There are many recognizable logos that come to mind when you think of well known brands. While a logo is just one component of a brand, it is usually what we picture when we think of a particular brand.
The way I like to explain the relationship of logos to brands is to liken it to a person. If you think of the brand as the overall person, the logo would be the face. A person’s face is their most recognizeable feature. Logos work the same way. They are the symbol for the brand.
But brands are much more than just a symbol. A brand – like a person – has a personality, a visual style, a style of speaking, a certain type of friends, and a set of guiding princlples and beliefs. Brands are as complex as people.
The logo must capture the essence of the brand. Is it modern or traditional? Friendly or exclusive? Who does it appeal to? What does it stand for? An experienced designer will take all of these questions and many more into account when creating a logo as part of an overall brand identity. A brand strategy will help to define the criteria for the logo and guide the design so that it aligns with the brand and tells a clear story.
There are four main types of logos, and you will find both big brands and small brands using all of them.
MONOGRAM
Uses initials (letters) from the company name to make the logo.
WORDMARK
Uses no symbol at all - just the name in a specific font. Quite often the font is custom in some way.
REPRESENTATIONAL SYMBOL
Uses a symbol that involves something recognizeable that ties into the name or concept of the company.
NON-REPRESENTAIONAL SYMBOL
Uses a symbol that is abstract, or without meaning.
No matter what type of logo you choose, there are factors that all well-designed logos have in common:
SIMPLICITY
A good logo must employ uncluttered design with limited elements
A logo needs to work in a multitude of situations. It has to work equally well on something as small as a pen and something as big as a billboard – and everything in between. It needs to work in both digital and print mediums and in situations that have limitations (like single colour, or reduced visibility).
READABILITY
There is nothing more important than the ability to easily read the name of the company or product.
Logos must be easy to read. This means careful consideration of font style, contrast, size of type, weight, colour, etc. Thought must go into how the logo will look at different sizes. It has to be readable at all sizes, or there needs to be an approved version for smaller spaces or for alternate spaces (like a horizontal version and a stacked version). The best logos can be reduced to one or two colors and resized easily. In any case, you must consider the vast number of possible uses for the logo and design for all possibilities.
SUITABILITY
Logos must be designed to reflect the brand they sybolize and to appeal to a specific group of people - the target audience.
Font and colour choice are important for readability but they also play a huge role in the overall look and message of the logo. Developing a logo that embodies a brand and it’s character requires a lot of decisions about details, but those details are what separates the “great” from the “good”. An experienced designer knows how to capture meaning in a simple symbol and type.
Imagine a great logo this way...
You are preparing for an important presentation to a very specific group of people. You hire a stylist to help you get ready. The stylist chooses just the right outfit to impress the audience and make you stand out. Your stylist also helps you with the perfect wording so that your message is clearly communicated to your audience, and chooses just the right visuals to support the message. When you’re done, your audience is impressed. Your message was memorable and clear. The audience walks away remembering your name, and everyone who heard you speak now wants to be part of your inner circle and be connected to you.
That’s what a great logo and a great brand can do. They communicate in a meaningful way with their audience and form a connection that the audience wants to be a part of.
Promotion is part of the mix
No matter how great the design of your logo is, promotion plays a big role in making it recognizeable. Look at the IBM and HP (Hewlett Packard) logos in the examples above. These logos are nothing special design-wise, but I’ll bet you recognize them. That’s because you’ve seen them so many times. This is true for many logos that you are likely familiar with. This works for them because their large promotion budget allows them to build brand recognition though a high frequency of views over so many years. For small to mid sized companies with smaller promotional budgets it’s even more important to develop a logo and brand strategy that will visually tell the story of your brand - so that it is memorable with fewer views and so that it clearly communicates what you do. This, combined with strategic promotion is what builds your brand.