Logos are of 7 types – which one is yours?

Do you know that all the different types of logos that we see every day broadly fall into seven different types or categories?

Yes, to the common man, a logo is nothing but a symbol associated with a company or brand and is used to identify it. But when looked closer, a logo can be made in different ways – depending on the requirements of the company. These seven types are listed out as below. So, check out which type is your logo. 

1. Wordmark Logo: This is the simplest form a logo. In this type, the logo is usually made up of the name of the company or brand. The name (alphabets in the word) is designed to give it a unique look and feel. Examples include Infosys, Google, Bata, Samsung, Sony, etc.

2. Letter Mark Logo: This type of logos is made up of acronyms and the letters in the acronym usually represents the name of the company or the brand. For instance, IBM, HCL, TCS, and CII are some of the logos that belong to the letter mark type. IBM stands for International Business Machines; HCL stands for Hindustan Computers Limited; TCS stands for Tata Consultancy Services; and CII stands for Confederation of Indian Industries. 

3. Emblem Logo: In this type, the text is presented inside a shape – which can be rectangular, triangular, circular or any other shape. Starbucks Coffee, for example, has the emblem type logo where the words Starbucks are presented inside a circle. Similarly, Harley Davidson, BMW, New India Assurance Company, Levis and Honda among others belong to the emblem type.

4. Pictorial Mark Logo: Logos that are represented using an image or a design without any text are called as pictorial mark logos. They come in different shapes, designs and colours. Designers use their creative juices to bring out create, unique looking pictorial mark logos. The logos of Apple, Twitter, McDonalds, State Bank of India, Mercedes Benz, Piramal, etc. fall under this type. Even the famous Olympic games logo is also a pictorial mark logo.

5. Abstract Mark Logo:  Logos belonging to this type are made of abstract designs that may or may not represent the name or nature of the company. For instance, Titan, India Post, Kotak, Adani, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), etc. have abstract logos. 

6. Combination Mark Logo: This type of logos is made of a combination of image and text. The image could be a picture or an abstract design. This is one of the more popular type of logos used around the world. Dabur, Biocon, Indian Oil, Hero Motors, LIC, etc. belong to the combination mark type. 

Mascot logo: This is a little different from the ones discussed above. A mascot logo incorporates the shape of a mascot. The famous Maharaja of Air India, the smiling old man of KFC, the skinny boy of 7Up are some of the classic examples of mascot logos. Such logos can also be found in sport & games related brands like the franchise teams in popular leagues.