Logo's & Its Miscellany
There are three types of logos[/b]
Text[/b]
Symbol[/b][/b]
Combination[/b][/b]
A text logo works well when:[/b][/b]
You have a multi-word business name. If your business name is made up of many words, that are not commonly or easily abbreviated, or when an abbreviation may not be appropriate developing a text logo will keep the logo design as simple and clean as possible.
You're working with an innovative, unique business name, as with Yahoo or Google. In each case, the business name is enough to make the logo memorable.
You're designing a logo for a large company that offers many types of products, services, or a combination of both, that may be hard to define or "wrap up" in a single picture or symbol.
You're designing a logo "for the long haul" – there is less concern about your company "outgrowing" a text logo – they are timeless and classic.
Trademark protection is highly important – as long as your business name is unique, then a text logo will also be unique.
A text logo may not be the right choice if:
Your business name is not unique; this can mean difficulty for building your brand recognition. Then, without a symbol, the logo will be more difficult to remember or to associate with your business.
Your business name does not describe what you do, it can be hard to tell what products or services you offer when just a text logo is used. Taglines or other graphic elements will need to be employed to tell your audience more about your business.
Symbol Logo
A symbol logo is the opposite extreme in design from a text logo. This type of logo includes neither words nor letters – only symbols, images and shapes.
A symbol logo works well when:
Your company already has a high level of brand recognition. If who you are and what you do are already widely known, then you can use a symbol logo as an elegant and clean solution.
You have been using a combination logo for some time and have now built up enough brand recognition for your symbol to stand alone. This is a common transition for a logo design to take when your company grows.
You have a unique symbol in your industry – you wouldn't want to be confused with or mistaken for anyone else in your industry!
You have the time and energy to trademark your logo, and then to police and enforce that trademark. This is how you ensure that your logo continues to be uniquely yours.
You have a global presence and can develop a universal, graphic symbol that speaks to you and audiences. Additionally, a symbol can have meanings on many levels, and can also have different meanings in different cultures
A text logo may not be the right choice if:
You are a company just starting out; you must have the budget and desire to educate your audience on your new symbol logo. This can be a difficult task.
Combination Logo
A logo that in some manner combines both a symbol and the company name. The symbol and text can be integrated together, side by side, or with one located above the other.
Combination logos are the most common type of logo for several reasons:
A combination logo offers the best of both worlds. This type of logo offers a memorable logo graphic that tells the story of who you are, what you do, and what makes you different, all in conjunction with your business name for easy identification.
A combination logo is an excellent choice for a small- or medium-sized company or a company just starting out, to begin to build brand recognition, because a combination logo is both visually strong and explanatory. The symbol can speak to the services that the company offers, while the company name increases the company recognition.
Combination logos are easier to copyright and protect than a symbol-only logo, because the logo symbol will always be used in conjunction with the business name. This automatically makes the logo unique.
A logotype or "word mark", incorporates your company or brand name into a unique style. Script fonts imply a sense of formality and refinement. Thick fonts proclaim strength and power, whereas slanted type fonts impart a sense of motion or movement. Type font treatments can also include hand-drawn letters, characters or symbols that have been rendered in such a way as to intrigue the eye and capture the interest. Images can also be integrated into a logotype, often to great visual effect. Of prime consideration when selecting a logotype or wordmark is legibility and ease of recognition, even when reduced to the size required for printing your business cards.
Combination Marks - Combination Marks are graphics with both text and a symbol/icon that signifies the brand image that you wish to project for your company or organization. Concise text can complement an icon or symbol, providing supplemental clarity as to what your enterprise is all about.
There are integrated and stand alone combination marks. For instance, Starbucks logo has the text with the graphic integrated, whereas the AT&T logo has the icon separate from the text.
If you get a chance to see a professional logo design gallery, then you will be amazed to see how unique they are and how nicely and uniquely they represent their respective businesses. There is a wide variety of designs available and creative designers always come up with unique ideas to stand-out from the crowd. Even though the design size is small, yet the designers find a way to get inspiration from something and use their imagination to create something that no one saw or created before
As these two types are common, businesses have to decide that what route they ought to take and whose footsteps they should follow when they create their brand identity. So, if you are starting a new business, this is the question you will have to answer that you want to have your company name in your logo or not. Well, this may not be an easy question to answer, but it's not impossible either. Just like other things we don't know, we need to do some research to dig deeper and get the answer we need. They recently made a big change to their logo. They removed the name of the company ‘Starbucks' from the brand identity. Before you answer this question, let's take a look at another example. Shell also changed their logo design and they removed the name of the company from it. It also depends on your industry that what your business model is. Companies that are into Fashion tend to have their name in the logo. In fact, their name becomes their logo as it is written stylishly. Some tend to have the name and a small unique symbol. So, it also depends on your industry. The best thing to do is to conduct a research and see what your competitors are doing and how they have created their identities. You should also talk to a professional designer as they know the latest trend and what path you should take to create your logo design successfully, either with your name in it or without it.