In today’s competitive economy, standing out from the crowd is an absolute must.
Due to the competitiveness in both the digital and traditional print-media promotional platforms, many business owners are facing the realization that innovation and creativity are absolutely necessary in order to survive. Interestingly enough, many of the businesses which are thriving today aren’t deploying next-generation marketing technology or anything of the sort.
Simply put, they have mastered time-honored, traditional techniques of promotions and adapted them to the tools we have at our disposal today. This includes both strategies and identity creation or branding.
The logo is one of the most important, and yet often overlooked, elements of a promotional campaign. The world’s greatest businesses across a broad array of industries have each taken the time to create memorable, iconic logo designs that have become synonymous with the core values they hope to communicate.
Whether it’s Facebook, Walmart, Amazon, or any other hugely successful retailer / service provider today, the chances are good that their logo design has been a deliberate and carefully prepared choice.
With that in mind, we’ve taken the time to create a brief overview of five logo design styles we think that every creative professional should know and master. Using these five styles, you will have a better understanding of the structures for different logo styles and will be able to better approach your design sales process or ideation protocols. Enjoy!
Text-Only Logos
Although many designers associate a logo with some form of sleek visual, an overwhelming number of businesses around the world have logos that consist entirely of text.
Often referred to as a wordmark, a text-only logo is perfectly suited for businesses that either have a distinctive name (think CVS, Google, FedEx, etc.) or are trying to increase their visibility as fast as possible (startups, early stage businesses).
After all, including the name of your client’s company in the logo itself ensures that audiences knows exactly what company is communicating with them. Text logos are, by far, the most often deployed logo stylings in the world today. Well over 70% of businesses currently rely on some form of a wordmark logo for their professional branding.
The Lettermark Logo
For businesses with overly wordy names, or a series of surnames, a lettermark logo might be the right choice. Lettermark logos combine a series of individual, seemingly unrelated letters which, ultimately, serve as a representation of the company’s initials. While this may be a slightly less direct form of communicating a company name compared to a wordmark logo, it is also important to remember that brevity is a critical element of logo success.
If a logo is too wordy, or even hard to pronounce, the chances are good that it will fail to impress. However, that presents a great opportunity to consider a Lettermark logo for your rebranding. Think, 3m, CNN, Proctor and Gamble, Hewlett Packard or HBO and start working on your white space and kerning.
Icons and Brandmarks
If you think a picture speaks a thousand words, you wouldn’t be wrong. A brandmark logo – a design which solely features an image or icon, has become a powerful addition to the repertoire of logo designers around the world. Particularly in situations where a company may be working with consumers on an international level, a brandmark logo ensures that a company’s brand can be clearly communicated without having to translate text.
Companies such as Starbucks, Target, Apple and Snapchat, among others, have successfully created and deployed brandmark logos to critical acclaim and success. That being said, it is also important to note that only a fraction of companies (less than 10%, according to recent surveys) have chosen to deploy a brandmark logo.
With that in mind, this may be a less popular option for many small / medium-sized business owners.
The Fusion of Image and Text
A combination mark – a logo which incorporates texts alongside an image, allows for a high degree of flexibility, creativity and personalization that may not have been possible using only text or image exclusively. If your marketing department wishes to communicate fresh thinking and bold personality, a combination mark might truly be the perfect choice.
Businesses which have implemented and deployed combination marks successfully include Audi, Pizza Hut and Adidas, among others. These combination marks allow for maximum creativity and customization of font types to create a direct connection with a brand and the brand name.
The Ever Iconic Emblem
One of the most ‘classic’ stylings you are likely to encounter during your research of logo styles is the emblem, a design which features text encased inside of an image. Notable examples here include Dell, BMW, Ford, Harley-Davidson and many government agencies.
Although a hybrid design such as the combination mark allows for a greater degree of flexibility – the image can be deployed separately from text when needed, the emblem can create a powerful impression which is ideal for businesses with shorter names and a distinctive icon associated with them.
Creating Success Starts with Creating a Well Designed Logo!
As you can see, there are no shortage of fabulous options and opportunities when it comes to logo design. With a bit of research and careful craftsmanship, it is possible to develop a powerful, enduring logo for your clients which remains grounded in one of these traditional stylings.
If you are looking for a design team to help choose the right logotype and help bring your brand to the next level, contact us today for a design and marketing consultation. We are passionate about creating success for other businesses and organizations with a well designed logo!
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