The Most Popular Types of Logos in Design

 

1. Meaning of logo

A logo is a graphic design, symbol, or icon that represents a specific company or brand. It is a visual design product, made up of images or letters, sometimes including both letters and images.

Businesses, organizations,... all have their own logo because it has great meaning.

Brand recognition: Logo is the first and most important factor that helps customers recognize a business. An impressive and memorable logo will help users immediately remember the business when they see it.

Expressing brand identity: A logo is not just a symbol but also represents the identity of the business. Through the logo, customers can partly understand the industry as well as the field of operation, core values, mission, and vision of the business.

Building trust: A professional, reputable logo helps businesses build trust with customers. When consumers see a business logo, they will likely feel secure and confident in the quality of the unit's products and services.

Boost sales: Logo is also an extremely effective marketing tool, supporting sales promotion. Logo is applied on products, services, marketing publications,... helping businesses promote their brand easily, reaching more potential customers.

2. Is a logo really necessary?

With the above list of meanings, we can affirm that logos are really necessary for businesses, units, organizations,... In addition, logos are also important because:

Increase professionalism for the unit: A unit with its own logo partly shows professionalism and a clear development direction. The logo has a big impact on the way customers and other competitors perceive the business. Even if your business has been operating for many years, not having a logo can still make customers doubt your experience and expertise. 

Expressing personality through logo: The personality of the company can be expressed through the logo. This will make the company more attractive to customers.

Support product branding: Logos placed on products and goods will help increase brand credibility. Use the logo as a means of advertising in business. This helps you optimize available resources at low cost.

Logos help grab attention: Consumer attention spans are getting shorter as more choices become available. When a customer browses, companies have ~2 seconds to convince them that their product is worth considering. A good logo can quickly grab the viewer’s attention, help communicate the core values ​​of the business in an interesting way, and leave an impression.

3. 14 Types of Logos in Design

There are many different types of logos, each with its own characteristics, specifically as follows:

3.1. Combination Mark – Combination Logo

This type of logo combines many types of design together. The most common is the combination of brand and symbol to create a unified combination of colors, images and writing. This type of logo creates a realistic association when consumers see it.

Combine the elements harmoniously to create a unique, distinctive feature for your logo.

3.2. Wordmark Logos – Text Logos

This type of logo design consists of only the company name without any symbol, mascot or emblem. A wordmark logo is also called a “logotype”, as it uses only words to convey meaning, so choosing the right font is extremely important.

This is considered the “purest” form of logo. Simplicity, typography, and letter spacing are important for this type of logo.

Many big brands are applying this type of logo such as Coca Cola, Canon, Google, Facebook, etc.

3.3. Lettermark Logos – Lettermark Logos

Lettermark Logos are shortened logos that use only the initials of your brand name. They are best for brand names longer than 2 words.

With this type of logo you must use an eye catching and unique font as Lettermark Logos designs only use a few letters.

Note, if you are a new company in the market, using this logo can cause confusion and not attract your target audience. At this time, you need to have the full name below.

3.4. Monogram Logos – Interlocking letter logos

Monogram Logos are similar to Lettermark Logos in that they use the initials of the brand to design the logo. However, they are slightly different in terms of image as the letters in Monogram Logos will be nested together instead of placed next to each other.

3.5. Text logo

This type of logo uses only one letter from the brand name. This style is suitable for brands that like simplicity.

To create a logo from a prominent letter, it will need a unique design and combined with the right color element.

If your brand uses images that are not memorable or recognizable, it will be difficult for users to find it.

3.6. Symbol or Pictorial Logos – pictorial and symbolic forms

Symbol and Pictorial Logos are logos that are made up of graphics, symbols or images that visually reflect the name and characteristics of the brand. Typically, these types of logos represent an object from the real world. A successful symbol logo is one that you can immediately recognize as soon as you see it.

For example, Apple's bitten apple logo, Twitter's bird,... are all Symbol logos.

These logos are a good choice for companies looking to create an attractive and memorable logo. The logo symbol can also be easily recognized and understood by people across cultures.

3.7. Abstract Logos – Abstract Logos

Abstract logos are made up of an image then transformed into an abstract form without any letters.

This type of logo can be a bit risky when you’re new to the market, as not everyone interprets an abstract symbol correctly. However, with a good communication strategy behind it, your brand logo will help your business stand out from all the competition out there.

With an abstract logo that still represents your brand identity, you will create a unique and recognizable product in the market.

Nike's abstract logo with its famous swoosh can work alone because the brand is so well known. But you can still see it sometimes combined with the brand name.

Other good examples are Airbnb and Pepsi, which sometimes come with their brand names, but even without them you can still recognize them immediately.

3.8. Mascot Logos

Mascot logos use illustrated characters that serve as visual representatives or “ambassadors” for a brand. Mascots can be anything from fictional creatures to real people to cartoon characters, as long as they reflect the brand’s identity.

Mascots can be a great way to get customers to connect with your brand, as people tend to naturally identify with other people or characters. You can also use mascot logos to create a fun, exciting atmosphere that appeals to your target audience.

This explains why companies whose customer base is children and families often use this type of logo.

Examples of this type of logo are Michelin Man from Michelin, Colonel Sanders from KFC, Cap'n Crunch, Tony the Tiger from Kellogg's and Mr. Peanut from Planters.

3.9. Emblem Logos – Emblem Logos

The badge logo includes many small details mixed with letters and shapes to bring a fairly basic traditional beauty. The advantage of this type of logo is that it is difficult to copy or counterfeit due to its high level of meticulousness. They are often used in schools, government agencies, etc.

For example, the logos of Starbucks, Stella Artois, NFL, Warner Brothers, Harley-Davidson, Manchester United,...

3.10. Letters inside the shape logo

A logo that combines letters and shapes. The letters are designed to be inside the shapes.

You can choose any shape, as long as it fits your purpose and brand story.

When placing a letter inside a shape, consider what represents your brand and make it stand out.

3.11. Negative Space Logos – Logos using negative space

Negative Space Logos are a unique option for any brand. This is a type of logo that uses blank spaces to depict symbols, shapes. It can be very subtle or very obvious depending on what you want to achieve.

Generally, Negative Space Logos consist of two images, an outer shape and an inner shape. The outer shape is the negative space. There is no limit to the shapes you can use to create a negative space effect.

Negative Space Logos are becoming more and more popular and widely used these days. It helps to shape the design and arrange the layout more neatly.

3.12. Dynamic Logos – Dynamic Logos

Animated logos are a type of “irregular” logo that is unique in that they can take on many shapes. This may sound strange, since the general rule of logo design is consistency, but that is exactly what makes animated logos so versatile.

It is through this consistency that dynamic logos thrive. These types of logos require a basic framework that serves as a core motif that will appear in any and all versions of the logo.

For example, think about the time you opened your Google browser and suddenly saw the familiar wordmark logo emblazoned with historical figures, holidays, or celebrations, but you always knew it was Google. Their brand has the power to transform their recognizable logo into different configurations that are not only relevant and timely, but also continue to reinforce their brand message.

3.13. Logo 3D

3D logos are unique because they are multi-dimensional. 3D design allows viewers to easily relate to the story you want to convey through the logo.

Creating a 3D logo involves some specialized, professional design skills. You will need to add perspective, drop shadows, as well as duplicate shapes, etc. at appropriate points. The 3D effect on a flat surface, will create a unique brand identity.

3.14. Animated Logos – Moving Logos

Animated Logos are animated Gif logos that combine motion and visual effects to create an engaging and memorable logo. This type of logo is only suitable for use in the introductions or endings of videos on YouTube, TikTok, etc.

Some of the key features of animated logos include movement, where certain parts of the logo can move, rotate, resize, or transform to create a visually appealing effect.

Animated logos should have smooth transitions between different states or elements to enhance the visual impact. You can also add different effects such as fades, glows, or particle animations to make the logo more dynamic. Sometimes, sound effects or background music are also incorporated to complement the visual animation.

Above is a summary of the most commonly used logo types today. Each type is suitable for different types of businesses and units. Research carefully to choose the most suitable logo type for your business. Hopefully the above sharing can be useful to you.