These Famous Artist Logos Make the Best Album Covers

With Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, Nine Inch Nails and more

How we relate to artists depends in large part on the persona that emerges from a combination of music, performance, visuals and narratives associated with each act. These personas can become part of our own multifaceted identities, with logos representing an energy that transcends the music they represent.

We emblazon artist logos on clothing, accessories, digital wallpaper and even skin. As a creative strategist passionate about how media informs the way we move through the world, such symbolism provides a fascinating study for me. From the in-your-face to the iykyk, artists have used logos to create consistent emblems for fans to replicate, obsess over, analyze and critique. For some, the logo becomes more recognizable than the music itself.

The following albums offer a glimpse into a vast world of visual language, with artists creating icons that mobilize fans to evangelize their faves to new audiences.

Justice, ‘Cross’ (2007)

Justice borrows a symbol from one of the most well known pieces of media ever made—but here it feels ominous and larger than life. Fans can also see the symbol used in their concerts and festival stage setups.

Nine Inch Nails, ‘With Teeth’ (2005)

I can’t count how many hats I’ve seen in Brooklyn emblazoned with this insignia. It’s simple with a sprinkle of the unexpected—bold and brutalist with surprising symmetry.

Aphex Twin, ‘Blackbox Life Recorder 21f’ (2023)

Aphex Twin’s logo was used in countless places before this album, and it remains positively iconic, an ambiguous shape that says iykyk.

Jamiroquai, ‘The Return of the Space Cowboy’ (1994)

I love when a character becomes part of an artist’s story, and Jamiroquai’s Buffalo Man is another iykyk moment. And the typeface sits in a comfortable space between futuristic and retro.

Skrillex, ‘Bangarang’ (2011)

Characteristically representative of the brashness of early 2010s dubstep, this Skrillex visual screams, “We make our own rules!”

Jungle, ‘Volcano’ (2023)

With simple changes to an elegant but basic typeface, Jungle makes their moniker into something ownable, stylish and easily replicated—but it never gets old.

The Prodigy, ‘Music For the Jilted Generation’ (1994)

The Prodigy’s typeface is instantly recognizable. The white stroke around the text also gives it a glowing energy, and the rounded shape—along with the graphic below—evokes the notion of that face reaching out for you.

Wu-Tang Clan, ‘Wu-Tang Forever’ (1996)

The “W” needs no introduction. It’s inspired thousands if not millions of fans to create tattoos, accessories, merch and art dedicated to Wu-Tang.

The XX, ‘I See You’ (2017)

Perhaps the most simple from this list, the XX takes their logo to unexpected places by rendering it in different textures, colors and scenarios. If you look closely at this silver one from 2017, you’ll see the band members’ obscured shadows.

Outkast, ‘Speakerboxx/The Love Below’ (2003)

Like the hood ornament on a Cadillac, Outkast’s mark proudly decorates many of their album covers, creating a crest for the duo to own, a singular statement for these legends of Southern hip-hop.