50 Outstanding Illustrative Logos for Inspiration

By Michael Baker , May 11 2022

Featured Image: iStock/phochi

When deciding on your brand’s logo you’re bound to hear many theories on what the ‘BEST’ type is. Know this: there’s no universal best. You simply need to find what the perfect fit is for your company or brand.

While some will tell you to ‘keep it simple’ and focus on graphic or text based logos, a more intricate design—an illustrative logo—can benefit many niches. So, do your homework before settling on a type.

An illustrative logo is a pictorial representation of the message you want to bring across such as:

The product you’re selling
The interesting history of your company that makes it possible to offer valued service
A sentimental icon and how it relates to your brand
Your vision or values

It can include your brand name in text, but if you do marketing right, in future you may even drop the text and still get recognized.

So, when should you use this type of logo?

Firstly, it’s important to consider where you’ll be using your logo. Illustrative logos with lots of detail can’t be too small because the details won’t be noticed and it can even look unprofessional. This limits the ways in which you can reproduce it on merchandise and marketing materials. A tiny icon on a pen may not be enough to show all the details.

Secondly, think of the colors you’ll use. A multi-colored illustrative logo often won’t have much impact when reproduced in black and white. Will this be cumbersome in your marketing strategy?

But don’t let our warnings put you off from using an illustrative logo. When done correctly it can be the key to getting recognized in your industry.

An illustrative logo gives you loads of room to get creative. You should also consider using this logo type if you’ll use a lot of animation in your marketing, such as YouTube videos. The components of your logo can be animated which will make them more recognizable to viewers.

Illustrative logos are smart to use if you need to stand out in a competitive market, because there’s very little chance of your logo getting mistaken for someone else’s. These logos easily draw attention, so it can form part of your strategy to get noticed.

An illustrative logo can easily help you protect your company’s reputation. When creating a very simple logo it’s easy to inadvertently use aspects of other people’s branding. But an illustrative logo is intricate and unique so there’s little chance of someone suing you for copying their branding idea.

Also know that illustrative logos with a ‘cool’ approach can quickly become popular, becoming THE image consumers want on wearables. That increases your exposure and revenue streams. You simply have to find the balance between what you want to communicate and what your audience will find engaging.

When you do pick this type, make sure you use an experienced designer. You don’t want your logo to look messy, cluttered or unprofessional. It takes some skill to get this right!

To help you realize what’s possible when illustrative logo design is done right, we compiled a list of the best ones around. See how these designers managed to communicate a message via a single image…and then start working on yours.