Types of Logos: Text, Symbol and Combination Logos
by Erin Ferree
Published on this site: January 31st, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
There are three basic types of logos: text, symbol, and combination
logos. The type of logo that will work best for your company
depends on a number of considerations, such as the size of
your company, the uniqueness of your name, and a variety of
other factors.
Text Logo
A text logo (also sometimes called a logotype or word mark)
is a logo largely made up of the text of the company's name.
This type of logo can have some graphic elements – lines,
boxes, borders – that interact with, surround, or even
form the letters. However, the graphic elements should be
used as an accent to the text, not as a major or equally-weighted
part of the logo.
A text logo works well when:
- You have a multi-word business name. If your business
name is made up of many words, that are not commonly or
easily abbreviated, or when an abbreviation may not be appropriate
developing a text logo will keep the logo design as simple
and clean as possible.
- You're working with an innovative, unique business name,
as with Yahoo or Google. In each case, the business name
is enough to make the logo memorable.
- You're designing a logo for a large company that offers
many types of products, services, or a combination of both,
that may be hard to define or "wrap up" in a single
picture or symbol.
- You're designing a logo "for the long haul"
– there is less concern about your company "outgrowing"
a text logo – they are timeless and classic.
- Trademark protection is highly important – as long
as your business name is unique, then a text logo will also
be unique.
A text logo may not be the right choice if:
- Your business name is not unique; this can mean difficulty
for building your brand recognition. Then, without a symbol,
the logo will be more difficult to remember or to associate
with your business.
- Your business name does not describe what you do, it
can be hard to tell what products or services you offer
when just a text logo is used. Taglines or other graphic
elements will need to be employed to tell your audience
more about your business.
Samples:
http://www.elf-design.com/Images/Articles/LogoTypes/textLogo.gif
Symbol Logo
A symbol logo is the opposite extreme in design from a text
logo. This type of logo includes neither words nor letters
– only symbols, images and shapes.
A symbol logo works well when:
- Your company already has a high level of brand recognition.
If who you are and what you do are already widely known,
then you can use a symbol logo as an elegant and clean solution.
- You have been using a combination logo for some time
and have now built up enough brand recognition for your
symbol to stand alone. This is a common transition for a
logo design to take when your company grows.
- You have a unique symbol in your industry – you
wouldn't want to be confused with or mistaken for anyone
else in your industry!
- You have the time and energy to trademark your logo,
and then to police and enforce that trademark. This is how
you ensure that your logo continues to be uniquely yours.
- You have a global presence and can develop a universal,
graphic symbol that speaks to you and audiences. Additionally,
a symbol can have meanings on many levels, and can also
have different meanings in different cultures
A text logo may not be the right choice if:
- You are a company just starting out, you must have the
budget and desire to educate your audience on your new symbol
logo. This can be a difficult task.
Samples:
http://www.elf-design.com/Images/Articles/LogoTypes/symbol.gif
Combination Logo
A logo that in some manner combines both a symbol and the
company name. The symbol and text can be integrated together,
side by side, or with one located above the other.
Combination logos are the most common type of logo for
several reasons:
- A combination logo offers the best of both worlds. This
type of logo offers a memorable logo graphic that tells
the story of who you are, what you do, and what makes you
different, all in conjunction with your business name for
easy identification.
- A combination logo is an excellent choice for a small-
or medium-sized company or a company just starting out,
to begin to build brand recognition, because a combination
logo is both visually strong and explanatory. The symbol
can speak to the services that the company offers, while
the company name increases the company recognition.
- Combination logos are easier to copyright and protect
than a symbol-only logo, because the logo symbol will always
be used in conjunction with the business name. This automatically
makes the logo unique.
Samples:
http://www.elf-design.com/Images/Articles/LogoTypes/combo.gif
You can use this guide to determine the best type of logo
to design or to have designed for your company, based on the
size of your business, how well-known you are, your business
name, and your business plans, among other factors. Choosing
the right type of logo design is the first step in building
your company's visibility, credibility, and memorability.
Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design,
is a brand identity and marketing design strategist who creates
big visibility for small businesses. Through her customized
marketing and brand identity packages, Erin helps her clients
discover their brand differentiators, then designs logos,
business cards, and other collateral materials and websites to reflect that
differentiation, as well as to increase credibility and memorability.
Hundreds of small business owners and corporate entities across
the US and Canada have relied on Erin to create content and visuals that support their brands. For more information
about elf design, please visit: Logo
design at
http://www.elf-design.com
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