The Ramones

New York artist and band friend Arturo Vega chose the Seal of the President of the United States as the jumping-off point for the punk legends' logo. His intention was to represent the Ramones as an all-American band.

Nine Inch Nails

No '90s alterna-kid worth his or her Doc Martens was without the industrial band's patch on their backpack. NIN mastermind Trent Reznor co-designed the logo, inspired by the Talking Heads' 'Remain in Light' album sleeve

Public Enemy

When this politically charged hip-hop group is mentioned, LL Cool J is likely the furthest thing from anyone's mind. Yet LL's then-sidekick E. Love was Chuck D's inspiration when he drew PE's infamous crosshairs.

Aerosmith

Original Aerosmith guitarist Ray Tabano didn't stick arond very long, but he left quite a legacy when he designed the band's logo. The first album the winged-A motif appears on is the 1974 LP, 'Get Your Wings.

ABBA

As the band's name is an acronym for the two couples in the group -- Agnetha & Björn, and Benny & Anni-Frid -- Swedish designer Rune Söderqvist wanted the two B's to face each of their respective partner A's. 

Wu-Tang Clan

The groundbreaking Staten Island hip-hop collective got its unmistakable trademark from DJ Allah Mathematics. Already well-versed in the art of graffiti when he joined with the Wu, his design found its way onto countless Clan album covers.  

Queen

Lead singer Freddie Mercury, a London art-school graduate, designed the Queen Crest. Surrounding the letter "Q" are the four band members' zodiac signs.

Van Halen

As iconic as the California rockers' logo is, they changed its wings from straight to curvy to announce the arrival of Sammy Hagar and the departure of David Lee Roth. They must have been inspired by their singers' hair.

The Grateful Dead

Jerry Garcia and Co. had the legendary "Steal Your Face" symbol painted on all their gear so that, during festival shows, fellow hippies wouldn't accidentally swipe their guitars.

AC/DC

Fans have been saluting this band logo for thirty years. Designed by Atlantic Records VP and creative art director Bob Defrin, it made its debut on the international edition of 'Let There Be Rock.'

The Who

In 1964, Brian Pike designed this pop-art-inspired logo for a poster advertising the group's gig at London's Marquee club. Though it never appeared on a single Who album, it has been featured on hundreds of badges worn by fans, solidifying the Who's stature as the pre-eminent mod band.

Kiss

Lead guitarist Ace Frehley came up with the logo, which first appeared on the band's second album, 'Hotter Than Hell.' Frehley's masterstroke was rendering the final two letters in Kiss as stylized lightning bolts.

The Rolling Stones

Though often purported to have been designed by Andy Warhol, actually British graphic artist John Pasche devised the "tongue and lips" motif in 1970. The logo was inspired not just by Mick Jagger's famous mouth but also that of the Hindu goddess Kali.

Prince

As a form of protest against his record label, Prince felt the need to abandon his moniker. In 1993, he adopted his logo, which he termed the "Love Symbol" and incorporates the glyphs for Mars (male) and Venus (female), as his actual -- and unpronounceable -- name. He even turned it into several custom guitars.

The Dead Kennedys

Parliament/Funkadelic

Run-DMC