You know that an eye-catching logo is\u00a0a key component of a successful business, but did you also know that there are different types of logos to choose from?<\/p>\n
Read on to learn more about the different types of logos out there. We\u2019ll also share\u00a0some tips to help you decide which logo type\u00a0will work best for your business!<\/p>\n
Lettermarks<\/a> \u2014 also known as monogram logos \u2014 create a logo centered around a company\u2019s initials. The logos for General Electric, CNN, and Hewlett-Packard are good examples of this.<\/p>\n Lettermarks are great for companies that have longer names and need a simple, streamlined logo.<\/p>\n One of the most important things to keep in mind when designing a lettermark is the type of font you will use.<\/p>\n When you use a lettermark for your company\u2019s logo, it\u2019s important that you choose or create from scratch a font<\/a> that fits your company\u2019s\u00a0personality. A geometric font works well for companies with a more elegant style, while serif fonts are best for businesses with a more traditional message.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also want to make sure that whatever\u00a0font you choose is legible so that people know which letters are being used. Your brand will definitely suffer if people can\u2019t read your logo!<\/p>\n If\u00a0you have a new business that you\u2019re designing a logo for, it\u2019s also helpful to print the company\u2019s full name below the lettermark.\u00a0This helps with brand recognition and lets people\u00a0know immediately what the initials in the logo stand for.<\/p>\n Wordmarks<\/a> \u2014 also known as logotypes \u2014 are very similar to lettermarks. Instead of using letters, though, a wordmark is a font-based logo that uses the business\u2019s full name. Major businesses that use wordmarks for their logos include Google, Facebook, and Visa.<\/p>\n Typography is important for wordmark logos, just like it is for lettermarks. Pick a font that reflects your business\u2019s products or services and make sure that it is legible.<\/p>\n Other things you\u2019ll have to keep in mind for both lettermark and wordmark logos are\u00a0color, use of capital and lowercase letters, and kerning (the amount of space between letters).<\/p>\n A wordmark\u00a0is\u00a0one of the best types of logos\u00a0for new businesses that need to get their name out there. However, they work best for companies that have a fairly short name. If your business\u2019s name is too long, a wordmark might not be ideal since a long name will often make the logo design look cluttered.<\/p>\n Wordmarks also work well for businesses with distinct names that are easy to remember. Again, Google is a great example of this.<\/p>\n Unlike the types of logos discussed above, which focus on words, pictorial marks \u2014 also known as logo symbols or brand marks \u2014 are icon-based. Some common pictorial marks include the Twitter bird and the Target bullseye.<\/p>\n This type of logo can be tricky for new companies since they don\u2019t initially have strong brand recognition \u2014 there\u2019s a solution for this problem further down, though!<\/p>\n When you use a pictorial mark for your business\u2019s logo, the most important decision you have to make is, of course, which\u00a0image you\u2019re going to use. There are a few\u00a0questions you need to ask when making your choice.<\/p>\n Do you want the image\u00a0to relate to your company\u2019s name? Do you want it to say something about your product? Should it evoke a\u00a0specific\u00a0emotion?<\/p>\n A pictorial logo doesn\u2019t have to be a specific image image, either. Lots of company utilize abstract marks in their logos \u2014 for example, Nike uses the swoosh image and the Pepsi has its split circle logo.<\/p>\n Abstract marks are great because they give you freedom to design a logo that represents your business without any cultural implications attached to a specific image.<\/p>\n Whether\u00a0you choose a specific image or an abstract one for your pictorial mark, you\u2019ll want to make sure that it\u2019s simple enough for people to remember and recreate. A complicated image won\u2019t stick in people\u2019s minds easily, and it will also be difficult to print on your merchandise and business cards.<\/p>\n Pictorial marks are great for companies that want to take their brand worldwide. This is\u00a0especially true if your business\u2019s name is difficult to translate. However, they\u2019re not ideal if you think your business model might change later on.<\/p>\n A mascot is a character that represents your company, like the Kool-Aid Man or Tony the Tiger. When properly utilized, the character will become synonymous with your brand.<\/p>\n Mascots are an especially useful logo type for brands that want to appeal to families and children with their product or service. This is why so many brands that sell food or toys incorporate mascots into their logo design. Mascots increase familiarity,\u00a0encourage customer interaction, and are overall excellent marketing tools.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you\u2019re thinking about the type of\u00a0mascot you want to use for your business, remember that they\u00a0can be difficult to transfer across platforms. This is especially true if you\u2019re planning on using\u00a0a highly detailed illustration of your mascot.<\/p>\n As with other logo types, it\u2019s best to keep your mascot illustration as simple as possible. If it\u2019s too complex,\u00a0it will be hard to transfer to small things like business cards.<\/p>\n As the name suggests, combination marks combine elements of multiple types of logos. They\u00a0usually combine\u00a0a pictorial mark or mascot with either\u00a0a wordmark or lettermark to create a unique logo.<\/p>\n Adidas, for example, uses both a pictorial mark (the flower) and a wordmark (the company name) in its logo.<\/p>\n Combination marks are great for new businesses that don\u2019t yet have a lot of brand\u00a0recognition.<\/p>\n When you put an image and your name together you can set yourself apart from your competition, establish your brand, and make sure people know your business\u2019s name right away.<\/p>\n This type of logo is also nice because it gives you some flexibility with your branding. Once you gain more recognition, you can drop your business\u2019s name from the logo and rely solely on the image, if you want. You can also use the image by itself in\u00a0certain cases\u00a0and the full combination mark in\u00a0others.<\/p>\n Combination marks are also one of the most popular types of logos\u00a0because they\u2019re easier to trademark than logos that are\u00a0just based around an\u00a0image.<\/p>\n Emblem logos consist of a font inside of a symbol like a badge or a crest.<\/p>\n Starbucks and Harley-Davidson are two major brands that utilize emblem logos. Many schools and government agencies also rely on them because they have a classic style and are usually\u00a0easy to recognize.<\/p>\n When designing an emblem, make sure that it is fairly simple so that it can be recreated across different platforms. An overly complicated logo will be difficult to embroider on clothing or print on a small business card.<\/p>\n Emblems are hard to get right because it\u2019s difficult to split them up or downsize them so they can be used on a variety of products. Because of this, they are used less frequently than other\u00a0types of logos.<\/p>\n However, just because they\u2019re rare, that doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t use them. When done well, emblem logos\u00a0can really make a statement and set your company apart from your competition.<\/p>\n You now know what the different types of logos are, but how do you decide which type is best for your business? Remember, the logo is one of the most important aspects of your business \u2014 especially if you\u2019re a new company that doesn\u2019t have a lot of money to spend on advertising.<\/p>\n Personal preference should be considered before pulling the trigger on a type of logo, but you should also think beyond just what you like. When you\u2019re choosing between the\u00a0most popular\u00a0types of logos, there are a few things<\/a> you should keep in mind.<\/p>\n Be strategic. Ask yourself the following questions when deciding on the type of logo you want to use to represent\u00a0your business:<\/p>\n Now that you know a bit more about the different types of logos out there, it\u2019s time to make a decision and create your own!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re feeling lost or\u00a0unsure of your design skills, don\u2019t worry. There are tons of tools out there that can help you create the best logo for your company.<\/p>\n Did you know that we have a\u00a0free online logo maker<\/a>\u00a0tool? Give it a try today!<\/p>\nWordmarks<\/h3>\n
Pictorial Marks<\/h3>\n
Mascots<\/h3>\n
Combination Marks<\/h3>\n
Emblems<\/h3>\n
Other Things To Consider<\/h2>\n
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Start Designing Your Logo Today<\/h2>\n