The shape of this beautiful logo follows the general shape of the islands that make up the Bahamas, although the petal-like appearance of the individual shapes makes it also appear to be a garland of tropical flowers. The colors are bright and most definitely tropical. The rounded, mainly lower case writing is friendly and inviting. In all, this logo design is an excellent representative of this group of islands, and one that will be beautiful when placed on t-shirts and other tourist merchandise.

This research organization focuses on saving reefs and rainforests, two key components of tropical areas. The fish in the image refers to the reef, while the leaf refers to the rainforest. The way both of these is given a roughly similar shape is attractive and makes for a well balanced image. The blue and green color palette combined with the thin, rounded writing creates a friendly and calm image that suggests that this organization is an answer to problems.

This company creates home products, which is why a straightforward and trustworthy square is such an appropriate shape. The image is of thick palm branches, appearing to create a shelter over the wording. The plain, bold letters combined with the line between the two words gives a simple, strong image that is exactly what people want in products for their roof and home.

In order to create a logo design for a business such as this, the designer must combine tropical images relating to the name with images related to high quality and elegance, befitting a style-oriented catering and decorating business. This logo fits the bill exactly. First, the leafy images normally seen in tropical logos are present, but smaller and more symmetrical. The company’s initials are written in an upscale, swirling font reminiscent of a five star hotel. The spa-like colors are calming, with tropical green and gray accented by a small amount of dark red. This logo design blends the two considerations perfectly, and is definitely the work of a professional.

A travel company definitely must have a logo that makes people want to get away, and this logo definitely achieves that goal. The blues and yellows are a nice departure from the often used greens. The rays coming off the sun and the ocean waves are both made from similar wavy shapes that give a feeling of movement that is particularly appropriate in this field. The tagline implies that a tropical Pacific vacation is a more unusual choice that offers a very different experience than the usual island getaway.

This line of organic coffee requires a very different logo design from the average tropical company. First, we see an earthy brown that is relevant to the product, rather than bright colors. Second, the central shape is of an inclusive circle. Last, rather than crisp lines, this logo has jagged edges that give an artisan image. However, the inclusion of a palm tree image makes sure this logo is distinctly tropical. The tagline below promises that organic is not the only benefit that this brand offers.

This logo is as tropical as it gets, from the palm trees to the waves to the Caribbean color scheme. Wavelike shapes line the logo, invoking image of water and waves. The thin writing fits well between the many different images in this logo design, which creates an attractive whole.

Instead of bright colors, this logo design uses earthy tones that make it stand out among tropical brands. A desert island sits invitingly in the midst of a light blue ocean, with a red sun setting in the background, which is an attractive image for people seeking a desert getaway. While the round shape is inviting, the most noticeable shape is the wavy pattern on the sand, which communicates movement. The impression is that the Caribbean is an island getaway, but one that is friendly to outsiders and offering a constantly changing range of attractions. This modern image presents the region as an up-to-date and stylish place to have a holiday.

Few images are as distinctly tropical as that of a sun setting on the ocean, which makes this the perfect image for this logo design. An airplane takes off in the foreground, which obviously relates to the industry at hand. The waves are a symbol of movement that is also appropriate here. The simple black and white combined with the minimalist images give a modern and sophisticated touch that completes the picture of this brand as a contemporary choice for tropical air travel.

This is not exactly a tourist industry, but it may have reached further into American households than any other tropical brand. This company, which is more than one hundred years old, adopted this logo in the 1960’s. The woman relates to the meaning of the name, which is Spanish for a small girl. The woman originally was half human and half banana, which can now only be seen in the way her body curves at the bottom of the image. The fruit basket on her head relates directly to the product as well. The yellow obviously is reminiscent of the bananas, while the blue is calming and contrasts well.

The most common signs seen on roads are traffic lights. The classic color scheme used in the United States and most countries is green for ‘go’, red for ‘stop’, and yellow as a warning that a light is about to turn red. These lights are lit with light bulbs so that it is almost impossible not to see them. There has been some controversy about the color choice because with graphic design logos the color red subconsciously makes people feel like taking action rather than stopping their action, and because color-blind people often cannot distinguish between green and red.

Signs that forbid actions, such as stop signs, are usually red with white lettering and a white border to further increase visibility. Many of these signs are octagons, which incorporate the inclusiveness of the circle with the authority of a square shape. Because stop signs are similar in most countries, this convention makes it easy for drivers who do not speak or read a language to understand what is being asked of them.

Speed limits, weight limits, and other regulated limits commonly use a white rectangle with black lettering and a black border, making these graphic design logos universal. This may be both because of the power associated with a square as well as the high contrast of black and white. Even with the many distractions on a road or highway, such as foliage and buildings, it is easy to pick out these signs, which is exactly what government officials want.

Although few people make the connection, yield signs, animal crossings, railroad warnings, and other warning signs all have the same basic form: a diamond shape in deep gold with black writing and borders. This yellow is a bright, attention-grabbing color that is not present in most environments, helping these signs to stand out. Yellow also is associated with caution in graphic design logos, making it a very appropriate color for these signs. The diamond shape is simply an authoritative square turned on its side, which distinguishes it from the squares used in other signs.

It’s important to distinguish mile markers, location indicators, and other informative signs from those that are giving commands. This is why a very different shape and color palette are used for these signs. The deep green is a soothing color that is associated with nature and geography, which makes these signs easy to recognize as location signs. The edges are often rounded to take away from the commanding presence of the square of these graphic design logos.

When you are on a long trip, you probably notice that signs designating necessary services such as food, water, and gasoline are everywhere. These graphic design logos are usually blue with white writing and borders. The bright blue used in these signs is the same color as water. This is because water is the most necessary commodity for human life. We subconsciously associate blue not just with life-giving resources, but also with the relaxation that these services offer to travelers. As with in formative signs, the edges of service signs are often rounded to take away from the commanding presence of the square.

School zones, parks, and other places where pedestrians and children are likely to be present have their own color palette and design. The white with black scheme used for regulations is usually combined with a bright fluorescent yellow in signs like this. While yellow is the color of warning, a different and distinct yellow is generally used to differentiate these graphic design logos from normal warning signs. Lights or flags are often attached to these signs at times when foot traffic is heaviest, increasing the visibility of these signs and the safety of the people who are present.

These signs are used when there is construction or other changes to the normal flow of traffic, such as in ‘Men at Work’ and detour signs. In this case, orange is used because it is a bright color that is not used in any other street signs. Different shapes are used according to the type of change that is occurring, with diamonds and squares being the most common. Arrows may be used to communicate new directions, which is common in graphic design logos, as well as the desired movement of traffic.

Brown is a color normally associated with earth and earthy activities, which makes it a perfect color for forest service graphic design logos as well as signs that indicate campgrounds, outdoor wonders, and forests. It is also a less attention-grabbing color, which keeps these signs from detracting from the yellow, white, and orange signs that imply mandatory compliance.

As of now, there is no designated color palette for signs and graphic design logos that indicate disabled access or other signs that indicate services for people with special needs. While blue and white is the most common color scheme due to the fact that special services are being offered, the most recognizable aspect of these signs is the unique wheelchair icon that implies disability. While most disabled persons are not actually in wheelchairs, this logo is a true success story because its meaning is recognized by most Americans.

With hotels in upscale locales such as Las Vegas and Miami Beach, the FontaineBleau resort and hotel, chain is trying to be different from your average vacation spot. The logo does a good job of portraying this goal. The logo is made up of two initials, F and B, with the line that crosses the lower case ‘F’ wrapping around to form the ‘B’. Modern, sleek, and distinctively shaped, the FontaineBleau’s good logo design speaks volumes about the vacation you’ll enjoy there.

This Israeli airline company logo wins for being true to its roots. The logo includes the word El Al written in both Roman and Hebrew letters, but in a font that complements both types of writing. The Israeli flag is proudly displayed to the right of the lettering. The blue color is calming and safe, exactly what most people want from an airplane ride. Looking at this logo, it is easy to see where El Al is from and what they represent, which makes it good logo design.

This travel planning website offers so many services that the normal travel logo just wouldn’t be well-rounded enough. The website name is written in a clear font that is colored blue, which is the color of water, sky, and calm. This is a great color choice that will appeal to people looking to get away. A stylized suitcase shape is drawn on the left side. This is a great business logo design because, whatever type of vacation you are planning, a suitcase is likely involved.

The Sri Lankan Airlines recently changed both their logo and their name to better brand themselves. The new logo featured a peacock, which is the star of a traditional Sri Lankan myth called Dandumonara Yanthra. In this story, the peacock is actually a flying machine made by a mythical king. This lore is very appropriate for these modern flying machines, and adds an ethnic flair that lets everyone know a little bit about this rich culture. Interestingly, many Sri Lankans disapprove of this new logo because the bird is flying away from the airplane instead of with it, which is considered unlucky. Good fortune aside, this is still a nice logo design.

This New Mexico hotel and casino features logo in the traditional Southwestern colors of eggplant and gold. The logo design features a sun with what appears to be two people kissing. Beneath is the hotel name. This is an elegant logo design because it is appropriate for the hotel’s location, with a Southwestern symbol such as the sun and a local color palette. The kissing faces are subtle yet make the hotel seem like a romantic place to visit.

Once again we see the calming blue color, although this time it is even more appropriate as this resort floats on the deep blue sea. This logo is an awesome logo design because it avoids the obvious princess symbols and instead shows a woman with flowing hair that looks strikingly like waves. Beneath the image and the company name, the company slogan ‘escape completely’ is written. The impression is that a Princess Cruise is a place to relax and escape from your daily cares, a message that is likely to appeal to many people.

This timeshare company’s logo features the Marriott brand name in its normal company font, which is good branding. However, the other lettering is rounder t signify that this is something different. The sun above the wording and the wave below the logo appear to be hand painted. Altogether, this is a practical logo design because the logo does a great job of making this company seem warm, friendly, and informal. It makes you want to visit this company’s resorts.

This logo is a text based logo design and like our other winners, it avoids the obvious clichés. Instead of going with a traditional hotel symbol, Hotels.com uses arrows on the top and bottom of the ‘O’ in its name to form the directional arrows commonly seen in modern hotels. Arrows are also appropriate because people who come to the site are looking to go somewhere, The color palette includes warm colors that make people feel welcome and invited.

This statewide tourism organization aims to promote Hawaii as a place to visit both for business and pleasure. The logo fits the bill exactly. The word ‘Hawaii’ is written in what appears to be hand-painted capital letters. Rick tropical colors are splashed within the letters, giving it a tropical batik effect as well as a fluidity that is appropriate for an island vacation. The effect is exotic and interesting, which makes this another example of a simple logo design.

Like the Sri Lankan airline, this Indonesian airline uses a mythological bird as part of its logo. However, the two logos couldn’t be more different. The Indonesian airline’s logo is much more business-like, with crisp edges and a more stylish design. The calming color palette makes people feel good about flying on one of these airplanes. Altogether, this is good logo design because it makes the company seem professional and trustworthy.

SideStep is a metasearch engine for travel: it searches and consolidates results from more than 200 travel websites. The site searches more than 150,000 hotels and 600 airlines in the United States and worldwide. The logo is slightly mysterious in the sense that it is made up a spherical icon with an upwards pointed arrow mark and an orange spot on the lower corner of the sphere. I can perhaps understand the upwards arrow to indicate travel, progress etc. But the orange spot eludes me. Perhaps it indicates either the origin or the destination of the traveller or the tourist.

Visit Site

Kayak.com is a travel search engine website based in the United States. Founded in 2004, it aggregates information from hundreds of other travel sites and helps users book flights, hotels, cruises, and rental cars. The logo shown here is a relatively new logo for Kayak.com. Previously it used to be an eye like shape (also similar to the outline of a kayak). This current logo looks more like airlines arrivals and destinations shown on the Arrivals/Departures board in airports.

Visit Site

LastMinuteTravel is a premier online website for providing last minute prices on a variety of travel products from its portfolio of 15,000 plus Undercover hotels in 1,500 major cities worldwide. The logo looks like it was put together in a hurry at the last minute (pun intended). It has a clip art like logo of a clock and an old fashioned (circa 2000) style of gradient and Photoshop drop shadow for its name.

Visit Site

Expedia is an Internet-based travel agency and a part of Expedia, Inc. based in the US with localized sites for 15 countries. It books airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, and various attractions and services via the World Wide Web and telephone travel agents. Even though I am not too impressed by their offers, prices or service, I do like the logo. The Expedia.com logo is a web 2.0 style logo showing a glassy sphere representing the Earth and a (albeit clip art looking) icon of a plane swooping across the Earth. The plane has swoosh marks to give some movement to the logo and make it look dynamic.

Visit Site

TRAVEL.com claims to bring together in one place a lot of the top booking engines worldwide, companies that wish to compete head-to-head for your business, providing the greatest array of travel products available. Yet again a very disappointing online travel logo with a sphere to represent the Earth and a couple of planetary ring like swooshes encircling the globe. This logo reminds me very much of the logos from around 1990. The worst part of the company name. From what I see on their website, the font used for the name is so common, it makes me feel sick.

Visit Site

Travelocity is a leading provider of consumer-direct travel services for the leisure and business traveler. It markets and distributes travel-related products and services directly to individuals through Travelocity and its various brand Web sites and contact centers, and Web sites owned by its supplier and distribution partners. I do not get this logo. Paris-based Desgrippes Gobe, Travelocity’s branding agency, dubs the stars as the “guiding stars” and says that stars are the traveler’s natural compass.

Visit Site

Hotwire is a discount travel website that offers low-prices on airfare, hotel, rental car, and vacation packages by selling off unsold travel inventory at a discounted price. The logo shows the name HotWire in a simple and common font with an icon inside the “O” depicting a small icon of an airplane on red background.

Visit Site

TripAdvisor.com is a free travel guide and research website that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting opinions of travel related issues and engaging in interactive travel forums. I am a big fan of this site and have myself contributed a few photos of the places I had visited. The logo shows an icon of an owl like image with just the eyes and the beak. The eyes also look like binoculars and the owl represents knowledge, since the site reviews places and more.

Visit Site

ebookers.com is an online travel company based out of the UK and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Travelport, the former travel arm of Cendant which was bought in October 2006 by an affiliate of Blackstone Partners. The logo shown here is an older version of the eBookers.com logo. The new one is actually not a logo (in the traditional sense and is just a common font of the company name). The older logo shows the name eBookers.com with the two “o”s joining together and forming the base of a thought bubble. I am not sure what the intention behind that was and perhaps that is why it has been replaced.

Visit Site

Don’t be put off by the name. This is a great website for learning about 45 low-fare carriers in Europe. However, FlyCheapo only shows you who flies where; for prices and schedules, you’ll have to visit the airlines’ own sites. The FlyCheapo.com logo is nothing to get excited about. It has the icon of airplane (at least partial visibility of the front and the back wings) which is cut off at the wing level to resemble a shark fin like image popping out of the water. The thin font used for the brand name does not help either.

Visit Site