We look at the 7 types of logo design that are used to make brand visual identities look unique and help make brands recognisable across the globe.
Every time we look at designing a logo for a business we ask them what type of logotype they think would suit their business best. Every company is unique and so should its logo and visual branding be as well. What a lot of companies didn’t know is there are 7 types of logo design including Abstract Mark, Mascot, Lettermark, Brand Mark, Combination Mark, Wordmark, and Emblem.
All are very different and distinctive and choosing the right type to visually show off your brand can make or break it for you.
Well designed logos tells people who you are, what you stand for and builds trust in your brand.
Table of Contents
Abstract Mark
Abstract Marks are logos based on abstract forms and shapes to represent a business.
Famous abstract marks include Pepsi which has a circle with red and blue shapes split with white. The Olympics rings are interlinked in blue, black, yellow, red, and green. The NBC logo with peacock-like form and colorful sections and finally the Spotify logo is in a green circle with 3 curved lines in the middle.
An abstract mark allows the freedom to have any shape and form to represent your brand and truly create something unlike any other logo and be unique.
Mascot Logo
The mascot logo is a character that represents the business and brand, it can give your brand image a personality that could be fun, cute, or ferocious for a sports team.
Some well-known mascots include Pringles with a mustache man in a bow tie. Mailchimp with the monkey face winking. World Wildlife Fund has their famous Panda as its mascot which is a vulnerable (used to be endangered) animal so fits well with their organization. Finally, Reddit has its little alien character representing its brand.
Lettermark
Lettermarks are logos that use letters or initials from your brand name in a creative and inventive way.
Well know examples of Lettermark logos are HBO which produced the hit tv shows The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. NASA have a futuristic logo since they study the earth and solar system and everything inbetween. Google probably have the most looked at logo since billions around the world use their search engine everyday and finally CNN which stands for Cable News Network have joined up initials.
Brand Mark
A brand mark is a mark or symbol which represents a brand to help instantly identity a particular company. They normally use shapes that represent the brand values of the business or are closely linked to the brand name.
The most famous brand mark is Nike swoosh., it is easily recognized as the symbol for Nike and even is on most of their products. Shell brand mark is clearly recognizable as a shell and of course Shell, the company has changed over time from being Shell Oil to just Shell. Target a retailer in America uses a red target which clearly is associated with their brand name. Finally, Mercedes has its 3-point star within a circle, clearly recognizable as the Mercedes brand.
Combination Mark
A combination mark is like it says, a combination of two types of logos – a logotype, text/words combined into one. They combine to clarify the values of the company and can be used individually in various promotional formats.
Puma the sportswear company uses primarily black uppercase text with the silhouette of a puma leaping over the company name. Burger King a well-established fast food company with restaurants across the globe uses the name of the company in between the two buns of a burger to reinforce the brand as a restaurant. Domino’s the largest pizza company in the world uses a blue and red color scheme with the text in sentence case and a domino graphic. And finally, Amazon logo uses Officina Sans Bold typeface with an orange graphic underneath in the form of a smile projecting a positive experience.
Wordmark
A wordmark logo is made up of very distinctive text only with shapes attached to it. Many companies use wordmarks as they are clean and effective which helps to brand across multiple platforms.
Coca-Cola is one of the most recognised logos around, people see it in almost any store in the world. Its scriptive font is friendly and refreshing. FedEx another internationally known logo with big chunky letters in a contrasting purple and orange colour scheme stands out. Subway the sandwich fast food restaurant chain recently changed its logo with uppercase letters and arrows pointing in both directions. Finally ESPN the sports broadcaster has a red-lettered logo with a sporty go faster stripe cutting out all the letter in the upper third.
Emblem logo
An emblem logo is a badge, crest, or seal with the font inside of an icon or a symbol. They have a traditional look or appearance as opposed to an abstract logo.
Harley Davison has a classic emblem logo with a badge shape and writing stretching across it, even on their website the shape of their logo is so distinctive they use it small without the text inside. Warner Bros has a shield with the WB placed within. The NFL (National Football league) is a badge with not only the initials but icons of stars and a football. Lastly the well-known Volkwagen logo from German car manufacturer is stylish in nature with its v and w in a vertical with a circle.
Conclusion
Looking for a logo for your new business? or a new logo to rebrand your business, contact us and we’ll help you succeed. Follow us on our socials including instagram, twitter and linkedin for tips and advice.
