can we can – Graphic Designer, Logo & Brand Identity Specialist

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.

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.

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:

• Instantaneously recognizable.
• Memorable
• Clarity when reproduced in small sizes.
• Can be illustrative in nature, either concrete or abstract.

Types of Logos

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
• Logotype/Wordmark
• Combination Marks

Why should you use a logo?

One reason is that people process an image in their mind more readily than words alone. A logo serves as the visual stimulation to kickstart the audience’s memory, leaving a greater and lengthier impact than words alone can do. It is the simplest and most direct way in promoting a business presence; it’s a “what we’re about” statement without the long-winded speech.

Logos give brand name recognition and add visual appeal to any document or web page. Because your logo is a unique graphic image, your visitors’ eyes will naturally be drawn to it both on the web and on your printed materials.