Logo Design 101

Logo Design 101   ·  Logo Design 102   ·  Logo Design 103

What are the basics you need to know to start your logo design process?

Whether you design a logo yourself or hire a logo designer, the first steps are understanding:

1. What are the basic elements of a logo
2. The types of logo design and which one is suitable for your brand identity

What are the basic elements of a logo?

A properly designed logo should include:

The logo itself

• a graphic, text, or a combination thereof

A logomark

• an abbreviated element of your logo which is used, for example:
  • in your website’s favicon (icon in the browser bar)
  • as a social media avatar
  • on marketing promotional material such as apparel, bags, mugs, water bottles, and the like.

What are different types of logo styles, and which should you consider?

It’s important to identify exactly what type of logo style is best suited to your brand. As outlined by Marketsplash, there are various types of logo styles and designs:

Wordmark logo

A Wordmark logo design incorporates the business name as the dominant element. For example:

• Microsoft
• Google
• AT&T
• Amazon
• Walmart

Pictorial logo

A Pictorial logo uses a creative image or symbol with which your customer base can easily identify. For example:

• Shell
• McDonald’s
• Apple
• Motorola
• Sony Vaio

Lettermark logo

A Lettermark logo (or also referred to as a Monogram logo) is represented by an abbreviated version of a company’s name. For example:

• IBM
• Hewlett-Packard
• Proctor & Gamble
• Volkswagon
• New York Yankees

Abstract logo

Similar to the Pictorial logo, Abstract logo design also uses an image. For example:

• Mitsubishi
• Pepsi
• MasterCard
• Wikipedia
• Twitter

Wrapping Up

Together, an effective logo and logomark serve as graphical symbols by which your audience can quickly and easily identify your business, products, services, and brand. Created successfully, they fulfill they communicate your brand for any marketing strategy whether it be online (web, social media) or offline (print, apparel, signage).