Simple, bold and memorable, this logo type offers a fantastic way to express ideas and feelings related to your brand. a brandmark contains no text but is an image, icon or symbol that represents the company or brand.
Using only a symbol to explain your brand also has obvious advantages when it comes to serving a global market, as it can (in theory) be instantly understood everywhere in the world. However. It’s probably not a good idea to start off with this type of logo as it relies on your other marketing efforts to explain who you are and what you do. This is why many businesses switch to iconic logos once they have become well known and established; such as the Apple , Nike and the WWF Panda to name a few.
2. Wordmark
The art of this logo type is all in the letters, as it features the business name without any imagery. A wordmark – also known as word mark or logotype – is in many ways the simplest type of logo, casting the company’s name in text alone. They may be based on handwriting, signatures, custom fonts or (less common) existing fonts. Thick lettering is used to display strength, cursive to depict speed or movement, and handwritten styles evoke feelings of fun and friendliness. Global brands Coca-Cola, Disney, Mobil, Canon, Sony, Visa, Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Pinterest all utilise the wordmark logotype.
3. Lettermark
Also known as a monogram logo and similar to both the iconic and wordmark types, lettermark logo designs use acronyms or abbreviations rather than the entire business name. As these examples suggest, a lettermark is a good choice for a company whose name is difficult to pronounce, or too long to work as a logo in most media. This is an especially important consideration when it will need to shrink down to tiny sizes on mobile devices, for example. Some of the most famous lettermark logos are those belonging to Hewlett Packard, General Electric and EA Sports.
4. Combination Mark
As the name suggests this powerful style incorporates both text and images, providing an effective way to get across far more than just your name. Also known as iconic logotypes, combination marks mean you can convey a visual idea of what they brand represents, as well as making it clear what it’s called, so it’s particularly useful for new or less well-known brands.
KFC, Adidas, Xbox, Walmart and Jaguar all use the combination mark logo to magnificent effect.
5. Emblem
Popular with sports teams and security companies, this logo style is like the combination mark type but in this case the text appears inside the symbol. While these logos tend to look very official, they are less flexible than combination marks, as their elements are typically difficult to separate out. The Harley Davidson and Starbucks logos are both great examples of the ’emblem’ logos.
Hope that helps when you are starting off on your logo design journey.
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