Today in class we looked at logo marks. We looked at all the different types of logo marks, when they should be used, and breaking down the elements behind logo marks so that we could understand how to make them for our bank brand project.
We started off todays class by being given the task of creating 2 different logo marks using geometric shapes only. We had to create one for our initials, and also for an animal. The animal logo mark is called a pictorial logo. Monogram is when the brand name is used to make the logo mark, also called a word mark. Here are my logo marks that I created at the start of the class. I tried to ensure that I kept the logos as simple as possible, not adding any extra shapes if they weren’t needed, and stuck to black and white to really strip down the detail and make it as simple as possible. I am happy how they turned out and thought that they were simple and represented my name and a dinosaur quite well.
A pictorial logo is when brands use images to create their logo mark. They are used to make the brand more attractive to the eye, and are often used to make the logo more memorable, which people can resonate with. A few examples of pictorial logo marks are Apple, who have an apple as their logo, and is also very recognisable to pretty much everyone. Also Nike, which have their logo as a swish, which represents speed and precision, and is widely known to most people, not just athletes. Another one that is very recognisable and iconic is the Twitter logo, which is a bird and gives the impression of ‘tweeting’, which is the main function of the app. Pictorial logos should be descriptive of the brand, and these logos all do this very well.
Monogram logos use letters and shapes found within the brand name, and turn them into something unique like a symbol or icon. Monograms are commonly used as they are very simple, and don’t add anything substantial to the logo. These are called word marks as they use letters to make recognisable symbols or shapes. This is often done by expanding, taking away, shortening, adding to, or adjusting the type anatomy. Some good examples of this is HP, who recently rebranded theirs. They take the letters ‘hp’, and design it using only straight vertical lines. Another one that looks great is Chanel, which combines the ‘C’ together and creates a very recognisable and classy logo, which suits the brand values well, with it being a luxurious fashion brand.
Dynamic logo marks are different to the first two in that they change. This means that they can be used in different areas to both represent the brand, but also a specific area of the brand for example different departments. A dynamic logo consists of a logo that can have slight variations, such as colour, shape, or outline. Normally the typeface stays the same but the graphic visual changes with dynamic logo marks. One example we looked at in class was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lab which has a different variation of logo for each department. This is very creative and as you can see, each department logo is made up from the first letters in each word, and the style stays consistent throughout. Another brand that has a variable logo mark is Google, and their logo mark changes depending on what day it is, whether it is a internationally celebrated day or an anniversary of something. As you can see below they use creative and unique visuals to change the logo.
I then had a quick read of some of the book “Principles of Logo Design”, and this book was helpful for reinforcing some of the things that we had learned from todays class, and something that I learnt from it was that pictorial logos are the strongest form of a logo, and this is because they are so much more identifiable and unique to other forms, and is best paired with neutral typography. I also read about the importance of using negative space in logos, and how they are rare and hard to create, but they can be the most striking logos if done right. This book was a good read from what I read and I will definitely look into it again.
Todays class was super interesting as I never realised that there were different types of logos, and learning about the different types was helpful for designing my own logo for my bank brand project. I will now look at logos and have a great understanding of how they were developed, and what makes them good or bad. Breaking down the different elements of logos, and how when they are stripped down to the minimum are just shapes, gave me a lot of confidence that I can also create great logos that are effective in branding alongside UX and UI.