The Different Types of Logo Design

Designing the Right Logo for a Small Business

2020-10-23Updated: 2022-01-17Erica Haferkamp, Creative Director

Logo DesignA logo represents what a business or organization is as an identity and serves to and attracts clients with the brand by visually stimulating their senses. A logo is typically made up of a combination of text and a graphic icon. Sometimes, a logo can simply be the type and other times it can also just be the iconic art by itself.

A logo is typically the first impression that most people will experience with your business or brand. People will judge your business and associate based on your logo, so it must be impactful to convince your clients. A logo should be simplistic but accurate in showcasing what a small business is all about.

When deciding on a logo for your small business, you should consider all of the major types of logo design available.

Different Types of Small Business logos

  • Monogram logos
    A Monogram logo contains one of more letterforms that allow you to shorten the company name to utilize the initials as your branding. These logos are typically more compact than typography based logos.

  • Brandmark logos
    Brandmark logo contains an illustration, a symbol, or a real picture, and it is also known as Pictorial marks. It can be tricky for new brands or start-ups to create something memorable that hasn't already been used. If a single graphic image doesn't represent your brand well enough, you can use it to combine other logotypes or watermarks into a perfectly unique brandmark.

  • Wordmark logos
    The logotype is a wordmark logo, and it is the most classic form of logo. If your business name is as short as two words, this logotype is best for your business. It is a simple logotype and can be used easily in all mediums. Companies that want to shorten their business name can also convert their logotype into a monogram by using the initials.

  • Combination logos
    A combination logo is a combination of symbols and text. It can be easily used on social media platforms to promote your business. The combination logo is the best logo for new small businesses because of its flexibility. It can also be stacked and organized in different ways for different uses.

  • Emblem logos
    The emblem logo contains a vintage type text in a circle or box shape. It is the oldest form of a logo and represented as images, not typography. But these types of logos can be less versatile at online marketplaces or social media platforms. It will take a talented graphic designer to reorganize and lay one of these logos out in a different format for other platforms that the size / shape doesn't work on.

  • Mascot logos
    The mascots logo usually contains a cartoonish illustration character. It is best for those businesses that want to attract children and families towards their small business. Mascots can attract a large audience and are usually playful logos. These can be very challenging to design because of the details, but they can also be very rewarding to brand a business with. Developing a mascot for your small business will be a larger initial investment into design time, but it could pay off big with raving fans that love your mascot!

  • Letterform logos
    Letterform logos are similar to monograms, but it contains only one letter of the business name. As it is just a single letter logo so it should be memorable, and it evokes the complete business name of through a single logo in the audience's mind.

  • Abstract logos
    Abstract logos show similarity with the Brandmark logo, but what distinguishes it is its character in that it uses an image that may not even be similar to any real object. It depicts the idea of your business, rather than a literal representation. Use the Abstract logo when you want to convey an idea or concept to your audience.

Best logo designs for small business

Your logo will represent your business on all platforms, and it will be used in all forms from social media to printed form on paper, so it needs to communicate your brand effectively and uniformly across platforms, even when you change its structure.

Choose the best logo design for your small business by focusing on your target customer and the message that you want to communicate to them.

Choose a simple logo design and beautiful color combination for your business logo. If you need professional assistance with your small business logo, let the graphic designers at DARE Print & Sign Co. come to your rescue. Our team of creative designers can find the right vision for your brand and help you to communicate it to your new customers with a sharp and distinctive logo.