A logo is a perspicuous glyph or symbolic, identifying mark that conveys origin,

identity, or ownership. The main function is to elicit recognition. The object of a

logo is to act as a mnemonic device and identifier, to communicate a desired
thought or feeling, and to generate a desired emotional response. A thought
provoking
logo design can strengthen your brand image and corporate identity,
giving you a psychological advantage over your competition. Your logo is the
core of your corporate identity, defining and symbolizing the character of your
company or organization.

There are three basic types of logos

Iconic/Symbolic – Icons and symbols are compelling yet uncomplicated images
that are emblematic of a particular company or product. They use imagery that
conveys a literal or abstract representation of your organization. Symbols are
less direct than straight text, leaving room for broader interpretation of what the
organization represents. In order for a symbol to be a truly effective logo, it
should conform to these maxims: ex Disney, apple, nike, adidas, volswagen
called also IMAGE LOGO
Instantaneously recognizable.
Memorable.
Clarity when reproduced in small sizes.
Can be illustrative in nature, either concrete or abstract.

Logotype/Wordmark - A logotype, commonly known in the design industry as a

"word mark", incorporates your company or brand name into a uniquely styled type
font treatment. Type fonts come in thousands of possible variations, shapes, sizes,
and
styles, each conveying a slightly different impression upon your intended audience.
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. Ex: cnn, cocacola,
fedex

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.
ex:macdonald’s, starbucks, reebock,..IMAGE WITH TEXT LOGOS
Keep it simple
Simplicity is the soul of an effective visual identity. Versatility and simplicity are
hallmarks of an outstanding logo. Your logo design should be scalable to any
size without losing any image quality or visual impact. Ask yourself a few
questions when selecting a logo design. How will the design look when it is
scaled down on your business cards for instance? Will the logo still be legible
and recognizable?
Typography is Crucial
Your font's legibility must be of primary concern. Typefaces are selected for their
distinctive character, variety of weights, widths and proportions. Select a typeface
that is common to most computer operating systems.
Does your logo design work in Black & White?
Consider how your logo design will look when it is rendered in only black and
white. Your vendors and advertising outlets may require your logo to be in black
and white only. Much other company material such as faxes and company
checks for instance may only print in black and white. Make sure your logo
design works well in black and white as well as color.
Number of Colors
Every additional color in your logo design can add significantly to your printing
costs. Keeping your logo in fewer colors will greatly reduce your expense when
applying your logo to different mediums such as signage for instance.
You want to establish "brand equity," but where do you start? By creating a
logo. A professional logo represents your company in a form that can be
protected through trademark law. Let's take a quick tour of the main types
logos.

Image Logos Graphic logos are composed entirely of non-textual elements. An

example is the set of five rings that form the Olympic logo—without any
wording, you always know what the rings represent.
Text Logos A wordmark logo consists of text only. Think of Revlon®, the
manufacturer of hairspray, shampoo, and other products for women.
Microsoft® uses a bold faced, italic, sans-serif font with slight modifications
that make it unique. If a company's logo is only an abbreviation, it is a
lettermark logo.
Image with Text Logos Perhaps the most common type of logo includes both
image and text. The text in these logos may include the entire company
name or an abbreviation. Image and text should belong together. One design
sometimes cited for including elements that do not belong together is the
Sun® Microsystems logo, in which the text and sun—an odd square shape—
lack cohesiveness.

Logo with Slogan A custom logo can include a "brand slogan." For example,
EMC® Corporation includes the phrase "where information lives" with its
logo. A slogan may be used with any of the logos discussed here. Often the
slogan will be tied to a particular advertising campaign.
There are three basic types of logos: text, symbol, and combination
logos. The type of logo that will work best for your company depends
on a number of considerations, such as the size of your company, the
uniqueness of your name, and a variety of other factors.
Text logo
A text logo (also sometimes called a logotype or word mark) is a logo
largely made up of the text of the company’s name. This type of logo
can have some graphic elements – lines, boxes, borders – that interact
with, surround, or even form the letters. However, the graphic
elements should be used as an accent to the text, not as a major or
equally-weighted part of the logo.
A text logo works well when:
• 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.
• 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 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.