Logo Design Basics - The Five Types of Marks - Positive Space Blog

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Logo Design Basics: The Five Types of Marks

Logos come in all kinds of shapes and sizes however they typically are one of 5 different classications. Designing a logo is about much more than an exercise in aesthetic. A logo must be a positive depiction of the product or service it represents. When designing a logo, knowing which type of mark would be the most appropriate for the application will help you achieve a stronger solution. Wordmarks A wordmark is a logo comprised of text only featuring a unique typographical treatment used to convey the brands message or positioning.
Letterform Marks Letterform marks use one or more letterforms as a symbol to convey the brand message.
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Marks A mark is a literal and often pictorial representation of a company or product. The image is usually a reference to the company or a brand attribute.
Abstract Marks / Symbols Abstract marks and symbols use visual form to convey a concept that is relevant to the brand message.
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Emblems Emblems are a complex mixture of pictorial elements and type that are linked to the organization and its positioning.
Each of these different classications of marks has its own design challenges and clichs. Using these marks effectively is a combination of experience and research. For more great examples of logo design be sure to check out faveup.com (where I collected these examples). 04/10 ADD A COMMENT
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39 Comments
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39 Responses to Logo Design Basics: The Five Types of Marks

1.
David Sparks
April 10th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Logo work is not at all my strong suit. I can manage but Im not to good at it. however for a massive collection of logos and if youre in need of inspiration check out logopond.com. Im there quite often. good post 2.
Zinni
April 10th, 2008 at 10:32 am
David, I have not been doing any identity work for a while, however it is my favorite type of design. Nothing else you can design has as much impact on a business or product than its identity. This post was part of me making sure that I do not loose touch with the practice. Once again, thanks for the comment! 3.
Joram Oudenaarde
April 10th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Nice post, and thank you for using my logo as an example as well
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4.
Zinni
April 10th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Sure thing Joram, it is a solid concept 5.
kristarella
Nice post! Ive never heard logos discussed in this way before. Ive been trying to come up with a logo for myself, my blog and photoblog. Without much success so far, my sketches havent grabbed me but Ill keep at it. 6.
Sarah
April 11th, 2008 at 4:42 am
Great post! You have classied logo in a very interesting way. I like that. Good job 7.
Ben Field
April 11th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Zinni, thanks for this. If it interests you, I think it would be helpful for others to hear what the strengths are of these different types of marks. When watching companies develop an identity, Ive found the process is often to follow the direction most apparent to the mind of the designer but that may not be the best direction. I bet these have different strengths that could be better exploited consciously. What is your experience on this? 8.
Zinni
April 11th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Ben I believe you are correct. There are certain types of marks that have typically met the needs of certain types of industries. For example it is very common to see restaurants effectively use an emblem. This was my original idea, however it was too long for one post. Hint: I may be breaking these up into a series of articles 9.
David
April 11th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I love your helpful breakdown of logos. One minor question. Could you include more recognizable and international logos in your future discussions? i.e. IBM, Google,
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Starbucks, Nike, VW, et al. 10.
George M
So a logotype is now called a wordmark and an icon is now called a mark? 11.
Fubiz
Very good article. Thanks a lot. 12.
David
you should also check out logopond.com (where most of these logos where posted rst 13.
Craig
The Fondant logo suggest that theres probably a sixth category: coffee stains Lucent Morning Joe on MSNBC 14.
Will Sherwood
April 21st, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Well done! Keep up the good work. BTW, if you have a moment, Id like your opinion on my blog listed above? 15.
Anush
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 am
Im 100% agree with your blog idea. But main thing is what ever you design should be creative to handle the company brand. Even its made of Simple lines but should be creatively aligned 16.
projectautomatika
January 9th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Great article!
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Trackbacks
1. roScripts - Webmaster resources and websites 2. EverydayUX: Everyday User Experience Blog Archive Links for April 10th through April 12th 3. Marc Ashwell Blog Archive links for 2008-04-12 4. Tipos de logos Tablosign 5. K Manifesto - daily links of distraction 6. links for 2008-04-13 toonz 7. 5 types of marks Apuntesdisains Weblog 8. links for 2008-04-14 | Geeky Things 9. Selexa Blog Archive Logo Basics: The Five Types of Marks 10. 50+ Kick Ass Logos for Inspiration | + fuel your creativity + 11. 50+ Kick Ass Logos for Inspiration | Studio 646 12. .. 12 .. | 13. Recursos tiles a la hora de disear tus logos Xyberneticos 14. Interesantes recursos para disear logos 15. Interesantes recursos para disear logos 16. Gruvix 17. Recursos tiles a la hora de disear tus logos Ricotero's Blog 18. Nono Martnez - Creando un Logotipo 19. OneDesign| 50 Logos for Inspiration 20. Don't hold back! - DesignersTalk 21. 50 inspirational logos and free design resources | delimitdesign.com 22. Professional Logo Design(How to reach to it through Tutorials ) | Skyje 23. Para os fanticos por logtipos 2 Braind
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spec work seo Web Designers Client Relations blogging illustration ethics Education Creatives freelancing Key: 14 5 15 16 25 > 26 LINKS The Year in Band Names At-AT Liquor Cabinet Fortunetellers Plenty of Room Sheaff's Ephemera Add a Link // View the Links RECENT COMMENTS Koocha: Thanks for that. Also, feel free to browse my new site http://koocha.com with lots of design stuff collected from Internet Paul Gordon: Aaah, I love KickStarter projects. Im hoping they come over to the UK very soon. Nick, the very best of luck with... Firma Rehberi: thanks for this. James Kemp: In the end, everything thing is designed. Plain things are still designed, but with usability in mind. The two bounce off... Joshua: Being more of a graphic designer than a web designer, I think I can agree with the concept here. I do a lot of web layout mockups... estudio web: Muy buen blog de diseo! great blog! thanks from Argentina. theComplex: @Lisa I have the same issue. And sometimes I get so caught up in how irritated I am at that client that the... Daus: I dont think there is rules in webdesign. It is just trend, and people (read: designer) often... Web Design Australia: Forcing yourself to work on something when youre stressed wont give you the results that you want.... Benny: Great post and good tips! I also have this problem from time to time, having trouble nding that perfect inspiratio... Luci: Conventions and standards, in my mind, are different kettles of sh. Standards, like
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coding standards, I think exist for good... Tom Hermans: Although I want a website to be visually appealing, and to stand out etc.. I also want it to be a handy instrument that is... Vim: This list is always a good tip however its something that most designers already know, nding inspiration can be hard, but to get... LA Woodarts Designer: An excellent reminder to step back sometimes. Its amazing how often the business part blocks the creative.... Ben Rama: shouldnt it be as simple as if it works it works in an ideal world great post thanks View the Comment Line RECENT INTERNSHIP LISTINGS Temporarily Unavailable Visit Creative Internships TWITTER On a side note: we practically walked from 14th to 91st street today, my feet kill. 2010-11-07 #bnconf was totally worth it, can't wait for next year! And being in NYC doesn't hurt either. 2010-11-06 And I'm awake, it's going to be a slow start this morning on NYC #bnconf 2010-11-05 Koko cocktails is an awesome legit sanfran bar 2010-10-27 Waiting in a line outside mama's in SF hope it's good... 2010-10-26 More updates... Zinni on Twitter Copyright 2008 Anthony J. Zinni, All Rights Reserved. / Advertise on Positive Space zinnidesign.com Koocha: Thanks for that. Also, feel free to browse my new site http://koocha.com with lots of design stuff collected from Internet Paul Gordon: Aaah, I love KickStarter projects. Im hoping they come over to the UK very soon. Nick, the very best of luck with... Firma Rehberi: thanks for this. James Kemp: In the end, everything thing is designed. Plain things are still designed, but with usability in mind. The two bounce off... Joshua: Being more of a graphic designer than a web designer, I think I can agree with the concept here. I do a lot of web layout mockups... estudio web: Muy buen blog de diseo! great blog! thanks from Argentina. theComplex: @Lisa I have the same issue. And sometimes I get so caught up in how irritated I am at that client that the... Daus: I dont think there is rules in webdesign. It is just trend, and people (read: designer) often... Web Design Australia: Forcing yourself to work on something when youre stressed wont give you the results that you want....
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Benny: Great post and good tips! I also have this problem from time to time, having trouble nding that perfect inspiratio... Luci: Conventions and standards, in my mind, are different kettles of sh. Standards, like coding standards, I think exist for good... Tom Hermans: Although I want a website to be visually appealing, and to stand out etc.. I also want it to be a handy instrument that is... Vim: This list is always a good tip however its something that most designers already know, nding inspiration can be hard, but to get... LA Woodarts Designer: An excellent reminder to step back sometimes. Its amazing how often the business part blocks the creative.... Ben Rama: shouldnt it be as simple as if it works it works in an ideal world great post thanks
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