Earth Day Bonanza! 7 Tree Designs that Will Leave You Inspired Customer Blog

Spring has sprung, and what better time is there to celebrate Mother Nature than Earth Day?

Sunday marks the 42nd celebration of Earth Day, an international day dedicated to the environmental movement and pushing forward critical environmental issues to political leaders for reform. Earth Day was founded on April 22, 1970 by Gaylord Nelson, a former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (a shameless plug for my home state), in response to a massive oil spill near Santa Barbara, California. Twenty million Americans rallied to protest pressing issues such as oil spills, toxic waste, animal extinction and water pollution. Since then, the environmental movement has gained an immense amount of momentum – to which we say, “hurrah!”

We’re a tree-huggin’ bunch at 99designs, and our San Francisco team couldn’t think of a better lead-up to Earth Day then to get our hands dirty April 14th helping to restore the lush natural habitat in San Francisco’s Presidio, a national park tucked in the northwestern part of the city.

Look fun, doesn’t it? It was – and if you’re ever in our neck of the woods, you can volunteer, too!

In the spirit of Earth Day, we thought we’d focus on one of our favorite graphic design elements, the almighty tree. Trees represent life, strength, and growth – and can make for a fantastic logo for a wide variety of businesses. Below, we’ve highlighted seven winning logos from 99designs contests that are sure to make you green with envy – as well as inspired, we hope. (And when you’re out celebrating Earth Day Sunday, and doing your part to restore and protect the environment in the months and years ahead, you just may look at trees in an entirely new light!)

#1: Up With Trees

Winning design by buddy79™

Up With Trees, a non-profit urban beautification program in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been preserving and restoring Tulsa’s urban forestry for more than 35 years. Individuals and companies can sponsor the planting of new trees, or adopt an existing tree site – and more than 27,000 trees in 500 sites have been planted over the years.

You can see the 99designs T-Shirt Design contest here.

#2: World Tree Appeal

Winning design by jimreimer

We love the atmospheric take on this website for World Tree Appeal, a tree-planting initiative that aims to restore the natural forests throughout the UK., where only 1% of ancient forests still exist. Individuals and companies purchase trees directly though the site, and World Tree Appeal plants them – to the tune of more than 100,000 trees each year!

You can see the 99designs Web Design contest here.

#3: Pixel Tree Music

Winning design by Ricky Asamanis

Ecuadorian music label Pixel Tree Music was founded in 2010 with the mission of expanding and developing the country’s electronic dance music scene. The label operates under the motto “Little things make better things,” which reflects its desire to create a community of artists and spread their sound. Be sure to check out their latest releases here.

You can see the 99designs Logo design contest here.

#4: A Cut Above The Rest

Winning design by jn7_85

This designer gets two (green) thumbs up for cleverly incorporating a tree as the “T” in this logo for Cut Above the Rest Tree Surgery, a Melbourne-based company that’s been in the tree biz for more than 35 years. The company specializes in not only tree removal, but also in the care and preservation of existing healthy trees and plants – a concept they’ve dubbed “Tree Surgery”. They also work with local schools and playgrounds to reuse mulch from past projects, and use 100% recycled materials in their office. Definitely one company that takes the “Save the Trees” mantra to an entirely new level!

You can see the 99designs Logo design contest here.

#5: Orchard Dog Farms

Winning design by vision™

Wisconsin-based Orchard Dog Farms offers cooking and baking workshops for the public as well as at private evens like baby showers, bachelorette parties and birthdays.

You can see the 99designs Logo design contest here.

#6: Into The Woods

Winning design by crossm

Melbourne-based indie rock group Into The Woods formed in 2006 and turned to 99designs last year for a new graphic identity. They’re songs focus on “morality, mortality, loss and redemption” – and we think their logo captures that mood perfectly! What do you think? You can check out their sounds here.

You can see the 99designs Logo design contest here.

#7: The Factor Tree:

Winning design by Musuh Bumi

Math and kids don’t always mix from the get-go – which is where The Factor Tree comes in. The site provides free math help to children from pre-school to sixth grade, with a built-in platform for parents to monitor progress. (As for the whimsical logo, we love the idea that the tree leaves are doing math – after all, they certainly do multiply in real life!)

You can see the 99designs Web Design contest here.

For great resources on how to get involved in your area, be sure to visit www.earthday.org.

Tim is a Support Team Member in 99designs' San Francisco office and serves as the coordinator for 99nonprofits. He hails from the fair state of Wisconsin and has called the City by the Bay home for the past five years. In his spare time, he is an avid reader and architecture and design enthusiast. You might also spot him wandering through San Francisco's amazing parks, having a pint with friends, or sampling the fantastic food and fare the City has to offer.