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A logo is a symbol that illustrates the company’s image and is one of the main ways to differ from competitors. A little sign that can stick to the clients’ minds and make your company famous.
The founder of a business faces a task of the creation of a logo which must perform a wide range of functions and be placed on the company’s products and any advertising materials. The first thing to start with is choosing the type of your logo. And this is what this article is all about.
Hilda Morones, a famous American journalist, has conducted a research, thus naming seven types of logos. There is another classification dividing all logos into pictorial (a picture only), textual (a word or a phrase) and combination ones (a picture and a word together). In this article, we’ll put an emphasis on the classification of Hilda Morones.
In case the name of a company is too long and consists of several words taking too much space if the logo is small, it’s best to shorten the name, using the first letters of the words only. So, more ideas for creating a logo will form, and clients will be able to remember one short word easier than several long ones. A very good example is the abbreviation “NASA” which everyone’s heard but has no idea what it stands for. True, it might be quite difficult to remember “National Aeronautics and Space Administration”.
We must note TV channels like CNN, ABC or TNT. These names look good in the corner of a TV screen. When designing such a logo, you’ll need to pay attention to what font you choose. It needs to be easily readable and match the company’s image (entertaining/strict/serious/humorous).
To have such a logo, a company should have a short and clear name that’s easy to remember. Some examples in this case are Google, Coca-Cola and Visa. You’ve probably seen their logos known all over the world. Like the first type, this one will make you think carefully of the font and the colors. Note: the font should illustrate the company’s main idea and be easily readable. For example, a light italic one would fit a flower seller, whereas a strict, standard one is a good choice for a building company.
The three types that follow are pictorial logos consisting of a small picture only. Such are, probably, least popular types. However, when rationally approached, emblems become hits in buyers’ eyes. So, about 6% of companies take the risk and choose such logos.
The companies that use such symbols are sure known to everyone – Apple with its bitten fruit and Twitter with a flying blue bird. As you can understand, a well-designed logo can take a company up to the top and make it one of the most successful in the world.
Such symbols convey deep sense and ideas allowing clients to form clear associations. Yet, there are difficulties in design: first, you’ll need to spend much time creating; second, the idea of your company might not be obvious to clients from the start, so it’s harder to take off; third, you absolutely have to be sure the type you choose will make it. But if you’re sure these three items are carefully thought over, don’t hesitate to use this type.
The third type is different – basically, the image shows not a ordinary object (an apple, a book or a bird) but an abstract geometric figure. Here, the examples will be the logos of Nike, Reebok, PepsiCo, etc.
Such logos are pretty easy to create, which is their main advantage. The main thing is, they should convey the mood and look good if stamped on your future products. It should also be noted that such a type is perfect for international companies. In case you plan to sell your products worldwide, it might be difficult to create one and the same logo that will arouse similar emotions in different countries. And, if it’s just an abstract symbol, it is such on all continents. Plus, colors usually have similar meanings. All in all, if you plan to corner the international market, this option is for you.
Many sports teams have a mascot, a character dancing during their games and taking selfies with fans – we’ve known that since we first watched a teen flick. Many companies decided to follow the trend and made up funny characters supposed to attract clients in their ads and smile to them from their product packages. Think of colonel Sanders of KFC looking at you from a burger carton, or Mr. Proper appearing every time after that famous melody plays.
This type’s good advantage is the direct interaction with the audience and winning the buyers’ trust. And sure, after you’ve got such a logo, you’ll no longer need to spend hours on making up complex ad campaigns – you already have a mascot participating.
The last two types are so-called “combination” logos, when both a picture and a text are u
It’s best to start with the most famous examples: Burger King and McDonald’s. In such a case, a wordmark and a symbol or a graphic image work together, maximizing and adding to the effect of one another. Companies do sometimes omit the wordmark, like when making business cards, which is absolutely an advantage, because it’s quite challenging to design a logo looking good on everything: business cards, websites and huge banners.
Most likely, it is a logo with a text inside an image. Everyone of us has probably gone to college. So, most of educational institutions choose exactly this type. Car manufacturers love it too.
So, we have briefly reviewed the seven types of logos. After you make a decision on which you like the most, it’ll be time to start designing and, further, using it. Fortunately, modern technologies help you easily do that by yourselves, not having to spend a fortune. An online constructor has become a good friend helping accomplish logo design tasks. As well, you can ask freelancers for help, they are a lot on the Internet – and sure able to create an option both you and your clients will adore.
We have studied the logos designed in the last two years that we found on several major design-related platforms, and tried