In the hands of an inexperienced or overzealous designer, illustrated logos can be disastrous – busy, overly literal, ineffective. But sometimes, graphics come together in just the right way to bring a concept or phrase to life, making the company all the more memorable. These 15 works of art are great examples of creating graphic logos that visually define a brand.

BuzzCart

(image via: logomoose)

Psst. BuzzCart. We want to talk to you about something personal. Your logo’s looking a little… less than fresh. You might want to do something about that. We recommend contacting Sean Heisler, because his version of your logo is far superior.

Smorss

(image via: brandclay)

Since the dawn of human existence on earth, campfires have been a favorite place to gather and communicate. Just add the international symbol for electronic communication, and you’ve got a great logo for a social media website called “smorrs”, designed by Sean Farrell.

Dog Care Veterinary

(image via: logo moose)

Your dog is safe in the hands of Dog Care Veterinary, and your company branding is clearly safe in the hands of Gary, the designer who came up with this logo.

Sidewinder

(image via: logomotive)

Few designers can pull off clean-looking logos with gradients that still look good in black and white, and printed out on paper. The Sidewinder logo by Logomotive is a great example of making this work.

Royal Theater

(image via: the roxor)

This stunner was created by Lithuanian freelance graphic designer Arnas Goldbergas. It was made purely for practice and fun, but it’s worth top dollar for businesses that go by this name.

NoteStar

(image via: egallery)

Notes and a star, fitting together perfectly in a way that’s crisp and memorable. This seems to have been created  merely for fun, but the real website called NoteStar might want to consider a switch.

Swing Studios

(image via: brandstack)

This inspired logo by designer “Struve” was picked up fast when it was posted on Brandstack, and it’s no surprise – it’s a real standout.

Mr. Couch

(image via: logomoose)

Take away the arguably unnecessary gradients and you’ve got another winning logo from designer Arnas Goldbergas, perfect for a furniture retailer called Mr. Couch.

Core Cider

(image via: logo moose)

Like the straw in the orange – Tropicana’s brilliant but sadly replaced former logo – this design for ‘Core Cider’ by Brett Layton conveys natural, fruity refreshment with simple yet enticing imagery.

Portrait Photos

(image via: logo faves)

It takes a special kind of graphic designer to combine various graphic elements into one cohesive logo that stands out, makes a statement and does so with the simplest shapes possible. Atakan Seckin proves himself to be one of those designers with this seriously clever logo.

LoveClip

(image via: revivify)

Streamlined, elegant and oh-so-evocative: ‘LoveClip’, by Rich at Revivify Graphic Design, is certainly lovable.

EcoTaste

(image via: logomoose)

Anyone who’s familiar with “green” marketing is all too familiar with the overuse of leaves to signify “eco”. But when there’s a twist as clever as this, it works. It’s a tongue… it’s a leaf… it’s EcoTaste.

Cafe Click

(image via: logo pond)

Instead of steam rising from a coffee cup, there’s a little stream of mouse pointers – so appropriate for ‘CafeClick’, a Wi-Fi internet cafe network.

Women Meet Literature

(image via: logofaves)

It’s rare that a designer is able to use a single symbol that conveys multiple meanings without much manipulation. In this case, not only does the illustration in the logo represent the nib of a fountain pen, it’s also a suggestive representation of the female form.

Optical Strength

(image via: felipe rojas)

The small figure of a man raising an incredibly large, heavy set of barbells – wait, make that eyeglasses- forms a great visual for the phrase “optical strength”.