different-logo-types

The 7 different types of logo

Whether you are a new business wanting to kickstart your marketing with a beautiful logo, or are looking for a rebrand so that your style reflects your company’s personality, a logo is an important part of your branding strategy. Your logo is the face of your business. It is what potential customers see first, and can help them to remember you, not your competitors. Your logo should showcase your personality and convey your brand identity at first glance!

When engaging with a design agency to work on your logo and brand, it can be good to have a rough idea of what you like and what you don’t like. Here at Milk & Tweed we like to fully understand everything about your business, from its goals and target customers, to its competition. All this information and market research helps us to paint a clear picture of what your business logo needs to be to achieve those goals and attract those target customers.

And as complicated as it is to choose such an important aspect of your branding, there are 7 different types of logos to choose from. But what are they?

Brand Mark

A brand mark is a symbol or icon that represents your business; some of the biggest brands and most recognisable logos are brand marks. Think Apple’s apple and Nike’s tick. These brand marks are so recognisable, that even without the type, everyone still knows who they are. 

A simple icon is a better route to go down if you decide to choose a brand mark, as it will be easier to remember and recognise over time. Brand recognition takes time though, so at first you will probably need to combine your brand mark with your brand name so that your customers can easily recognise who you are!

Apple logo

Word Mark

When the name of the company forms the logo, this is known as a word mark. These are often used when the name of the business is interesting and catchy – think Coca-Cola, Google and Amazon. The idea is that the company name will stick into the customers minds. Word marks tend to work better with shorter brand names, as it is less messy and more eye-catching. 

Businesses such as Coca-Cola and Visa have created their word marks in a custom font in order to make their logo more personal to them. However, it might be tempting to over-embellish the type that makes up your word mark – be careful that it still looks clean and is legible in many different sizes and formats. On a lot of social media platforms, for example, the profile image has to be a square. Will your word mark logo work as a square, or will amends need to be made to make it work?

coca cola logo

Letter Mark

The letter mark is a logo that consists of letters alone. These are often acronyms of the company name or the first letter of the business name, like Mcdonald’s ‘M’ or Facebook’s ‘F’. Letter marks tend to look very clean and professional, and are easily recognisable.

mcdonalds logo

However, similarly to the brand mark, a letter mark may have to be combined with a word mark in order to build brand recognition whilst the company is in its infancy.

What is an Emblem

Emblems are logos that contain text, a symbol or an image encased within a geometric shape. They are very popular logos for the education sector, such as universities and online learning platforms, as they seem to add an element of tradition and an official look to a brand, but have also been adapted by companies like Starbucks and Harley Davidson.

Harley Davidson, Starbucks and Paramount logos

They have also been historically popular within the automobile industry, with companies such as Ford and BMW adopting this type of logo. However, recently we have seen a number of different car companies move away from the emblem and towards a more modern-looking logo. Kia, for example, have amended their logo from an emblem to a wordmark, written in a custom font that resembles a hand-written signature. 

Kia logos

What is an Abstract Logo

An abstract mark is similar to a brand mark, in that it is a single icon or image. However, it is not a literal representation of the company, but a more stylish, conceptual mark. Without the need for a literal representation, you can be more creative in your logo, to deliver something unique, creative and beautiful. 

Abstract logos are usually conceived through focusing on one simple detail of the business that creates the base for the logo to be built upon. One clever little idea can really make your abstract logo. 

What is a mascot logo

A mascot logo is a logo that contains an illustrated character. Often these characters are fictional or non-human, but they can sometimes represent a real person, such as the founder of your company. 

These logos are often colourful, and evoke a feeling of fun that can make the audience feel more connected to the brand. Famous mascot logos include the Pringles character, KFC’s Colonel Sanders and Duolingo’s owl.

KFC logo

Mascot logos can be an easy way of portraying a brand story, and are great for injecting some personality into your branding. However, they can sometimes come across as childish due to their engaging nature, so they may not be the best choice for every sector.

What is a Combination Mark

A combination mark is exactly what it says on the tin – a combination of different types of logo. The most common combination marks are word marks combined with brand marks, letter marks and abstract marks, like Burger King for example.

They work well as they can be easily adapted for different spaces and formats. A brand mark alone could work very well on social media, but a word mark or combination of the two might work better on a website. As well as this, they can be amended over time as your brand recognition grows.

Burger king logo

Here at Milk & Tweed, we have made over 100 beautiful logos, and used many different logo types. If you would like to chat to us about helping your business with your logo and brand, please contact us today.

Let's create together

Get in touch

Select your plan and one of our team will get in touch