What is a logo?
A logo is a graphic or typographic sign that stands as a symbol for a brand or an institution. Its purpose is to make a brand recognizable at a wide variety of touchpoints. It should be memorable and recognizable to attract attention from the target audience.
Why is a logo important?
The logo as a central element in the design system next to the brand name, the logo is obviously the most prominent brand element. As a central component of a brand’s appearance, it serves to identify a company. Therefore, it must be significantly different from other logos in the same market niche in terms of design language, color scheme, typography and iconography. Its function is not so much to provide information about what a company actually does, but rather to convey an idea of the corporate identity – because this is ultimately what differentiates market participants from one another.
Logo design process
Our design process therefore aims to make the logo unique on the one hand, and on the other, to evoke positive associations with the brand that are related to its offering. This can be, for example, trust, reliability, lifestyle or even status awareness.
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Symbol Echovai
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Symbol/word mark, DCSO
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Word mark, Lourie
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Monogram, Jean-Baptiste Abel
Logo, word mark, symbol, or monogram? What is the difference?
The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything. In fact, logo is the umbrella term for a graphic or typographic sign that stands as a symbol for a brand or an institution. Depending on the creative means used, a distinction is made between
- Word mark: the brand name is designed purely typographically
- Symbol: the brand is represented by a visual symbol, which can stand for itself
- Word/symbol: the combination of typographic design and a visual symbol that forms a unit. This can also be a monogram, for example.
The logo – the brand at a glance
Because the task of a logo is above all to attract the attention of the target group and to be memorable and recognizable, it does not have to be concretely decipherable. Think of iconic, globally learned and well-known logos such as those of Deutsche Bank, Nike or Mercedes-Benz: all of these logos are abstract. None even remotely depicts what the respective company offers or produces. Rather, they stand for a promise: for healthy growth, athletics for all, excellent quality and high standards.
A logo is not a brand
A logo always needs the context of a company, products and services, brand design and communication in order to be effective. A logo alone does not make a brand. It is its context that ultimately charges the logo with meaning, not the other way around. Therefore it is always – really always! – to design a logo or a word mark or word/symbol mark as a single element without considering the brand’s appearance as a whole. It is illusory to expect that a singular symbol can self-explanatorily stand for an entire entity. It can’t, and that’s not its job – quite apart from the fact that one symbol doesn’t get you very far in brand communication.
A logo needs a design system
A logo is and will therefore always be part of a design system – albeit a central one. Logo and brand elements must relate to each other in terms of design, color, typography, stylistics and iconography in order to convey a coherent image of the brand. There are a number of requirements for the logo as a “flag, signature, coat of arms, street sign” (Paul Rand): not only must it be concise, quickly grasped and durable, but it must also function in all media in very small to very large representations as well as in color and black and white. These requirements and the specific areas of application have a significant influence on the design means.
Our standards for good logo design
Good logo design captures the essence of the brand
Simplistic, but not simple: good logos are the refined and distilled identity of a brand. Filtering this and getting to the heart of it visually is an essential part of the design task. Such logos are characterized by something unexpected or unique, without coming across as too contrived or intentional. Supposedly simple logos are mostly easy to recognize and memorable. This makes them very effective, because they have the power to catch the eye of viewers in the daily rush of information, even during fleeting “encounters” with the brand.
Good logo design is contextually well-founded
The logo takes into account the positioning of the brand and its target audience: a childlike font and very colorful coloring would be appropriate for a logo for a manufacturer of toys, for example, but less so for a consulting firm. On the other hand, the logo does not have to be too direct and thus uninspired. A successful logo for an interior design brand doesn’t need to feature a couch to work, see point 1.
Good logo design differentiates
The essential mission in logo design is to create a distinctive, memorable and clear symbol for a brand. It is therefore essential to get an overview of the logos of market participants – which means occasionally having to say goodbye to good ideas that someone else unfortunately came up with earlier.
Good logo design is contemporary and timeless at the same time
We believe that a good logo should have a certain lifespan. That’s why we value using design tools such as typography, color or design language that are not only appropriate to the brand, its services and the industry, but also take into account the temporal context.
Good logo design is designed for versatility
An effective logo is scalable in size and works across a variety of media and applications. Optimally, it loses none of its power when displayed in monochrome, black and white, or inverted, meaning light on a dark background or vice versa, or even small on a smartphone display or huge on a storefront banner.
Logo FAQ
What is a logo?
A logo is a graphic or typographic sign that stands as a symbol for a brand or an institution. Its purpose is to make a brand recognizable at a wide variety of touchpoints. It should be memorable and recognizable to attract attention from the target audience.
What elements are part of a logo?
A logo can consist of a word, a graphic element or the combination of both. In the case of an abbreviation consisting of letters as a visual symbol, it is called a monogram.
What is the difference between a word mark and word symbol mark?
A word mark includes the name of the mark i.e. only the chosen sequence of letters and numbers. If the brand name includes a special font design, color, or graphic elements, it is a word symbol mark.
What makes a good logo?
A good logo includes 5 aspects:
- A good logo captures the essence of the brand
- A good logo is substantiated in terms of content
- A good logo differentiates itself from the competition
- A good logo is contemporary and timeless at the same time
- A good logo is versatile
What should be considered when designing a logo?
The logo should be quick to grasp. A logo should be designed so that it can be displayed in different media and different sizes. It should also work in black and white. Therefore, the design should always take into account the requirements of the specific application areas.
Versatile and recognizable
Given the increasing importance of dynamic appearances, changeable drawing systems are becoming increasingly important: logos can be changed in color and shape. As a branding agency we design the appearance as a system that remains consistent and recognizable in order to develop its effect.
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