions (bookmatched marble walls, infinity pools, and Lambos included), it works like a charm.

8. Aaron Kirman Partners

Another LA superstar, Aaron Kirman is ranked consistently in the top 15 agents in the country on the Real Trends 500.

Why we love it:His team’s real estate logo matches that track record of crushing it year after year. A bit bolder and more masculine than Hilton & Hyland, and far more daring than Century 21, Aaron Kirman Partners’ logo remains just as timeless and elegant as both.

9. Your Own Custom Logo Designed With AI

While we may not have flying cars just yet, we are indeed living in the future. Case in point: Instead of hiring an expensive graphic designer or slaving away on Photoshop, you can now use artificial intelligence (AI) to design a killer logo for your business.

Why we love it:For just $3.95 per month, Tailor Brands uses sophisticated AI to generate hundreds of logos based on your preferences and tastes. All you need to do is pick the one you want. Need proof? The logo above was designed for us using Tailor Brands AI in less than 5 minutes.

10. Luxury Portfolio International

Luxury Portfolio International, a global network of independent luxury real estate brokerages under the umbrella of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, is one of the most recognized names in luxury real estate.

It’s also an increasingly dominant online destination for viewing luxury real estate around the world. With more than 50,000 listings with a $2.5 million average property value last year, they are also poised to become the world’s destination for luxury real estate.

Why we love it:To update an elegant but dated brand, Luxury Portfolio worked with 1000watt to transform from a network to a brand. Along with a new slogan, they settled on a timeless, sans serif font and a monogram that wouldn’t look out of place as the logo of a country club.

Like all great real estate logos, Luxury Portfolio’s new one looks great in print, on different color backgrounds, in different sizes, and of course, on their website and social media. The monogram brand mark can also stand on its own, so it can theoretically be used where the regular logo won’t fit. To see what I mean, check out its Twitter page.

11. Red Oak Realty

Women-owned East Bay brokerage Red Oak Realty has grown into a dominant force in Bay Area real estate. As you might imagine, its branding—especially its eye-catching, fire-engine-red logo—is top-shelf.

Why we love it:We love everything about this logo. Instead of using the same boring, all caps, sans serif fonts so many real estate brands are using these days, Red Oak chose a truly unique font that resonates with their progressive East Bay clientele.

If you’re new to your farm area and want to make a statement, try using red! It even looks great on tote bags:

Or on a park bench.

12. Ellen Mazzoni, Compass

San Francisco’s Ellen Mazzoni offers up more proof that strong typography and a great brand mark can make a simple logo stand out from the crowd. Of course, the real test of a logo is how good it looks next to a great logo. As you can see above, Ellen’s holds its own even next to the commanding Compass logo.

13. Halstead Realty

Another example of industry-leading branding by Pentagram, Halstead’s rebranding included a logo refresh that took them into the 21st century. Sadly for us design nerds, like Warburg, Halstead was recently gobbled up by a bigger brokerage and their branding no longer exists. I’m keeping them on the list though, since great branding should be timeless and chances are better than average their rebrand helped the brokerage sell for a better price. Halstead’s logo refresh might no longer help them sell real estate, but it might have helped them sell the brokerage.

Why we love it:The typography and bright, jewel-tone violet brand colors somehow manage to combine the timeless elegance of New York City with the Instagram age.

14. The Corcoran Group

When it comes to elegance and prestige, Manhattan’s Corcoran Group is hard to beat. Founded in the 1980s by real estate royalty Barbara Corcoran, its logo proves the only hard-and-fast rule in graphic design: simple > complicated.

Why we love it:The right font in the right size in the right case will win over pretty much anything else. Text-only real estate logos like the Corcoran Group’s look like they’ve just always existed.

Of course, a great Manhattan luxury real estate brand should use that font. Well, no. Not of course. Branding agency And Partners worked hard to make this logo look so easy.

This is a great lesson for any new agents out there. Think the top producer down the hall was born pitching expired listings? Think again. She probably worked at it every day for years. Hard work beats talent every day of the week in this industry.

15. The Habibi Group

Although strikingly similar to Hilton & Hyland, San Francisco’s The Habibi Group’s logo manages to stand on its own.

Why we love it:Unlike Hilton & Hyland, Habibi’s real estate logo feels modern rather than timeless. More like an elegant software company than an old-money sports club.

That’s not why I love this logo, however. The real reason it’s on this list is that brand mark. Notice how you start to see a three dimensional “H” when you look at it for more than a few seconds? Very cool and very hard to achieve. They obviously hired a typography geek for this one.

6 Real Estate Logo Design Tips for Agents, Teams & Brokerages

OK, now that you’ve feasted your eyes on some on-brand real estate logos that look and feel perfect, you’re probably scratching your head. After all, these logos are all from billion dollar-plus GCI luxury brokerages in places like Beverly Hills and New York City. How can you, with your shoestring budget, end up with something even close?

To help you get started on your own logo, here are six tips for making something great.

1. Take Time Choosing Your Fonts

While many people think that a font is a font is a font, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

Typography, the study and practice of type design, is an artistic discipline unto itself. Some of the most talented graphic artists in the world work on nothing but type.

While most graphic designers are experts in fonts, they’ll still take hours just switching between different fonts to see what works. Before they do, you can take the time to see what fonts you like online first. A site like Font Shop will let you see what your logo looks like in hundreds of high-end fonts. Take the time to go through them and send your favorites to your designer.

2. Simple > Complicated

Good design sends your customers a message. Great design sends your customers a message that they get immediately.

In most cases, that means a simple idea is generally better than a complicated idea. This approach will not only make it easier for you to get your message across, but it will also help your logo look good in a variety of sizes.

3. Make Sure Your Logo Works in All Sizes

Speaking of size, just because your logo looks great in Adobe Illustrator doesn’t mean it will look great everywhere else. What does it look like on phones? How about printed on a contract? On a business card? How about next to other real estate logos?

You can test this pretty easily. Have your designer mock up your logo in different sizes and different contexts. The most important one might be on a page with 10 other real estate logos for brokerages that work in your area.

4. See What It Looks Like Compared to Your Competition

Before you settle on a logo, you should know what it looks like next to your competition. That means you need to gather up your competitors’ logos and put your designs alongside them.

If you were a buyer or seller, what would you think about your company based only on your logo? Does it look as good, better, or worse than the competition?

5. Talent Borrows, Genius Steals

This phrase is a cliché for a reason. Taking liberal inspiration from easily recognizable real estate industry logos is a smart business move. Yes, something unique and special might stand out from the crowd, but will it stand out in a good way?

6. Make Sure Your Logo Looks Like a Real Estate Logo

Your prospective clients should be able to glance at your logo and, within a guess or two, figure out that you’re a real estate agent. Some real estate logos look like lawyer logos, and some look like heavy metal logos, sports logos, fashion logos, and more. What does yours look like?

Mistakes to Avoid: 4 Terrible Real Estate Logos

Now that we’ve gone through some of our favorite real estate logos and tips, let’s look at some less-than-stellar examples to see what to avoid.

It’s important to note that these logos may come from excellent brokerages, and they may have good reason to stick with their branding.

Odd-looking font, crowded text, and a less-than-flattering yellow background on an uninspired rectangle. To avoid this, remember to take the time to choose a great font, work with a pro, and think about color and layout.

Relying on 3D effects for your logo looks dated for a reason: It’s just not a good idea. It’s nearly impossible to recreate on fabric and won’t look right in small sizes.

We already mentioned avoiding generic “house” icons for your brand mark, but it can’t be stressed enough. Also, keep in mind that you won’t be able to copyright your logo if you use branded imagery from Canva or other stock image sites.

Some fonts will always remind people of the past. For example, the “R” in the NAR log still looks like it was designed in the 1960s. Even with the updated branding, the R still keeps this logo stuck in the bell-bottom era. Maybe because it relies on 3D effects?

Over to You

What did you think of our choices for the best real estate logos? How about our tips for creating a great logo? Let us know in the comment section.