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When you start a new project with a client it’s really important to make clear from the beginning the objectives of the project and the assets required, that is why is important to know the logo terminology as a logotype and logomark are not the same, and to avoid confusion on this post I will show you the most used graphic design terms and definitions about logo and branding.
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A logotype is also known as a wordmark, and as the name suggests it refers to brands and companies that only use as logo design their brand name using stylized typography like Coca Cola or Google.
Logomarks or brandmarks refer to brands using a symbol or shape to represent their company in a visual form, this shapes can represent real elements like the Twitter brand logo (bird) or be abstract elements.
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As we already know the meaning of logotype and logomark makes it really easy to understand the meaning of combination mark, which is the combination of the symbol and brand name, is very common to see brands using their logomark merged with their brand name.
Emblem logos are a type of logo design that refers to a brand logo that encapsulates the brand name into frames or shapes like a badge or crest, these types of logos are very popular among sports teams.
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Lettermarks logos are very similar to logotypes, as they refer to companies using stylized letters as their logo design, the main difference is that lettermarks are composed of companies’ initials like HBO or IBM.
A mascot is a logo design that contains an animal or character to represent the company and this is the main element of the logo, mascot logos are usually used for sports teams such as Basketball and we also can see them on the E-sports logo designs.
Icons in graphic design are used to represent objects or actions and you can see them everywhere as they are used in a large variety of industries to create a visual association with the object or actions to avoid confusion with different languages.
A style guide or brand guideline is a set of standards and usage tutorials for a logo design and branding project to help the user to understand where and how to use the logo design to provide uniformity for the brand.
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A grid is a framework that divides the space into columns and rows, the grid helps the graphic designer to align and place elements quicker and neater seeing perfectly the design structure.
The brand is more than a Logo Design, a brand is an intangible element that includes the concepts, ideas, and emotions that your company wants to show and transmit to people through images, texts, words, content, user experience, etc.
Brand identity is all the visual elements that surround the company, this can be the logo design from your company, the business cards, packaging, uniforms, etc. The idea of the brand identity is that all the visual elements of the brand work together to transmit your ideas, emotions, and message.
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Brand imagery refers to the visual representation of the company and how it presents its core messaging, values, and goals, and it can be represented in different forms such as feeling, taste, user experience, or simple visuals that create the feel of a company.
Thumbnail Sketch is usually used in the logo design process, and the thumbnail sketch is a potential design concept for your brand created by hand to visualize different ideas for the brand logo.
Logo concept refers to a first draft or simple idea of a potential logo design that usually is used to create the first impression and after revisions and changes, this concept will evolve into a final logo design project.
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Vector refers to a graphic image made with mathematical equations instead of pixels like raster images that form shapes, this means that these types of images can be resized or scaled at any size without losing quality, that is why is important to use these types of files when creating a logo design to being easier to use it in all sizes.
The golden ratio was first discovered by Ancient Greeks and is a mathematical relationship that occurs when you divide the larger by the smaller number and the result is 1.6180, and this mathematical relationship is used with the golden rectangle to create perfect squares and rectangles with the same aspect ratio, this is used in logo design to create harmonious brand logos.
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Usually, when you start a new brand identity design project is important to research information and inspiration, and a mood board is a space used by graphic designers to collect these ideas and use them as a visual reference, mood boards are used to create a certain brand aesthetic, inspiration or develop concepts.
White space also known as negative space refers to an empty space around visual elements to make them breathe and reduce visual stress, in logo design this technique is also used to create hidden meanings inside logos like FedEx or WWF.
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Make sure that you know the difference between a logotype and logomark when you make your next logo design proposals, hope this post helps you to understand graphic design terminology about logo and branding and don’t get confused by these logo terms.
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If you want to learn more about these terms you can read my other posts about logo design inspiration and improve your skills.
If you found this post useful you might like to read these post about Graphic Design Inspiration.
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