Part two: the best logos of 2013 so far, as chosen by design experts

The year's biggest trends, most creative branding work and biggest identity projects, as chosen by our panel of world-leading logo designers, all get a mention in the second part of our new series of blog posts looking at 2013's best, most inspirational logo designs...

Ben Marshall, creative director, Landor

A logo that immediately springs to mind was one I spotted through the melee at D&AD New Blood. It was for the Monster Raving Loony Party. I can describe it easily: a top hat, with a cutout where the ribbon would go round, with a small ticket shape in the same negative space.

Essentially the Mad Hatter's hat, but so reduced that I also saw a voting ballot in the hat ticket. It intrigued me from afar, with cut-through simplicity amid so much other work vying for attention. Importantly, though, I would say that such a simple, brain-burn icon would have to be complemented by suitably bonkers behaviour and messaging elsewhere, which, credit to Ben Parish from Falmouth, seemed to be the intention.

Joe Duffy, creative director, Duffy & Partners

Ippon Matsu beer, by Kota Kobayashi, is a beautiful, minimal mark and packaging program that would draw people to it, even if they didn't know its powerful meaning relative to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Greg Quinton, executive creative director, the Partners, London

It’s been another dull year so far on the logo front ... But I did love the below, for an experience centre in Scotland by the Beautiful Meme, due to open next year, the scene of the famous defeat of the English by Robert the Bruce – remember, in Braveheart? Anyway, each letter effectively helps to tell the story of the battle. I saw the guidelines when I judged Design Week and the copy was bolder and more kick ass than the logo.

Looking for more of the best logo designs of 2013? Check out part one in our series covering the most inspirational logo designs, as chosen by our panel of experts, and keep an eye out for part three, coming tomorrow.