What are the 10 Types of Logos ?

Simply a symbol can mean a lot for a business. Logos are the basic form of brand identity. They help companies establish strong brand awareness in the market. With attractive format and meaningful representation, logos become attractive to the customer and easily grab their attention. If you are planning for a logo design it is a good idea to think about the types of logos. Because logos are not just symbols or means of attraction, each of the types of logo carries or is used for different purposes. They are used based on the business function or the USP of the business. However there is no exact match for the types of logo, but each of the types conveys different format and inner meaning. So, it should be your decision which one you should carry for your business. In this blog, we are going to describe the different types of logo that exist in the market. So read this blog and explore the different types of logo design. 

Different Types of Logo 

1. Monogram logos (or lettermarks)
2. Letterforms
3. Wordmarks
4. Contoured words
5. Pictorial marks (or logo symbols)/brand marks
6. Abstract logo marks
7. Mascots
8. The combination mark
9. The emblem
10. Slime logos

1. Monogram logos

Monograms logos are the combination of different letters of the brand name with an eye catchy typography. It is simply the initials of the business that also creates symbolic representation of the brand. This type of log is the oldest form of logo design that came from ancient Greek. In Greece they use a monogram on the other side of the coin to represent different cities. However, artist, royal families also use monograms by using the first one or two letters of their name to represent them. However, in modern days, businesses try to represent their brand’s main USP or function through monogram log. This brings more meaning in the logo and logo becomes more creative and memorable for the audience. Logos of LG, HP, Gucci are some of the examples of monogram logos. 

2. Letterforms Logos 

Similar to the monogram logo, letterform logos also use letters from the brand name. But in this type of logo design, only one letter is taken for the logo. HP is the monogram logo because it uses words from the brand name. However, the logo of Mcdonald's, Unilever uses letterform logos since they use only one letter from the brand name. No doubt the letter must be typographed and catchy to grab the attention of the customer. Though it is tough to bring meaning in just one letter in letterform logo still some brands successfully bring meaning in the letterform logo. The logo of Unilever is one of the kind where they bring all of their SBU in one single letter by using relevant symbols. 

Letterforms can be fit in any banner or design due to its short size and length. But this type of logo requires huge brand awareness to be used without the brand name.  

3. Wordmarks Logo 

Unlike letterform logos, Wordmarks logo uses the complete brand name of the business. It represents the brand name in a unique way with eye-catching design and good typography. In simple words, the brand name itself becomes the logo of the brand. This kind of logo needs no extra introduction or need not to use brand name in the first place since the logo itself consists of the brand name. This kind of logo is very helpful for establishing a strong brand awareness and association in the market. Since no symbol is used in the logo sometimes it becomes pretty tough to fit them in the banner or any design.  The logo of Samsung, Dell, Netflix are some of the examples of wordmarks. 

4. Contoured Words Logo 

Contoured Words logo are quite similar to the wordmarks logo. Like wordmarks logo contoured words also use the full name of the brand but they use it within geometry shapes. Which means company names are written within a circle, square etc. The geometry is used to represent the company's certain characteristics or certain usp. The shapes are not used randomly rather designer research the shapes psychology and then combine it with the brand personality or the characteristics of the company. Each of the shapes represent each of the values. Round shapes represent love, fulfillness etc. However squares represent trust stability of the organization. This is why the logo of BBC is used with square because this news channel wants to represent trust whereas Samsung wants to represent love and eternity to their customers. Due to the similarity one can mixup Contoured words logo with Wordmarks logo. Remember, all Contoured Words logos are Wordmarks logos but all wordmarks logos are not Contoured words logos. 

5. Pictorial Marks Logo 

Pictorial mark logo uses a picture or symbol in the logo to represent their brand. In such logos no brand name or letter is used. Elements that are used in the logo represent a deeper meaning relevant to the brand. It can represent special emotion relevant to the brand. Pictorial marks are short in length so they are pretty easy to use in any banner or design. However, companies need to be very careful using such a type of logo since they can convey different messages for the people of different cultures or by presenting them in a wrong way.  The logo of Shell , Windows are some of the examples of Pictorial marks logo. 

6. Mascots

Mascots logos use characters that are made from high end graphics. Cartoon figures are used in this type of logo. As you can guess, such logos are appealing for the kids. So, the brands that are targeted to the kids usually use Mascots logo. However, brands that are targeted to the family also use Mascots logo. Mascot logos are easy to remember and very easy to grab the attention of the audience. The character itself becomes the brand personality that represents the brand in the public places. Pringles , Android, BIC use Mascots in their logo. 

7. Abstract logos

Abstract logos are abstract in nature. They are not limited to any shapes or letters. It uses an abstract form to represent the brand. Such a logo opens a huge door of creativity for the designer. The main challenge of such a logo is that it needs to to represent the main function of the brand with that abstract format. Though it can not be done by everyone but the good one used to be unique and portrays the main concept of the brand. Nike, Pepsi , Tide are some of the examples of Abstract Logo. 

8. The Combination Mark

As you can guess from the name this type of logo used both the text and the picture in the logo. This is a complete combination of typography letter and image. Such logos are very easy to establish brand awareness and easy to remember. With the combination of text and image such logos become attractive and distinctive in nature. Burger King, Slack are the examples of the Combination Mark logo. 

9. The Emblem

This is one of the classic types of logo. Emblem logos are the combination of symbol, font and shapes. Usually universities, government organizations, schools and some automobile companies use this type of logo. Emblem logos are so similar to badges and seals. However due to their complexity and length they often become difficult to fit in banners or other marketing materials of the company. This kind of logo represents confidence and value. Logo of Harvard University, Liverpool football club are the example of Emblem logo. 

Slime logos

Slime logos use the combination of image and cartoon in the logo. They tend to be colorful and attractive and mostly targeted to the kids. No standard format of fonts and symbols are used in Slime logo. They tend to be creative and use images that are inspired by slime images.  Logo of Fun Coffee, Delicious Banana are the examples of slime logos. 

Logo represents your brand. There are no set rules of selecting specific types of logo based on the type of your business. But it is always recommended to choose a logo that can easily grab audience attention and create strong brand identity in the market. Remember, your logo is something that your business will carry for the rest of the time. So, it should be created by the expert designers. Graphics design limited is one of the expert graphics design providers having bunches of expert designers in them. They are pro in logo design and can come up with a very attractive hence memorable design for your brand