The golden arches, the energetic swoosh, and the gray apple with a little bite… these are worth millions and billions of dollars in value. Some call them brand logos, and some call them brandmarks. But, what is a logo exactly?
A logo is one of the primary assets of any business’s brand identity. Since a logo is probably the first thing that people see and remember when they come across a brand (other than the brand name of course!), we can call it the “face” of the business.
There’s no doubt that the logo is an essential element of any business’s branding practices as, by the definition of logos, it’s a unique graphical representation of the business’s values and personality. However, there are many different types of logos, each with its own unique characteristics and design considerations. According to me, the logos present in the industry can be broadly categorized into 9 different types of logos.
Whether you're creating a logo for a new business or rebranding an existing one, understanding these various categories of logos can help you choose the best design for your business and make it stand out in a crowded marketplace.
In this article, let’s dive a little deeper into understanding what are the 9 types of logo designs present around us.
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1. Wordmark
The wordmarks are stylized brand names where the names could either be a complete name like Google or an abbreviated name like IBM (International Business Machines). It’s essentially the whole of the brand name turned into a graphic. Turning the name into a visual cue makes the brand much more memorable as compared to just the plain name.
Though designing a wordmark is a pretty straightforward process, the challenge occurs when the designer tries to check for the possibility of incorporating a stand-out feature in at least one of the letters in the mark so as to improve the recall value of the mark. For example, the arrow from A to Z in the Amazon logo, the bold red letter O in the Mobil logo, and an arrow that’s hidden in the negative space between the letters E and X in the FedEx logo.
Something important to remember is that the wordmarks are created based on the registered name or the operating name of the brand.
Some more examples of a wordmark are Cadbury, CNN, Lego, Dunkin’ Donuts, Etsy, and HBO.
2. Monogram
Monograms, also called Lettermark logos, are logos that are designed by combining two or more initials of the brand name.
What distinguishes it from a wordmark is that the wordmark is based on the operating/registered name of the brand whereas the monogram is based on the initials taken from the operating/registered name.
For example, the logo of Volkswagen is a monogram of the letters V and W, the double C logo of Chanel, and the P and S letters in the PlayStation Logo. Just for comparison, though HBO is registered as Home Box Office, it operates as HBO (their website domain, and also that’s how people refer to it). And, since the logo is based on the letters H, B, and O, I would consider it to be a wordmark despite it seeming like a monogram at first glance.
One of the challenges with a monogram is that though they are generally memorable and unique, sometimes it becomes difficult to read the letters of the monogram.
Some more examples of a monogram are Louis Vuitton, Warner Bros., Calvin Klein, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, and Victoria & Albert Museum.
3. Letterform
Letterform logos could be considered some derivative of monograms in the sense that these are logos made of the first letter of a brand name. These are stylized designs of a single letter that’s used to represent the company.
For example, though the Unilever logo contains multiple illustrations, all these tiny illustrations combine into the letter U. Similarly, The logo of Flipboard is a stylized letter F that, in some way, represents what the brand is about.
Some more examples of letterform logos are Honda, Airbnb, WordPress, PayPal, and Motorola.
4. Abstract Logos
An abstract logo is a type of logo that uses symbolism to represent the brand. It’s a fabricated symbol that is used to develop a feeling or vibe that matches the nature of the brand and/or what the brand does. A concept like Shape Psychology plays a huge role in designing abstract logos.
The most popular example of this category is the Nike logo. The famous Nike ‘Swoosh’ perfectly represents athleticism and sports which is what the brand is all about. The unique symbol gives the vibe of movement, fitness, and agility. Similarly, the majority of banks have abstract logos. These logos, like the Chase logo, are aimed at developing a sense of trustworthiness and confidence, which is what a bank should give a sense of.
A challenge with such a logo is to be able to generate the desired perceptions in people’s minds. Though these tend to be unique, a lot of research and creativity goes into creating abstract logos as compared to the other categories of logos.
Some examples of abstract logos besides Nike and Chase are Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mercedes, BP, HDFC, and Spotify.
5. Pictorial Logos
Unlike abstract logos, pictorial logos use an image that clearly represents an entity rather than a fabricated symbol, to represent a brand. These iconographic logos either directly denote what the brand name is or might represent something relevant to what the brand is about.
For example, Apple Inc.’s logo is simply a geometric, simplified image of an apple with a small bite. In this case, the logo directly represents the brand name. Whereas, in the case of NBC, the logo is that of a stylized Peacock with the main body of the peacock hidden among its colorful feathers. Some say that the designer’s intent was to value the increase in color programming and broadcasting at the time.
Some more examples of pictorial logos are Twitter, CBS, Evernote, Target, Shell, and World Wildlife Fund.
6. Mascot Logos
Mascot logos are brand logos that have heavily illustrated mascots as part of them. One can think of mascots as characters that either represent the brand’s personality or as something that has a historical reference that’s applicable to the brand.
For example, the very first mascot logo to be used in the United States was the Michelin Man used by Michelin. The famous KFC logo also uses a mascot which is actually an illustration of Colonel Sanders who’s the founder of the brand.
Since these mascots are very intricately illustrated and complex in nature, they tend to be very unique. But, at the same time, these pose a challenge when it comes to scaling the logo or using it in various sizes or use cases.
Some more examples of mascot logos are Wendy’s, Pringles, Mr. Clean, Mailchimp, and Cheetos.
7. Combination Marks
Combination marks are logos that are designed using a combination of two or more of the previously mentioned categories of logos. Combination logos have both text and graphics held together. In most cases, these logos have multiple elements and each of these elements may be extracted from the logo and used independently as well.
For example, the Tesla logo contains both a letterform logo of T in combination with the wordmark ‘TESLA’ written in a decorative techno futuristic font. Though the brand logo is a combination mark, most of the time the 2 elements are used individually.
As compared to all the other categories, the combination mark has a lot more freedom in its usage and is the most responsive type of logo, i.e., can have various different versions of the logo easily extracted from the primary logo based on the different sizes of application. For example, in the case of the Heineken logo, based on the application the brand logo scales from the primary logo with all the ornamentation down to just the iconic red star.
Some more examples of combination marks are Doritos, Levi’s, Heineken, Adobe, and Taco Bell.
8. Emblem
Emblems are very similar to the combination marks in the fact that these logos also include both text and graphics. What makes it different from combination marks is that the text and graphical elements are enclosed within a shape and cannot be extracted from the emblem for using them independently.
For example, the Starbucks logo has a mermaid mascot enclosed within a circular shape. Similarly, the Harley Davidson logo has the complete brand name enclosed within a crest-like form.
The emblems do stand out more as compared to the other types of logos but it becomes a bit challenging while trying to develop a responsive logo system around it.
Some more examples of emblems are IKEA, NFL, Porsche, Harley Davidson, Starbucks, and Uniqlo.
Related article: How Did IKEA Become an Iconic Brand? | IKEA’s Branding Case Study
9. Dynamic logos
Dynamic logos also referred to as dynamic marks or logo systems, are personally my favorite category. Dynamic logos are those brand logos that have a possibility of changing one or more elements of the brand logo in order to represent its sub-brands, while still maintaining consistency and relatability with the parent brand logo.
For example, the OCAD University logo has a square frame within its logo that would be used as a device to hold actual student art and design work. This is considered to be an innovative idea to represent inclusivity and promote creativity.
Similarly, the logo of the Philadelphia Museum of Art uses the letter A of the word ‘Art’ as the dynamic element. Various different stylized imagery and illustrations of the letter are used to represent the vast variety of the art collection that the museum is known for.
While this innovative process of developing dynamic brand logos and identities seems very interesting, you must not lose the intention of creating a long-lasting perception of the brand just for the sake of developing creative and attractive logo systems.
Some more examples of dynamic logos are MIT Media Lab, and the City of Melbourne logo.
Conclusion
While there’s a wide variety of logo types to choose from for your brand, the appropriate category choice should be based on various different factors like the probable applications of the logo, the brand architecture, the story behind the brand, the target customers of the brand, and the competitors of the brand, to name a few.
Gone are the days when a straightforward singular brand mark was used to represent a company. With the growth of technology and an increase in the number of businesses, there’s a huge demand for more creative and innovative solutions. Dynamic logos is one such innovative concept that is becoming more and more popular in recent times.
Whatever the choice of the logo category might be, it’s extremely important to remember that the main purpose of creating a logo is to help people get an idea of what the brand stands for while also creating a certain perception in people’s minds that would make the brand more relatable and trustworthy. Thereby, becoming a go-to choice for the customer.
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