Symbol, emblem, wordmark: A comprehensive guide to logo types

What’s the difference, and why it matters.

General Mowers branding by Wild Giant Studio

Designers and non-designers alike struggle with common terminology when talking about brand marks, often using different terms interchangeably. When it comes to clarifying definitions, sometimes even the most seasoned professionals get confused.

There’s one thing that’s easy enough to agree on: Any established and repeatable mark that represents your brand or product, visually, is a logo. But does a logo need to include text? Not necessarily. How about an icon that symbolically represents your product or brand value? Again, no.

Some of the most iconic brand marks are merely abstract symbols that, in reality, mean nothing, but have achieved a high level of recognition through well-intentioned brand building and constant care.

Why We (Shouldn’t) Care About Logos

Many of them have evolved over time. Take Mastercard for example. The Mastercard logo of the 1990s (the height of the magnetic strip era) was one of the most recognizable of the time, and stood for 20 years…