11 Types Of Logos And How To Use Them

Last updated on October 6th, 2021

Logos are the core identities of the businesses. People recognize a brand when they see a logo and recall their experience with its products or services. That’s why graphic designers take extra care to design a logo to create an impression and convey a brand message. They particularly pay heed to the type of logo that can best represent a brand’s personality and identity. This blog discusses all the main types of logos and how to use them best.

If you look at a wide variety of logos, you will notice that they are of different types. Some of them are in letters, while others are incomplete words. Many of them are merely symbols or pictures. Such variety is because each brand wishes to drive people’s attention by looking different.

For small business owners mainly, picking the right type of logo is crucial to getting a hold in their niche markets. They can impress their target customers if the choice of a logo is perfect, and they can convey their brand values with a suitable logo.

Not just small businesses but even global companies depend on their logos to stand out. Let’s take the examples of Google and Apple logos. While the Google logo spells out its full company name, the Apple logo does not tell it. Still, both of them leave a lasting impression on their target audience. These are two different types of logos.

If yours is a new business and needs to create a logo, then knowing about the different types of logos is the first crucial step.

Here Are 11 Different Types Of Logos

01. Lettermarks Or Monogram Logos

As the name suggests, these are the logos that consist of the brand’s name. Look at HBO, CNN, IBM, NASA, and HP names. Do you find anything common? They stand for a famous company’s name.

The names are in their initial forms rather than the long full forms. The companies showed their name within two or three words instead of going for the whole.

And guess what? They all are the brands people hardly forget about! Each of these brands has used its initials as a logo instead of going for a fancy image.

As they are easy to identify, it makes sense why they opted for monogram logos. It’s also known as lettermark logos.

It’s a typography-based logo design that uses a few letters. This type of logo is all about minimalism. Lettermark logos are perfect for streamlining any brand that has a longer than usual name.

For example, it’s easier to remember HBO than its full name Home Box Office or NASA at the place of National Aeronautics and Space. Isn’t it?

As the focus is shifted on the initials of the brands, make sure you choose the right fonts. If needed, you can create custom typefaces such as logotypes. If custom fonts are out of your reach, then use a logo maker to access hundreds of fonts from its library.

Don’t worry if you are new in the market. You can add the full name of your business right at the bottom of the logo for branding.

As logo types are easy to create, you can take the help of a logo maker. In case you don’t want to spend a lot, it’s the best way to go.

How To Use A Lettermark Logo?

• Create Intricate Details – A monogram is known for its fine details, making it an outstanding design. But the details should look good and not be imposed on the viewers.
• Ensure Simplicity – While incorporating the details, do not make it a jungle, and the simplicity of the design will still be the core feature. So, arrive at a design that has simple details.
• Give Your Company Name – Your monogram logo can have your full company name if yours is a new business. Such a logo will promote your brand name on your business card, website and other marketing materials.
• Use A Custom Typeface – A custom typeface will help your logo design stand out from your competitors’ logos. Or, you should pick the one readily available font that best expresses your brand personality.

02. Logotypes Or Wordmarks

A wordmark logo looks exactly like a lettermark. However, it is slightly different from the latter one. This type of logo doesn’t focus on the initials but the complete name of a brand.

Many big brands have embraced the idea of logotypes, for example— Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Google, FedEx, Disney, and more.

This type of logo works well when a brand has a unique, easy, and attractive name. The name, when combined with memorable typography, creates a unique brand identity.

Since the spotlight will be on your name, you need to pick a typeface that captures the essence of your brand. If your business is related to federal agencies, go with a traditional font. However, if it’s in the fashion domain, go for stylish, high-end fonts.

How To Use A Wordmark?

Here Are Some Tips To Follow When Creating A Wordmark Logo:

1. Choose The Right Typeface – Since wordmarks have letters as the main design elements, their impact depends on the typeface you choose. So, keep your brand’s message and personality in mind to select the best typeface. Select a typeface with the right weight, case, and features.
2. Think Of Using A Character Feature – To break the monotony and stand out, create one letter differently. For example, in the Casper logo, the letter C is slightly curly at the top end.
3. Color Your Letters – As an option, you can think of designing your full company name in color to give it a unique look. Cadbury logo in purple color is an ideal example.

03. Logo Symbols

Of different types of logos, logo symbols are quite famous. It’s a graphic or icon-based logo. When you think of such kinds of logos, some names that come to your mind are Twitter, Apple, Target, and more. Each of these brands has a symbolic logo, which is easily identifiable.

If you are looking for logo ideas that involve symbols, then visit an online logo generator. Such software gives you hundreds of new ideas relevant to your business and industry. Your new business can surely use some of those ideas by tweaking them a bit to make them your own.

When you decide to go with a logo symbol, the most challenging part is to choose an image. The mark that you pick for your business will go with its existence. But before you pick one, consider its implications first.

Do you want to showcase a more profound meaning with it? Are you using a symbol to evoke emotions? Think about the broader consequences of the logo symbol, and you will find something worth matching with your business.

How To Use Logo Symbols?

1. Choose The Right Symbol – Make sure that your choice of symbol is perfect to represent your company’s business and industry. You can either pick a literal symbol such as a bitten apple in the Apple logo. Or, it can be a subtle suggestion like Twitter’s bird facing upward for home and freedom.
2. Have Your Name – If you must, then incorporate your company name underneath your logo symbol to let viewers know who you are and what you do if you are a new business.
3. Opt For A Timeless Symbol – While it is true that your logo will evolve with time, the symbol should be such that it remains the same forever. Avoid using a trendy symbol that loses its value in a few years.

04. Abstract Logos

These types of logos have pictures, but they avoid literal representation. You can use any abstract geometric form to symbolize your business. Some of the best examples of these types of logo designs are Nike swoosh, Adidas flower, the divided circle of Pepsi, and so forth.

Like every logo design, the abstract logo works well as it confines your business into a single pictorial representation. Instead of being limited to a single mage, abstract logos help you create a custom image to represent your business.

The best thing about these types of logos is that you can convey your brand’s purpose symbolically. You don’t need to rely on the cultural proposition of an image.

With the help of color and other elements, you can give it a specific meaning that revolves around your brand. Nike’s swoosh is just like that, which symbolizes freedom and movement.

If you decide to create this type of logo, make sure you’ve solidified your brand identity and know exactly what it is that you want to convey to your audience.

In addition, an abstract logo mark can be a good choice for global brands whose names don’t work well across different languages.

How To Use Abstract Logos?

1. Consider Your Brand Values – There is a lot of scope for experimentation in designing abstract logos, and therefore, chances of going directionless also are high. So, stick to your brand values and find out the geometrical shapes that evoke those values.
2. Pay Attention To Detail – An abstract figure is something that needs an explanation. So, it should be cleanly conveying a message to the audience. For that, the details of the logo must be clear for sending a message. You should avoid creating an abstract figure that is too vague for people to understand.
3. Keep Printing In Mind – A logo with excessive details will create problems for printers and printing costs also will go up. Also, such an abstract logo may not look impressive when printed in different resolutions.

05. Mascot Logos

As the name suggests, mascot logos, unlike symbols, include illustrated or anthropomorphized characters. They are often vibrant, cartoonish, and fun. If you want to create something unique to represent your brand, mascot logos are the best bet.

A mascot works like an ambassador of your brand. Food brands, service companies, and sports teams are great consumers of these logotypes. The purpose of such brand marks is to familiarize the audience.

Some of the famous mascots of the brands are — KFC’s Colonel, Mr. Peanut of Planter, and so forth. If you want to create a great atmosphere around your brand, mascot logos are perfect to go with. Your audience would love to get involved with your mascot if it’s engaging and created uniquely.

How To Use Mascot Logos?

• Use More Details – A noticeable aspect of mascot logos is that they have details to depict a personality in mascot. So, make sure that the logo comprises all the essential details.
• Make It Scalable – Since the logo involves details, it must be scalable. This means that when the mascot is reduced to small sizes on business cards etc tiny spaces, the details must still be visible. Or, the mascot should not look disproportionate when put on larger spaces like billboards.

06. Combination Marks

In the world of branding, you don’t need to stick to just a single type of logo. You can create a logo by combining different types of logo ideas. Combine a symbol with letter logos or wordmark to create something unique. You can include pictures and text together to stand out from others.

Think about Burger King, Dove, Lacoste, Doritos, and MailChimp. These brands use both the logotypes and symbols together. When you use an online logo maker, think of combining different elements and see the result.

As your brand’s name will have an image, it makes a versatile pick for logo design. It also allows people to link your name with your business name with the mascot or symbol right away!

Also, it gives you the flexibility to depend only on the logo symbol and exclude the name if necessary once you have enough exposure. As such logos generate a distinct image; you won’t face problems with a trademark.

Think of a combination logo when using a logo creator tool. Such a tool lets you experiment and customize your logo design in so many ways. You can drag and drop symbols, images, texts, etc elements and see which combination best expresses your brand personality.

How To Use A Combination Logo?

• Choose The Right Symbol – Combination logos have a symbol and a company name. So, the choice of the symbol is crucial to building trust. Try to pick a symbol that expresses your brand value and message.
• The Size of Symbol and Text – Make sure that the symbol is not too big or small in size. Centre the elements of your logo. Fortunately, a logo maker tool can automatically align those elements. Also, the size of your text should be adequate.
• Leave Adequate Space – Since combination logos have a symbol and a company name, the space between the two must be just perfect, and it should not be too big a gap, nor should it appear sticky.

07. Letterforms

These types of logos are the minimalistic versions of monogram logos. They are also known as letter logos. To get into notice, these brand marks need to be bold as well as beautiful. Since it’s challenging to think of just one letter as a representative of your brand, hire a professional graphic designer to get things right.

The letter logos are scalable. You can use it anywhere from the Web to printed materials, and they equally look great. A successfully made-out letter logo will invoke your brand’s full name in people’s minds once they see it.

As the logo contains only one letter, its design becomes crucial. If it isn’t unique or memorable, it’s of no use. You can use a dramatic background or give it a funky typeface, exciting color, or any element that will make the letter pop and resonate with your brand.

Some of the best examples of letterform logos are Yahoo, McDonald’s, WordPress, and Netflix.

How To Use Letterforms?

• Make Sure The Design Is Memorable – Since letterforms have only one letter, their effectiveness will solely depend on a memorable design. So, try to make it outstanding by incorporating a funky font or a unique color scheme. You can experiment with different backgrounds as well.
• Use Legible Font– As the logo has just one letter, the font must be unique and impressive. Most importantly, it should be legible from a distance, or it would be a waste for the viewers.

08. Emblem Logos

These are the oldest types of logos. However, the demand for these logos hasn’t gone down yet. The emblem logo includes a symbol or icon with seals, crests, and badges. As far as organizations, schools, or government agencies, and the auto industry are concerned, emblem logos are the first choice.

While some companies don’t mind reflecting their brand essence with traditional design, others give the traditional emblem a modern look. Let’s take an example of the iconic logo of Starbucks. It includes a mermaid emblem with its name written along. The same goes for Harley Davidson’s famous crest logo.

As the design of such logotypes is intricate, they prove a little less versatile than other types of logos discussed earlier. Their intricate nature won’t make them easier to include in every aspect of branding. For printed materials like business cards, an emblem logo may scale down, making it hard to read.

How To Use An Emblem Logo?

• It Must Be Scalable – An emblem must be scalable as there are details in such logos. If such logos get printed on a business card, a mug or pen, they must clearly show all the details. They should still look nice
• Be Sure of Your Design – Unlike combination logos, emblems are not flexible logos. Once you have finalized a logo, you cannot do much about it and redesigning may not be helpful. So, take a hard look at your logo before making it part of your brand identity.

09. Slime Logos

Slime logos are new-age brand marks. Unlike the ones mentioned earlier, these types of logos have a cartoonish context, and it means that instead of having a standard typeface or symbol, it has slime-inspired elements.

Take an example of Nickelodeon’s logo. Its color spreads on the design as slime does, and it gives a distinctive brand identity to the company.

You can hire a freelance graphic designer to create a perfect slime logo that matches your branding needs. Even, you can get fantastic slime logo ideas from the Web before opting for one.

If your brand is into kids’ products or serves playful purposes, choosing a slime logo is the best idea.

How To Use A Slime Logo?

• Choose A Cartoonish Figure – Since slime logos generally have kids as customers, pick a cartoonish figure for the logo design. Make it unique in a slime design.
• Use Slime-Inspired Elements – As these logos do not have standard typeface or symbols, you should first find some inspirational elements that look unique.

10. Fonts Inside A Shape

These types of logos usually have a name depicted in various shapes like squares, rectangles, and more. You can find many examples of logos comprising a name inside a shape: Levi’s, Ford, Samsung, MasterCard, and more.

How To Use Fonts Inside A Shape Logo?

• Pick The Shape Carefully – In this type of logo, the shape is the most important element. For instance, the Samsung logo has an oval shape in the background that highlights the company name.
• Choose The Right Font – The text is equally important, so choose the right font that suits your brand personality.

11. Dynamic Mark

The latest addition to this list of types of logos is the dynamic mark logo. A dynamic logo is one that constantly changes its appearance through the overall look remains the same. Most branding materials today use such logos to express the movement, change, and dynamism of their businesses.

An iconic example of a dynamic mark is the City Of Melbourne logo. It’s in the M shape but it changes its color and appears differently everywhere.

How To Use A Dynamic Mark Logo?

• The Core Shape Must look Good – Since a dynamic logo changes rapidly in color, fonts, styles, its core shape should be impressive. The core shape will remain the same and so it should look good with the changing colours and other elements.
• The Message Should Not Change – With every change in the appearance of a dynamic logo, the message to the customers must be the same. So, create something that changes in colors and shape but has the same message for the audience.

These are the main types of logos that we see frequently around our world. However, we also come across many variations of these types. So, we can include some variations of the major types of logos as well.

Take one of these main types of logos when planning to create your logo. Make sure that you try most of them and then see which one suits your brand’s personality better.

Designhill, the leading creative marketplace, gives you two effective options when it comes to creating a logo. You can use the Designhill Logo Maker tool that is equipped with a vast library of colors, fonts, etc elements. You can choose a template design and then drag and drop the elements to customize and create your own logo.

Another option is to launch your logo design contest on this platform and get many unique logo ideas in a few days. Many designers will try to win your contest by creating outstanding logos as per your brief. So, you can get a visual identity of your new business and that too at the right price.

Bottom Line

When it comes to deciding a logo for your brand, imagination is the limit. One of the best things you can do when picking a logo for your brand is to see different types of logos at Designhill. The site has thousands of logos for various industries. Find out logotypes that you liked the most the wordmarks, letterforms, logotypes or slime. Make a note of each logotype you like. Consider the message you want your logo to convey to your audience and then come to a final decision. Don’t forget to ask experts in case you have any doubts.

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