What Type of Logo Design?

Examples of logo types can be useful for our design and discovery of your logo project. Here’s a roundup of six different types of logos: lettermarks, wordmarks, brandmarks, combination, emblem, and mascot.

Lettermark (initials or monograms)

Lettermarks are made of letters. Whether you call them monograms, initials, or acronyms, they’re in the same category.

Wordmark (text only)

Wordmarks are logos made of…words! The brand’s name is represented by typography, without including a symbol or picture. Good wordmarks are carefully crafted to have a visual rhythm throughout the word, balancing white space, line weights, and the way the letters interact with each other.

Brandmark (object/mark with logotype/text)

Brandmarks are the opposite of wordmarks. They are symbols without words. Most easily-recognized brandmarks started out in a “lockup” with a wordmark company name. Over time, through repeated exposure, the symbol itself became associated with the brand. The symbol can now be used on its own, separated from the company name.

Combination (object/mark + logotype/text)

Combination marks pair a symbol with a wordmark and might be difficult to display them separately. This style of logo may always best used as one logo only.

Emblem (badge or text inside of a shape)

Similar to combination mark logos, emblem logos combine images with text.
The difference? Emblem logos encapsulate their design features within a frame or border. Combination logos do not.

Multiple Lockups (logo system)

Multiple logo lockups will provide different logo types within a logo system making sure the brand is consistent but flexible for marketing, signage, merchandising, social media, digital marketing and more. A logo system may include different logo lockups such as a lettermark, wordmark, brandmark, a circle (badge) or more (see examples above). But check out the logos below, like the Mighty Pine Brewing — it has many different logo lockups! They have a circle logo lockup with the brandmark in the middle, they have a stacked logo lockup with the brandmark and wordmark, or just the wordmark logo lockups — with or without the pine trees.

Mascot (illustrated character)

What is a mascot logo? A mascot is defined as an illustrated character that represents a business. You can think of a mascot as the spokesperson or brand ambassador. These types of logos can have the wordmark as part of the illustrated character or separate like Wendy’s logo.