Setting up a new business is exciting but stressful because there is a lot to do and playing with ideas is undoubtedly not easy.
One of these ideas is selecting a logo style, and believe it or not, selecting the right logo can make or break a business.
This design is not just the company’s representation but also an engaging thread to bring customers.
Ideally, it should be fun, catchy, relatable, and interesting at the same time.
But there are also some technicalities in terms of public acceptance, fame earning, and practical value.
So here is something to know about how to pick the right logo style for your company.
Where to Start?
Let’s suppose that you are starting up a new business or company and considering the logo options.
There are five logo templates in front of you, but you are taking forever to settle for anyone.
Which one is better?
Is it the letter mark, wordmark, or brand mark?
Is adding a symbol a good idea, or experimenting with these combinations will be better?
Who knows?
Any wrong choice at this stage can ruin a business before it even starts, so whichever choice a person makes has to be a careful decision.
The biggest problem with choosing a logo is ‘uncertainty.’
As there are no hard and fast rules of logo selection, there is a choice to pick any of the five different styles. Just make sure that this logo goes well with the brand.
Five Different Logo Styles Explained
Logo designing is a part of every business as it gives an identity to the brand.
Usually, this logo is a representation of the product or services that a brand offers.
But many times, an irrelevant logo can also work.
It is all about the smart use of graphics, fonts, colors, and symbols.
The visual and auditory signals coming from a logo make it unforgettable, and that’s how people remember a brand.
Here are the details of five different logo styles.
Based on this information on each one of them, you can pick anyone that best suits your business or company.
Let’s dig in.
Wordmark
The first one in this list is the wordmark.
This word is very much self-explanatory as it is just the name of your business written in a catchy font.
There is no guesswork, hidden meaning, or story involved; straight to the point.
A wordmark is preferred if the brand name itself is concise and simple.
Typically, short business names are considered catchy, and there is no need to prolong or complicate them.
The only problem with these wordmarks is that most people choose the free fonts available for them.
These free fonts are not exclusive or come under a patent, which gives more people access to them.
So, you and millions of others can use the same font for word marks, not a wise idea.
However, this situation is avoidable if you choose a commercial font.
It is only a one-time cost, and the logo will be yours forever.
Plus, there are so many options, colors, and designs, which makes selection better.
Finally, if you want a logo that no one has ever used, try doing logo designing from scratch and not use any existing typeface that common brands use.
This way, you will end up with a 100% unique logo.
Letter Marks
If your business has a long name, the letter marks are a good option for the logo.
It can be just the initials of the full name of a business, which is easy to remember and more appealing than remembering the full name.
Or it can be an alphabet from every word in your business if the name is more than three words.
If the company name is a combination of long and short words/prepositions, taking the first alphabet from every big word can make a cool combination.
For example, everyone knows about IBM, but not everyone knows that it means International Business Machines.
Other examples are NASA, CNN, and BBC.
These short letter marks are easy to remember, refer to, and mention in small spaces in branding material.
Brand Mark
A brandmark is a symbol or icon associated with an idea related to a business.
It is most successful for international brands because there are no language barriers, and people from all regions can identify a brand with its unique symbol only.
Some of the most prominent examples are Apple, Shell, and Nike, which are recognized only by their brand mark.
But since there are no words in it, it may be hard for some people to guess this brand.
So, this icon is best suited for companies that have already achieved good recognition in public.
If it is a new company, the brand mark is not a preferred idea.
Combination Mark
For relatively new brands, the combination mark is better than the brand mark alone.
It is a mixture of symbols and text, which quickly identifies the business or company.
It is much easier for people to remember it and recognize it wherever they see it.
But the only trick here is to balance between the symbol and text in a way that none of them masks the other.
As these two work together, overshadowing the effect of any one of them will defy the purpose of using a combination mark.
Another problem that may show up is that it takes a much longer time than all other logotypes.
There is a lot more to take into consideration for maintaining the balance between visual image and text.
Some of the examples of combination marks include Adidas, Red Bull, and DropBox.
Emblem
The last thing on this list is an emblem.
It shares a similarity with combination marks in a way that it also uses text and a symbol.
The only difference is that the text in an emblem is contained inside the symbol, making one thing.
This emblem looks like a badge with an icon and text in it.
The good thing about the emblem logo is that it is probably the most compact type of logo.
It fits everywhere, doesn’t require a description, and is self-explanatory.
The only downside of using an emblem is that when added into smaller spaces, the text inside the symbol becomes unreadable.
But if the symbol itself is unique or catchy, there are good chances that people will remember it without paying attention to the inner text.
Still, pay attention to how small this text/detail can go because most of the time, this issue is avoidable by making text adjustments.
But once the emblem is finalized, it is hard to change it later at some time.
Some examples of emblem are Starbucks, Burger King, Harley-Davidson, etc.
The Final Word
Now that the positives and negatives of all of these logo styles are explained, one thing becomes clear.
There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ logo; it is just a choice that a person makes, affecting the recognition, acceptance, and branding of his business.
A good logo design not only ensures customer attraction but also perceives their feelings towards it.
First, it should send positive vibes about the company or product, and then it should show the business philosophy.
The issues related to a bad logo are preventable if you discuss them with your graphic designer first.
Just make sure that you are choosing a logo that is the best fit for your brand.
If you don’t have a graphic/logo designer and are hoping to create a logo or refresh an existing logo, click here to get professional graphic design help to design a unique logo for your business.
