Business Logos, What’s The Difference? - 04/28/11

In our modern world, when selling a product or service, it helps to be easily identifiable. Look at Coca-Cola, FedEx, BMW or any other instantly recognizable company today. They all have something in common. A identifiable brand image. Let us look at the different types of logos and what they mean for your company.

Wordmarks
Wordmarks are generally text only designs featuring stunning typography that is instantly associated with the brand name. Some may even contain a subtle pictorial element. Good examples are Disney and NASA:

Letterform Marks
Letterform marks usually feature one or two identifying letters or numbers that form a suggestive image related to the brand. Making use of negative space in these types of logos is common as well as using pictorial elements.

Pictorial Marks
Pictorial Marks are an image that illustrates the brand name or services in a simple image. Generally the image is referencing the brand name however other times it might be related to a service or product being sold.

Emblems
Emblems are a little more complex in that they usually combine all three of the previously mentioned logo types. These emblems resemble badges and generally give consumers a sense of camaraderie among themselves.

So as you can see from the examples some logos combine elements from other types of logos. This is key to giving your business a recognizable logo that is easily associated with the products, services, or company's brand identity.