Basic Types of Logo Design

A solid logo and branding design is essential when you’re looking to build a strong business or organization.

A well-designed logo can can create loyal followers through simplicity and memorability. Simply put: a logo is the visual representation of a company or brand’s values, beliefs and functions. When designing one, you need to make sure it will correctly represent the business, keeping in mind a few considerations, such as:

How the logo will look on products
How it will appear on advertising and marketing materials
How it will tie your other branding collateral together
The thoughts and emotions someone feels when they see your logo because certain colors, shapes, styles and words all trigger emotional responsesIt’s an entire package, not just a small mark.

Some advice to get ahead of the branding curve: use product mock-ups! Spend just a little extra time on the logo and lay your artwork on t-shirts, hats, pens, folders, mugs and more. See how the logo will render on all these mediums before finalizing a design. Because, in most cases, it will be the first thing your customers or clients see when they come across your business. Now, there are 5 main types of logos and to help move the conversation along, we’ve put together this brief rundown of each type along with some recognizable examples.

Symbol or Icon
This type of logo represents the company in a simple but bold manner. Sometimes the image is abstract and stylized to give visual interest. Most companies that use this type of logo will have a very simple main logo, but may choose to create additional alternative versions that appear a little more flashy. The human mind can easily remember a simple form much easier than a complex one. It’s best to use a simple symbol or icon if you plan on building a large business.

Word Mark
These are uniquely styled text logos that spell out the company or brand name. Many times, custom fonts are created specifically for brands to use across all their marketing and branding collateral.

Letter Mark
Letter marks are exclusively typographic. They use a symbol representing the company through the use of its initials or the brands first letter. Many companies choose to use this type of logo because their initials can better graphically illustrate the company better than the full name (name is too long), the name is hard to pronounce, or it’s just not distinct enough to carry its own weight.

Combination Mark
These logos combine a word mark and a symbol or icon to give the flexibility for the use of either or both elements across a variety of applications. A well-designed combination mark looks just as good with the elements separate as it does with them together.