What is a Logo Design?

The average consumer takes 7 seconds to form a judgment about your brand. 

Admittedly, that's a small window for you to condense everything you offer as a company and set you apart from the competition. It takes longer to reheat a pop tart in the toaster. But there is something you can do to aid that process. 

With logo design, you have a visual communication tool to help you get your message across to the audience. Logos are composed of text, color, shape, and illustrations. It serves as a self-explanatory image that people can use to connect with your brand. This informs the audience while giving them something to associate your brand and ideas with.

Graphic marks have been long used by humans to signify their products, work, and even their bloodline. You may know them through hieroglyphics, royal family crests, and the like.

This article will teach you everything you need to know about logos. View the overview of topics we will tackle here and get excited to learn more about this important matter of your business.

• What is the purpose of a logo?

• Four common types of logos

• What to consider when choosing a logo

• Example logos from leading brands

• How to get a logo

What is the purpose of a logo?

Your brand mark is more than just decor to make your brand assets and packaging pretty. It's something that you can keep in your arsenal to improve brand engagement.

Apart from being the face of your business, it allows you to influence consumer decisions. A research found that consumers value the visual identity of a company. 74% of consumers cite this as a deciding factor when making a purchase decision.

It's the first thing they see and invites them to learn more about a company's goods and services.

An established brand image lets you cultivate brand loyalty, too. It positively impacts both existing and potential leads. You can use this as a competitive advantage and drive brand consistency, which can boost your revenue up by 33%.

Four Common Types of Logos

This art of creating a brand identity takes on different forms. There is more than one way for you to present yourself in the market. Getting more familiar with the different types of brand marks lets you widen your options, allowing you to figure out which one is the most appropriate for your business.

1. Wordmark logo

The wordmark logo is a design that depicts the entirety of your business name. It lets your audience become more familiar with your full name, making this an excellent option for new companies. This design is used by big brands such as Coca-Cola and Google.

2. Lettermark logo

Also known as monogram logos or initial logos, this design consists of a brand's abridged name. This is done for businesses with long names or brands that want a visually concise identity. It is also a good choice for established companies that have been around for a while. AdAge, Dunkin', and Weight Watchers are some of the big brands that switched to this type of design.

3. Combination mark logo

The combination mark pairs both of the designs mentioned above. Balmain Paris and Adobe have some of the most recognizable combination mark logos today. This design helps introduce your brand more directly as it sets forth two varying versions of your identity at once. 

4. Brand mark

Not every logo comes with text. Contrary to the designs we've discussed so far, a brand mark logo uses drawings as the brand's identifier and nothing else. Famous companies like Starbucks and Apple put this style in use.

What to Consider When Choosing a Logo

Besides choosing between logo design types, other factors come into play when creating a logo. You also want to think about other important aspects, whether you are using a logo creation tool or working with a branding firm. 

It's not enough to pick the best-looking designs. 

It is also essential to make sure you end up with the logo that will allow you to achieve your objectives. This section will show three important things to help you pick the suitable logo for your brand. 

You don't want to forget about the following things.

1. Scalability

An effective logo is a functional one. You want to make sure that your logo displays well in different dimensions or sizes. This allows you to have an easier time applying it to other materials like business cards or advertisements. Regardless of the material you are putting your logo on, it must be legible and easy to understand. 

2. Brand goals

Do you want your brand to be recognized as edgy? Do you want it to appear sleek? Identifying your brand goals plays a huge role in choosing a logo. It is best to study your market to further understand how you can present your company uniquely and memorably. 

3. Competitors

They say imitation is the best compliment. But this is not true with logo design. This may confuse customers and dampen the impact of your brand identity. You want to make sure that your logo doesn't look similar to other brands in the market to avoid this. Plus, this also prevents you from getting caught up in unwanted lawsuits related to trademark infringement.

How to Get a Logo

Today, brands have a plethora of options to use in sourcing a brand identity. Each has its unique perks as well as price points. Find out which method is the right one for you.

1. Work with a design consulting firm

Tapping an agency to create a brand identity may be costly for some. However, with this method, you can make sure that experts can guide your every step. These firms often have other branding solutions like social media marketing, advertising, and other offerings for a full service.

2. Crowdsource

There are a ton of crowdsourcing platforms on the internet right now. You can use this to run logo design contests. In terms of costs, this option is mid-range. It connects you with freelance designers who will submit design proposals for you to choose from. From the submission pool, you can find the one that you like the most and use that for your identity. 

3. Take the DIY route

For those with not a lot of budget for professional assistance, logo makers or generators are a good choice. This is a do-it-yourself option. However, it doesn't mean you'll start entirely from scratch. Online logo generators offer design libraries as well as tools for customizing design elements according to your liking. Learn more about online logo makers on BrandCrowd.

Conclusion

Logos allow businesses of various sizes to present their brand strategically. This relatively small piece of graphic design dramatically impacts the way you are perceived. When done right, it can do wonders for your brand and foster business growth.

**Contributed by:**Stella Mares M Sarmiento is a content writer for DesignCrowd and BrandCrowd. She writes about branding, tech, ecommerce, design, and everything in between.