Happy World Octopus Day everyone! Octopuses are pretty amazing. Whether they predict the soccer world cup or showcase absurd levels of camouflaging ability, they're definitely one of nature's most fascinating creatures.

Incidentally, they also look fricking amazing, which of course brings them particularly close to our hearts at DesignCrowd. Octopuses inspire artists and designers all over the world, which means that there's some great tentacled artwork to be found all over the place. To celebrate this wonderful day, and this wonderful creature, we've rounded up 8 amazing octopus designs - from octopus logo designs to octopus illustrations..

(And yes, by the way, we checked; octopuses is the most common plural, although octopi and octopodes is also technically correct.)

Octopress Logomark

This is a simple, cute, animated logomark showcasing great use of color. It's obvious the designer focused on every small detail, like the intricate layering of shadows, and the different weights for the outline of the octopus and typewriter. Notice the one missing tentacle, and one tentacle being stuck on the typewriter – this kind of attention to detail makes the logomark super fun and playful.

TIP: make your own octopus logo on BrandCrowd.com

"Pulpo" Digital Illustration

Focusing on depth and opacity, this illustration comes to life and pops up, especially with the strong solid shade of redish-pink in the background.

The coloring, which looks almost spray painted, is really quite effective. Imagine what an interesting character "Pulpo" could be!

Ethical Addiction Apparel T-Shirt

Combining gold with pink is an excellent and strong choice for a t-shirt. Even with using just these two shades of color, the design really pops.

The tentacles are much more simply designed in comparison to the helmet, where gradients and line weights are of importance. Plus, we're pretty sure there's a bonus Octopus hidden inside there, because we definitely count way more than eight tentacles.

The 69 Project's "Octopus Garden" Digital Illustration

This stunning digital illustration is a conceptual artistic approach to "Octopus's Garden" by the Beatles. Again, the success of this piece is all about the color and the shading. Notice the different style of shading, which really shows off texture in the image. It's mesmerizing to look at.

Behance Character Design Illustration

This graffiti-style design is a very cool, almost fantastical octopus. The intricate details, color and really strong ink lines make the design have awesome movement. The execution is superb, creating a strong character that easily sticks in the mind.

Argonaut Octopus Logo

This is a fantastic minimalist concept for a logo. Focusing on the curves and thin shapes create the outline and a strong conceptual approach for creating a logo. Remember, the best logos are super simple to stick in the mind and easily scale for multi-device functionality. This concept definitely wins at both of those points, and it's gorgeous as well, making it a winner on all fronts.

Cocina Criolla Logo

The best part of this logo is the focus on the negative space. Using one shade of blue in combination with the negative space creates the shape of each tentacle, which makes the logo less busy and well thought out. Since it just uses one color, the logo becomes effective even when printed in black and white (or any color for that matter). That kind of versatility is exactly what a great logo should offer.

"El Pulpo" Poster

Rather than focusing on color (although the gold leaf print is gorgeous), this poster design really relies on detailed patterns for its wow factor. Inspired by San Diego surf culture and Dia De Los Muertos imagery, this design is so successful we might just have to assume it's backed by the Illuminati. Just kidding, of course. Or are we?

Want More?

Innovative, beautiful design can be found in all kinds of obscure niches. Check out these other articles celebrating iconic designs:

5 Common Coffee Logos and How to Get Them Right

10 Buzzing Bee Designs To Celebrate National Honey Bee Day

5 Best Craft Beer Designs in Celebration of Oktoberfest

Written by Divya Abe on Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Divya Abe is an expert graphic designer ready to share her knowledge with the crowd. Besides spending quality time on the internet she enjoys anything to do with cats. Get in touch via Google+.