Insights:What Type of Logo is Right for You?

Logos are an important part of creating or growing a brand for your business or organization. In addition to providing an obvious identifier, your logo can also deliver insights into what your organization stands for and your approach to interacting with customers.

Understanding the different types of logos and the benefits of each is a good place to start if you’re in the process of creating a new logo or updating an existing one.

In the simplest terms there are three different styles of logos. These include:

A lettermark or wordmark. These utilize the typography of an organization’s name or a series of letters, often an abbreviation, as the logo. Lettermark and wordmark logos work well for companies that have a memorable name or if your focus is getting your name out to the public. Companies like IBM and GOOGLE are good examples of this approach.

Icon logos feature an identifiable image that can often become a standalone identifier for a brand. The three types of icon logos include: a pictorial logo that features an identifiable object that stands for your brand. The next type is an abstract image that reflects what your company is all about through shapes. Finally, there is the mascot logo. As the name implies, the logo features a character or even a real person to create a quick connection to your brand. This approach offers the ability to promote a personality and also use the icon separately from the company name. They also help companies with long names or bland names add a memorable feature to their brand logo.

Combination and emblem logos use a combination of a wordmark or lettermark and an icon to form a logo. There are limitless ways to combine icons and wordmarks to create a distinctive look. Emblem marks are similar to combination marks but typically have the icon in the middle with the wordmark or lettermark surrounding them. Combination marks offer many of the benefits of the wordmark or icon logos but the downside is that they can easily become too busy and appear confusing to consumers.

Unlike most marketing materials which should be updated fairly regularly to avoid becoming ineffective, logos should be designed for long term use. This makes it very important that the logo design you choose is something that can help your brand grow over time.

You can see great examples of all these types of logos on our website. For more information on what goes into creating an effective logo, give Insight Marketing Design’s branding experts a call at 605-275-0011 or send us an email.