30 Brilliant Vector Logo Designs, Deconstructed

Sep 16th in Web Roundups by Chris Spooner

A kick-butt logo design is of great importance to any business. Often seen as the first impression of a company, its logo must be tailored to communicate specific values and ideals in an instant.

However, logos not only have the look good, they should also be thoughtfully designed and capable of taking on a variety of uses. This could include being scaled to a range of sizes, being reproduced in flat color and being printable on paper stock. In this post we look at 30 contemporary examples of great vector logo design and find out what makes them work.

Author: Chris Spooner

Chris is a web designer, logo designer and vector illustrator. Find Chris's portfolio and blog at SpoonGraphics.

1. Castle Print

The Castle Print logo by Sean O’Grady creates a strong and immediate connection to the nature of the business it is designed for. By basing the graphic on the Subtractive Color Model the logo not only relates directly to the printing industry, but also creates a unique mark by reflecting the company name (‘Castle’) in the form of a castle icon shaped from the blending colors.

2. Ryan-Biggs

Bryan Kahrs use of negative space on the Ryan-Biggs logo gives a fantastic illusion of the letters B and R, initials of the targeted company while the slight angle adds depth and dimension to the design. All expressed in a single colour making the logo adaptable for a variety of uses and contexts.

3. One Leaf

The One Leaf logo by Choerte combines imagery directly generated from the business name into a single graphical mark. The numeric version of the word ‘One’ is used as a tree to accommodate the simple leaf graphic. Both relate directly to the business name, as well as to the type of business. The two are also combined perfectly giving a nice smooth flow.

4. Greener

The Greener logo by Tanner Christensen gives a modern impression with varying weights of sans-serif type, but also adds the impression of multiple layers without risking the logo’s ability to be reproduced in a single color (always an essential aspect of good logo design).

5. Talkmore

A fine logo design for talkmore uses symbology in the form of quotation marks to replace the letters A and E, creating a clever image that gives a graphical representation of the words and meaning of the brand. The touch of color enhances this effect making the logo stand out and adding to its attractiveness.

6. Black Sparrow

What first appears to be a simple design, the Black Sparrow logo from Alex Wende turns out to have some extremely high attention to detail. Everything from the bird icon to the type is tweaked with slight curves and flowing lines pulling together the complete design into a unique and effective branding statement.

7. Swannie Lake

The Swannie Lake logo from Savera+Co blends the modern sans-serif typeface Avenir with a sleek graphical image than not only fits perfectly with the logo but also adds a subtle touch to the design.

8. Elara Systems

Using soft curves in the type and graphical device gives a friendly appearance to the Elara Systems logo by Maximalist. Bringing in the use of modern trends in the form of three dimensional effects to create a modeled letter E in the design fits perfectly with the animation and modeling studio this logo was created for.

9. Onwine

Perfect type choices and a superb idea from Piotr Chrobot give a sophisticated image for the Onwine logo, pulling together graphical imagery and type to produce a unique mark that brilliantly conveys the topic of the brand.

10. Popp

Vlastmil Svoboda’s design for the Popp logo takes the idea of basing a design on type to the next level by creating the complete word from the single base shape. The letter O can be seen repeated on every letter, with small tweaks made to the letter P to differentiate and give legibility to the word.

11. Therauz Fashions

The Therauz Fashions logo by Sandhya does a great job of combining type and a graphical image. Not only does the sewing needle refer to the concept of fashion, but plays a crucial part in illustrating the letters and holding together the logo. A perfect designer's touch!

12. Alatau

The Alatau logo design from Raja Sandhu gives a serious and cutting edge feeling with the widely spaced lettering and array of colored dots. The shapes are also balanced perfectly from the inner two letters, helping the two elements sit together nicely.

13. Spiffy Sparrow

The graphical bird mark of the Spiffy Sparrow logo makes use of intricate shapes, lines and color that could easily progress onto other design material to create a stunning brand identity. The use of negative space to produce the body of the bird is a particularly clever touch.

14. About Thyme

Heading away from the crisp lines and shapes usually associates with logo design, Good Creative’s design for the About Thyme brand has an excellent use of rough, hand-drawn elements, giving a friendly and approachable appearance. Each little icon gives an insight into the key features and values of what ‘About Thyme’ is actually all about!

15. Ta Jevi

Every part of the Ta Jevi logo oozes fun! The smiling face graphic itself highlights the entertaining aspect of the brand, but together with the arrows of the refresh icon the design symbolizes the deeper message of constantly updating fun. Combined with vibrant colors and a super-cool hand-written type the logo perfectly conveys the entertainment website’s values.

16. Anti Particle

The Anti Particle logo by Dian Warsosumarto is another great example of a logo developed with close relation to the business name. Using the letter A with ‘particle’ graphics is a natural choice with great visual impact. The addition of the blue contrasting particle completely reflects the concept of an ‘Anti Particle’. With the logo being developed for a film production company it leaves itself open for some spectacular animated effects.

17. 69 Monos

Despite being flat, 2D designs, some logos--such as the 69 Monos design from Ruben Van Wijnen--add depth and interest with the impression of three dimensions. Adjusting the angles of the graphic gives a dynamic notion as apposed to a flat and static image.

18. Green Dolphin

Mel Campbell’s Green Dolphin naturally makes use of the dolphin silhouette imagery and the color green to graphically communicate the text-based information, but also adds a secondary graphic to the logo in the form of abstract initials that fit seamlessly with the overall design.

19. Aramova

The Aramova logo by Vladimir Mijatovic is a fantastic use of a Möbius strip concept. Using soft gradients and attractive colors the overall graphic gives the impression of continuous movement.

20. Vize

Logos don’t always need an associated graphic or device. Many, such as Vize Media’s own logo, work perfectly as a text based graphic with subtle typographic treatments. This approach allows the chosen typeface and colors to express the brand values.

21. Friends in Places

The Friends in Places logo is an excellent representation of the worldwide accessibility of online social networking. The busy and dynamic arrows making up the world map produce a distinctive mark that perfectly represents the Friends in Places brand.

22. Koloroo

As a color related product the Koloroo logo fits perfectly with its mix of colored random shapes making up the silhouette of the kangaroo. With an attractive type treatment the logo works well as a combined design or individually as a graphical mark or typographic label.

23. Pangur

The use of transparency is traditionally frowned upon in logo design, however with modern printing technologies there is little reason to continue limiting the designs of logos. The Pangur Glass Craft design from Sean O’Grady takes a modern slant on its design and perfectly captures the features of glass craft with the stacking of stylized colored glass objects. Combined with the modern Futura typeface it gives fresh and contemporary image.

24. Tammy Lenski

The Tammy Lenski logo from David Airey takes a journey into the deep meaning behind the use of a paper crane within the design. Where many logo designs reflect aspects of the targeted business directly, the Tammy Lenski design takes inspiration from the motivating story of Sadaki Sasaki. The overall effect is not only a great looking brand for the conflict resolution company, but an intriguing story behind the design that reflects the ideals and values of Tammy Lenski.

25. Eco Café

Bojan Stefanovic’s logo design for Eco Café boasts simplistic yet iconic design elements which, combined with the earthy tones, give a real sense of ecology. As a simple mark it has the option of fitting perfectly into a range of uses, from etched window signage to branded crockery for the Café.

26. Firefish

Raja Sandhu’s logo design for Firefish is another great example of modern trends such as the use of transparency to create a multi-level and eye-catching mark. Tailoring the stylized flames into the shape of a fish reflects exactly to the brand name which itself looks classic with a mix of small caps and a serif typeface.

27. Boxbound

Also making use of the modern trends of transparency and three-dimensions the boxbound logo couples together vibrant colors and a friendly rounded typeface to give a modern, web-based appearance.

28. AdMagik

The AdMajik logo by Roy Smith is a great example of balancing and highlighting areas of a logo with color, using the vibrant magenta to pick out the recognizable business name and the grey to distinguish key points of the logo message.

The use of the simple icon is a great addition, using the title of the letters J and I and combining them with a single shape to produce a subtle rabbit image, relating back to the ‘magic’ aspect of the business name.

29. Jivespace

The Jivespace logo from Raja Sandhu has an explosive device adding dynamism and depth to the logo whilst featuring modern values with lower case type.

30. Core

The Core logo design from Rainer Schulz also develops the wording from a single base shape, stripping down the characters and blending together the letters to give a clever but perfectly readable design. Using crisp lines and a single color makes this design another versatile creation.

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User Comments

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  1. Tony September 16th

    First


  2. WAR September 16th

    Great selection of innovative identity designs. I really like the antiparticle design. Thanks for the great inspiration.


  3. andi September 16th

    Nice article, thanks


  4. Maurizio September 16th

    Great collection, very inspiring!!!


  5. Leandro Pontes September 16th

    Cool!


  6. kasey September 16th

    You’ve just grabbed these off logo pond. A lazy post by your standards. Why not link to sites that showcase great logos instead of pulling them off?


  7. Brent Nelson September 16th

    These are great logos.


  8. Shane September 16th

    Well done Tony!

    If anybody’s not familiar with logopond.com, I suggest they take a look. Having been in the habit of looking over there every few days, I’m familiar with most of these logos.

    Good dissection. :) Thanks for posting.


  9. Manuel September 16th

    Yes, nice logos…


  10. James Kurtz III September 16th

    Nice to see a tutorial website that realizes good design is more than knowing the software. Keep up the great work!


  11. Gen September 16th

    Is it just me or looks the green dolphin-one just like the deviantart-logo?


  12. Bran Kahrs September 16th

    Wow, thanks for the Ryan-Biggs inclusion on this list. These are some great examples with thorough explanations. Castle Print might be the most clever (and effective) mark I have seen thus far. I really enjoy the Black Sparrow and Pangur lockups as well.


  13. D.A.T. September 16th

    Stunning collection of logos here! Very informative breakdown as well. Thanks for this great and educational article. I love it!


  14. curtis allen September 16th

    nices logos


  15. Siah Design September 16th

    EXCELLENT collection of logos. Amazing work. Castle Print is such a classic logo.


  16. Sean September 16th

    Favorite is either talkmore or black sparrow. Great collection


  17. Evie September 16th

    The Green Dolphin one really reminds me of the DeviantArt one too, Gen…

    My favourite is either the sparrow one, or the glass bowls.


  18. Nate September 16th

    I lovem. Nice list you put together.


  19. collis September 16th

    Hiho chris, thanks for including my About Thyme logo! That was one of my favourites from back in the day :-)


  20. Elaine B. September 16th

    Great Logos!!


  21. RCKY September 16th

    Do all of them work without colors? Im not really shure about that…


  22. RCKY September 16th

    I forgot to say thank you… thank you ;)


  23. Zak Nicola September 16th

    I love the art here, smart branding.


  24. Osama September 16th

    My favorites are the “Talkmore” and the “Friendinplaces”


  25. Long Beach Web Design September 16th

    Great post. These are some really good logos. Looking forward to more posts like this. Thanks Vector Tuts.


  26. Zlatko Nikolic September 16th

    Logos look very PRO, thanks for this collection


  27. Moksha September 16th

    all are PRO and they are very cool, thanks for it


  28. STail September 16th

    Ryan-Biggs, Talkmore, and Onwine are very clever. Bravo.
    The rest, meh. Many of them are too complex.


  29. Bonnie September 16th

    Very exciting and inspiring. Thanks for the sharing.


  30. Jiff Whipper September 16th

    Amazing! I love Vector Logos! Excellent work.

    Jiff


  31. stelt September 16th

    Are there any SVG files i can download?


  32. c0d3r September 16th

    Splendid logos! Highly inspiring for new and innovative deisgning :)


  33. wizarlock September 16th

    even with the current printer RIP software, transparencies are still a nightmare for output. Pantone colors do not work correctly in CMYK at any percentage other than 100%. Unless you are real savvy can can mimmck transparencies in a codified colorspace, the printed product will look different everytime you switch vendors. CMYK and RGB values don’t mean a thing to a lot of printers, there’s still a lot of things that need to be able to convert to monochrome for a variety of reasons.


  34. Jayden September 16th

    Great post! I’m liking friendsinplaces…


  35. Psiplex September 16th

    Very nice article and selection of great logos. Thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring! Thank you.


  36. dstryr September 16th

    I would have preferred to have read dissections of logos that were deemed ‘brilliant’ by their success rather than the aesthetic of whims of the author.

    Have any of these logos received critical praise or have been instrumental in brand campaigns of note? Because I’ve never heard of any of these brands that these ‘brilliant’ logos represent.


  37. Miguel September 16th

    I agree with a lot of these but the last inclusion of that CORE logo, give me a break, that’s horrible bezier work there, if it even had any. I’m tempted to say its just a cut up of various circle parts stuck together. Maybe it’s just my view of it, but a little polish on that work and it would have had a luscious flow to it, whereas atm it just seems like there’s something off about it.


  38. Billy September 16th

    Try scaling these to an inch width. Most of them would be confusing blobs. There are rules!!! ha.


  39. otouch September 16th

    Wow…really nice


  40. yugu September 16th

    Nice work, good collection

    For more inspiration check http://dzineblog.com/2008/08/54-creative-logos-designs.html


  41. Tabris Chen September 16th

    I love AdMajik’s logo, very cute ^^


  42. Dean Hammond September 16th

    I’ve always really liked the logo on http://southcreative.com.au
    It suits the style of ones mentioned in the article, and the colours are fantastic. I’d say it’s only (minor) flaw is that it reminds me of the circular Firefox logo!


  43. Honour Chick September 16th

    nice designs… photoshoped? :)


  44. daniel September 16th

    Great article there and nice pieces of inspiration! thanks a lot ;)


  45. leon1967 September 17th

    CORE logo looks like the FOOSE logo or the other way around,…


  46. Bayrak September 17th

    thanks


  47. Carlos Ferreira September 17th

    Great Logos :) Superb Design. Best Regard from an future designer


  48. Req September 17th

    Very nice collection. I disagree about the last logo being perfectly readable. I first read it as Cane rather than Core. The middle two letters could be anything. The r even looks like a Q as we don’t the rules for that typaface because it’s very unfamiliar. And I’m still unsure about using transparencies. Otherwise, great stuff.


  49. Guillaume September 17th

    There are some very interesting and original concepts!


  50. Sam September 17th

    Great article! Wonderful logo designs. I need a new one, too xD Still working on it. :-)


  51. Ryan G September 17th

    Nice breakdown. Thanks for the list. I’ll bookmark this for when I create a new logo.


  52. annie September 17th

    Wine and One leaf are great, as well as others, realy.


  53. TonyFan September 17th

    45th!

    @Tony, you win at life.


  54. Grafiko September 17th

    Great show of creativity.

    I have to agree with Wizarlock. Most of theses logos with transparencies are created for screen use only. They create all sorts of issues on presses. Logos should be design in black and white first, and then work the necessary changes or adaptations depending on the medium.


  55. macias September 17th

    great ideas !


  56. David Airey September 17th

    Hi Chris,

    Thanks for including my logo design for Tammy Lenski. I’m sure Tammy would be equally pleased at your kind words.


  57. Paul Sanderson September 17th

    in feb this year i started this http://www.wscoop.com its a digg stylr site but deicated to web desing and development

    But I need your help….

    I need links to web design and development, site , articles links…… anything you think of….

    Please are you abel to help me make this into a great resource for developers and designers.

    You are more than welcome to promote your own sites, projects, comments and all… at the moment the posts go straight to the font page to it is good exposer and at least some sweet backlinks


  58. jive September 17th

    Nice list, I’ve seen some of these before, but many were new.


  59. j0rdi September 17th

    amazing, they are gorgeous


  60. Doc Stevew September 17th

    I have to agree with Wizardlock and Grafiko. One of the first things I was taught about icon design (and specifically logo design) is that a visual icon must look as good when reduced to two-color black and white as it does in color. Many of these designs are dependent on transparency and gradients which don’t reproduce well in print or at reduced sizes. Several of them also use multiple fonts, another big no-no.


  61. walter September 17th

    Parecidos “razonables” entre el logo número 19 de ARAMOVA y el de CAIXANOVA (entidad bancaria de Galicia).

    logo: http://www.pctea-sestelo.com/imagenes/caixa_nova.jpg

    web: https://www.caixanova.es/

    Este logo tiene por lo menos unos 10-12 años de uso por este banco…


  62. meteor September 18th

    thanks! i like it~~


  63. rady September 18th

    Nice inspiration sources.
    Thanks


  64. Zink September 18th

    nice posts, especially the descriptions..


  65. matthi September 18th

    where is the “deconstruction” ???

    just pulling of identical logos of other sites logolistings and describing the visual obvious isn´t anything worth to mention in a tutorial nor comes it close to what I understand talking about “deconstruction”….


  66. Dago September 18th

    Great Collection!.. tnks!!


  67. Vector Graphics September 18th

    Great collections. I like no 5 and 6. Thanks for posting


  68. sc September 18th

    seriously, i thought Ta-Jevy.com was a pork products company.
    another excellent post by vectortuts.


  69. Fern September 18th

    Good job, i like it


  70. Darrin September 18th

    I thought Ive seen some of these before……..Hey D.A.T. Love your website btw.

    Thanks for the post.


  71. Dainis Graveris September 18th

    Great post, I would be happy to see some tutorials with logo creation techniques, or I will simply search and create one tutorial by myself! :) Thanks :)


  72. Tom September 19th

    Very nice logo collection. Good post.


  73. David Henderson September 22nd

    Some beautiful designs here. Thanks for the article.


  74. Eventguiden September 22nd

    Cool stuff indeed. Thanks!


  75. Santiago Sosa September 22nd

    Very Creative, Nice Collection!


  76. Digital Graphics September 22nd

    exiciting logos there..really nice..I like the vector..thanks


  77. Tom September 24th

    Where can I find somebody to create me a logo as good as these?


  78. Sydney Web Design September 25th

    Hi, awesome article, i’m designing a few logos right now so this was great inspiration for me. I posted a link to this article in my own article “7 secrets of great logo design”
    My Web Design Blog http://www.scottydonald.com


  79. Courtney McEntire September 25th

    My friend made that koloroo logo. It’s sweet and it provides great careware!


  80. Alejandro Urrutia Daglio September 26th

    OMG!!!

    Aramova is a copy of a bank from Galicia!


  81. Pedro Tavares September 26th

    Really nice article. The site is really great also.


  82. Web Design Studio September 27th

    this is a great list of awesome logos. posts like this are always great.


  83. Fresh Logo Design September 28th

    Cool collection, very inspirative!


  84. Himanshu October 2nd

    Awesome designs! another source for my inspiration


  85. Céline October 3rd

    I love the logo’s!!! Good job!!


  86. Richard October 23rd

    Good article, and some nice logos. I’d disagree with a point in #4 about reproducing logos in monotone: whilst useful, not entirely necessary given most applications these days for a logo will involve full colour PDFs, websites or professionally printed stationery - this was only really necessary (for most logos, anyway) for fax, which has been effectively replaced with email!


  87. custom logo design December 11th

    Great list you put together here. Also I really enjoyed reading your comments in regards to each logo and its concept. Very inspiring


  88. mmvv December 23rd

    VERY NICE LOGO


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