Forget the Olympic logo - the classic logo top 10

With the less than impressive Olympic 2012 logo receiving very little praise, what constitutes an iconic logo?

Well, my top 10 logos have simplicity, creativity, occasionally wit and an advertising budget. One thing they do not share in the design is a big bill. The Mercedes, Nike, HMV and Coca Cola have had next to nothing and sometimes nothing spent on their creation.

(I have not included political or religious logos).

Shell - simple, easily recognisable. It has evolved without ever diverging too far from the original concept.

Coca Cola - wherever you are, whatever the language, it is easy to recognise that script. With the iconic bottle you could be in Andes or Sahara and you would know the brand regardless of the language the brand is written in.

London Underground - have you ever not recognised the symbol when searching for a tube station? Exactly.

Mercedes - the logo equals luxury.

Nike- cost $35 in 1971, better value than the London Olympics £450,000 logo?

Orange - a logo that has cornered a colour and a shape just for itself. Can anyone else use orange or a square again for their logo?

I Love NY - cultural icon that has been parodied and copied, a sign of success.

Yellow Pages - internationally recognised logo, you do not need to know the language on holiday to spot a Yellow Pages.

RCA HMV - much loved logo and one that is having Gromit making a guest appearance as the dog from this April - sheer class.

Rolling Stones - pictured although I really don't have to point that out.

There could be others, for example the Liverbird, and with the West Indies / England test match today, you could include both teams logos. And of course the Olympic logo.

If you want to get further inspiration see Goodlogo.com