What are the 6 Types of Logos: How to Use them + Examples
In case you haven’t noticed, we are living in logo design domination.
Every business has one. Every service provider too. And even people.
Logo designs are everywhere from Oprah to Roger Federer, and Serena Williams to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
With something as ubiquitous as logo designs have become, do you know that there are only a handful of styles they come in?
We call these styles logo design types.
Logo design types are how logo designs use visual elements to present their brand identities. These elements include colors, fonts, shapes, icons, and layout. As you mix and match these elements, you end up with 6 design categories.
This guide discusses these 6 categories in detail. We share insights and examples on how best to use each logo design type and the way to maximize their benefits.
What is a logo design?
A logo design is the face of a brand. It’s almost always the first thing we notice about a brand and later use as an identification tool for future interactions with the brand.
The more well-made and simpler the logo is, the easier it becomes for us to recall it, and by extension the brand. That’s why brands pay huge sums of money to graphic designers to create high-value minimal logo designs and distinct brand identities.
In addition to giving them visual identities, logo designs also personify brands.
Their unique look and feel help us perceive the brand as a whole entity with distinct values, emotions, goals, and character traits. We think of the brand in more human terms and thus feel more attached to them.
Nike Logo
Think of Nike for a second. Do we think it’s a brand of champions because we know of the great things they have done for athletes or because we’ve seen one too many Nike swooshes on the posters of Lebron James or Serena Williams?
Serena Williams and Lebron James – Nike
When you think about it, this characteristic understanding of Nike as an athletic brand is less about their work with athletes and more about their brand messaging, with the iconic Nike swoosh playing a significant role in the process.
Exactly how many categories of logos are there?!
If you do a Google search about it, you’ll get anywhere from 3-15 different types of logos and tens of thousands of articles about them.
But when you distill the conversation, logo design appears only to have 3 unique design categories.
- Typography-based logos
- Shape- or symbol-based logos
- Combination logos
These categories branch out into subcategories, giving us 6 types of logo designs.
Below we talk about these subcategories.
6 Types of Logos + How to Use Them + Examples
Let’s get into the types of logos and learn how to pick the right one for your brand.
Different Types of Logos
• Wordmarks
Wordmark Logos
What is a wordmark? Wordmarks are brand names stylized in special fonts. Think of Dior or eBay.
They turn your brand name (full brand name) into a unique logo design, making it the most powerful part of your brand identity.
Wordmarks, or logotypes, are the most common category of typographic logos and one of the most powerful.z
Since a wordmark’s power hinges on its font style, you can make or break a wordmark with your font choice. That’s why it’s critical not only to get it right but also to ensure it fits like a glove!
Custom Logos for Duolingo, PayPal, and Samsung
Most businesses, therefore, create custom fonts for their logos — Duolingo, PayPal, Samsung — and insist on their specific use via detailed style guides.
Colors also play a central role in reflecting the visual flavor and personality of wordmarks, and by extension, the brand. Choose colors that speak to the core of the brand and communicate its intent flawlessly to your fans.
How and when to use a wordmark?
Optimize the power of a wordmark with these best use cases:
- With short brand names that are easy to spell and pronounce.
- With newer brand names, so that your name (and not a shape) becomes your most powerful brand asset.
- When you’ve got a unique name like Google so you can maximize its distinction.
- When you sell a diverse range of products or services so a shape doesn’t limit you.
- With a personal brand where you want the name to shine in the spotlight.
• Lettermarks
Lettermark Logos
What is a lettermark? Lettermarks are also called alphabet logos and are another subcategory of typographic logos. They turn brand name initials or acronyms into fully-formed logos. IBM, BBC, and HBO are popular lettermark examples.
The amazing thing about lettermarks is that they work with all sorts of brand names — long names, complicated names, and even foreign language names.
Doesn’t matter if you are called Hewlett Packard (HP) or Ingvar, Kampard, Elmtaryd, and Agunnaryd (IKEA), lettermark logos have the room and space to accommodate your exceptional, wonderful brand monikers.
Since alphabet logos are so diverse, we divide them into two sub-groups:
Alphabet logos:
Alphabet Logos
Company name acronym or initials that form a single logo but the letters remain separate and simple. No elaborate decorations or aesthetics. H&M, NASA, and several others.
Monogram logos:
Monogram Logos
Monograms are decorative by nature and combine two or more letters in the logo to create a single, unifying shape. Typically, monograms consist of two or three letters in the logo but the explosion of branding in the last several decades has enabled the existence of one-lettered monograms too. Adobe’s stylized A is an example.
While brands can build their identities with lettermarks, usually they are a product of evolution. After gaining significant recognition, brands can shed extra branding weight and go for sleeker identities.
A wordmark can transform into a lettermark or a three-letter alphabet logo can turn into a single-letter monogram!
When and how to use lettermarks?
- Use a lettermark when your brand name has gained sufficient popularity or people may feel confused about who you are.
- When you have a long or complicated brand name.
- Create a lettermark to work as a website favicon (tiny brand logos on browser tabs) or social media profile picture.
- Use a monogram as a personal insignia, especially when you promote a personal brand.
• Logomarks
Logomark Logos
What is a logomark? A logomark is your brand icon working as the logo design itself — without a brand name or brand initial.
Like wordmark logos, they take a part of your logo design, in this case, your symbol, and turn that one thing into a whole identity. Your logomark becomes your main identifying symbol and when done right, can portray a strong brand. Bold, confident, and unperturbed!
Based on the type of icon or symbol in the logomark, these too are divided into two subgroups:
Pictorial marks: Pictorial marks use a real-world object to represent brand products, values, or vision. For example the Instagram logo or the Shell logo.
Abstract marks: Abstract marks use conceptual and metaphorical shapes aimed at communicating a unique quality or aspect of your brand instead of a literal product or purpose. For example, the Adidas logo or the MasterCard logo.
Apple Logo
Apple logo is often given as a famous logomark (pictorial mark) example, but there are several more out there:
- Nike’s swoosh (abstract)
- WWF’s panda (pictorial)
- Target’s, well, target (pictorial)
- Olympic rings (abstract)
- And many others.
The old Twitter Logo
Twitter’s famous blue bird (rest in peace) was also a great pictorial logo.
While logomarks, like lettermarks, can be born as original logos, usually they are evolutionary products. They start as combination logos (text + shape) and gradually become single-element identities.
Apple started as one and so did the rest we have listed above.
And for good measure. On their own, shapes and letters alone are ineffective brand identities. They leave a lot to the audience’s imagination, which can be a marketing catastrophe. In marketing and branding, you want to be in complete control of your brand narrative and identity design is its foundation.
So while we all love a good logomark, there’s sense in exploring its potential 20 years into your brand existence instead of immediately.
When and how to use logomarks?
- After your brand icon has become well-established in the minds of your audience.
- If you plan to go international, a logomark may transcend language and cultural barriers.
- Consider a pictorial mark if you love minimal design and can splurge on a large marketing budget to get that mark in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
- Logomark can serve as a versatile brand element across all marketing assets from packaging to billboard ads.
• Combination marks
Combination Mark Logos
What is a combination logo? Combination logos are the most well-known types of logos. Made of text plus icons, they are the most communicative, easy-to-understand, and straightforward ways to present brand identities.
They are also the most prevalent logo designs. Almost all logo designs we see today are combination marks. We have done design history pieces on 4 of them: the Nestle logo, Starbucks logo, Firefox logo, and Playboy logo.
Each logo plays a key role in its brand’s identity-building and marketing.
The reason combination marks are so popular and well-loved is because of their versatility and openness.
They allow the brand identity to shine and present the brand in several marketing mediums. The pictorial mark goes onto tiny spaces like social media apps and website favicons, whereas the wordmark handles more spacious touchpoints like the website header, email signature, business card design, and more.
Then the mark can combine to present the full blast of the brand where it’s needed like when branding the stationery or merchandise.
If you are considering the best type of logo for your brand, start with a combination logo and give your brand the most sure footing to fly from.
When and how to use Combination marks?
- You can use a combination logo design for any industry and market. They give your brand the roomiest stage to convey your brand message.
- Generic brand names can become distinct and unique with exclusive symbols and marks.
- Use a combination mark when you are a new brand and want all the help you can get to maximize your brand recognition.
- Use a combination mark to present your brand on all official brand assets: websites, social media cover, product packaging, and more.
• Mascot logos
Mascot Logos
What are mascot logos? Mascot logos are illustrated characters often depicting people, anthropomorphic animals, cartoons, and other entities to represent the brand. These characters personify the brand and communicate a family-friendly, playful, and joyous vibe.
Mail Chimp and Colonel Sanders (KFC) Mascots
Mascot logos can use both fictitious characters and real people — for example, the Mailchimp Monkey and Colonel Sanders of KFC. But most mascot logos are cartoons, using anthropomorphized animals or objects to represent the brand.
Disney’s Mascot – Mickey Mouse
While most brands use mascots as an extra layer to their brand identity, like Disney uses its Mickey Mouse mascot, some brands set up their brand identities on mascots from the start!
Penguin Books Mascot
A famous example of that is the Penguin Books logo. The design started with its Penguin mascot and has retained it as its most enduring brand identity symbol. The Reddit logo is also an original mascot and so is Wendy’s.
Mascot logos are great storytelling devices too especially if you combine mascot logos with animation. They provide your brand with high-value engagement, creating logos that delight, invite, and inspire.
For those of you looking to create fun brand identities, mascot logos are a bankable way to go. They suit a whole range of industries from children’s cereals to car insurance logos, and everything in between. But if you are a brand with a professional clientele, mascot logos may give you a more laidback vibe than what you need.
When and how to use mascot logos?
- Use a mascot logo when building a child-centered brand as it creates an engaging persona for the brand and humanizes the brand appeal.
- Mascots take on human attributes which makes it easy for people to like them and connect with them.
- Mascots are super-expressive and help ensure your brand message is communicated to the public effectively.
- Mascots are flexible and can take on a variety of brand messaging to a variety of people across the globe breaking cultural and language barriers.
- Use mascot logos as your brand explainers! Show through your mascot how to use your product or services and make those seem more user-friendly.
• Emblem logos
Emblem Logos
What are emblem logos? Emblem logos or shield logos are combination logo designs held within a crest, seal, or shield. They give the brand a very official, very professional appeal. Often used by legacy brands or traditional organizations, emblem logos have an inherent meaning of being institutional and authoritative.
Harvard University and College of San Mateo Logo
Most educational logos, especially university logos, are brand emblems. From the Harvard logo to the logo design of the College of San Mateo, we see emblems and shields everywhere.
University of Oxford Logo
These types of logo designs used to be highly intricate and detailed. Consider the University of Oxford logo, for example.
A cacophony of symbols, shapes, and texts.
But there are simplified, more modern versions of brand emblems on the minimal side of affairs.
Emblems of Starbucks and Warner Brothers
The revised Starbucks logo, for example. Or the uninspiring but practical Warner Brothers shield.
Emblem logos are used to communicate prestige, seriousness, and purpose. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a luxury car brand logo that isn’t a shield design. They are there, don’t get us wrong, but they are a minority.
Bugatti and Aston Marton Emblem Logo
Most luxury car logos from Bugatti to Aston Marton sport shield designs as a core part of their branding.
When and how to use emblem logos?
- If you have a legacy brand to promote or a classic brand appeal to capitalize on.
- Consider an emblem logo if you belong to a traditional industry with a long history of craftsmanship like breweries or custom leather goods.
- Use a scaled-down version of your intricate emblem logo to be used on digital media and contemporary marketing assets.
- Avoid an emblem logo if you operate in the tech space or have a modern brand to promote.
- Emblem logos can be hard to replicate in print design so get some versions ready before you proceed.
Choose the right type of logo
Now that you know the main types of logos, do you know which one is right for you?
Remember to pick a logo design style that aligns with your brand values and also gives you room to market yourself fully. Since your brand will have to constantly move to and fro from physical to digital realms, give it a brand identity that can adapt and transform.
Use a logo design type with enough elements so it’s versatile, open, and allows you to stand out!
But most of all, have fun.
Use our AI logo maker to experiment with designs and see which types of logo designs feel the most natural to your brand. Our logo design gallery has a ton of logo templates to explore. Everything from wordmarks to alphabet logos and hundreds of combination designs to choose from!
So have fun and create the logo design of your dreams!