7 Types of Logos Styles
Did you know that there are different types of logos? Logos are a part of your brand identity and it’s important to use different types of logos throughout different areas of your business, such as on your website, social media content, storefront, blog posts, business cards, thank you notes, etc. By having different types of logos you’re able to stay consistent with your branding across all branding and collateral materials and it comes across as more professional. One style of a logo may look great on your social media but may not look as great on your thank you card, so it’s fantastic to have a variety of styles for your logo. A logo is a strong representation of your brand, so it should have a strong impact wherever your logo is showcased. Here are some of the different types of logos and where they are best used!
Abstract Logo Marks
A type of pictorial logo mark is an abstract logo mark. Abstract logo marks are still graphic or illustrated logos without text but represent more intangible things, such as feelings or values rather than animals and items. Abstract logo marks may not be as clearly recognizable or distinctive to an audience, however, a powerful abstract logo mark can be memorable and speaks to the values of a brand. It’s a logo that is more conceptual and can uniquely represent the feelings or values of a brand. An example is the Nike swoosh logo and how it represents movement and freedom.
Pictorial Logo Marks
Pictorial logo marks are a graphic or illustrated logo that clearly represents the business or brand without text. It’s a logo that your audience can easily recognize and can instantly associate your logo with your brand. Pictorial logo marks tend to depict more tangible items, like animals and items. An example would be the Apple logo since everyone can recognize the logo and understand it is a representation of Apple/Macintosh. This logo style is versatile and can be used in almost all of the areas of your business.
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Mascot Logo Marks
Mascot logo marks are graphic logos that can convey the personality of an organization or business. The most common mascot logo marks that you have probably seen are from sports teams! These mascots can be animals, exaggerated human caricatures, or inanimate objects. The mascot logo marks need to be bold and eye-catching to represent the complex personality and uniqueness of the character. These mascots humanize the brand, so it’s important to research the competitors of the brand to differentiate the brand and make the mascot memorable.
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Combination Logo Marks
Combination logo marks utilize a graphic/illustration and text to create a strong logo for your brand identity. This logo style needs to be considered as a whole and both the text and graphic need to complement each other. Combination logo marks are the most common style of logo and are versatile enough to be used in a variety of areas. Through combination, logo marks is how people will associate your brand name (can be a wordmark) with your symbol or icon (can be the pictorial logo mark).
Wordmarks
A wordmark is a font-based logo that focuses on the name of the business. There are no graphics, symbols, illustrations, or taglines. Typography is important when it comes to wordmarks because you want the wordmarks logos to stand out and be memorable. It’s a simplified logo that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as business cards, social media, contracts, websites, and more. An example of a memorable wordmark logo is Google.
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Monogram
Monogram logos are a type of typography-based logos that uses a few letters, which are normally the company’s initials. A great example is HBO! While the full company name is Home Box Office, everyone remembers the brand as HBO. These are great when your business name is long, however, regardless of the length of the business name, these are also great to establish brand identification. Monogram logos can be used for materials, such as thank you cards, business cards, websites, small print collaterals, packaging, etc.
Emblem/Badge
An emblem logo consists of text inside a shape, symbol, or icon. Normally you see emblem logos as badges, seals, and crests. Many sports teams, government organizations, and universities will use emblem logos to represent their history and values. That means emblem logos tend to have many details to them, however, these styles of logos can be challenging to scale to small sizes. Emblem logos tend to not be as versatile and can be hard to print, but can be a great option to showcase historical details (i.e. dates), values (i.e. taglines or motto), and symbols.
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Logo Examples
