Sometimes our logo design company gets the cryptic question… what is a logo? Does every logo have an icon or can it have words? Does it have to have the full name of my business on it? How about just my initials? Can I pick the colors?

After designing logos for more than a decade, we want to help by defining all of the pieces of a logo. Hopefully this will help you out when you work with a logo design company on a future logo project.

A Logo Design Company Definition of a Logo

A logo is a symbol of your brand. It is part of the identity of your business. Keep in mind: your logo is not your entire brand.

A great logo is a polished and professional representation of who your business is and what you do. It communicates the most important parts of your business. Most of your brand support will be created based around your logo. We like to emphasize that your logo isn’t the end all be all of your branding, but it is a key piece of the puzzle.

So, don’t put too much pressure on your logo design until you see the accompanying brand support. We know it’s hard to envision your whole brand based just around your logo. Hopefully, though, your logo design company to bring your vision to life.

Logo Icon

In the age of social media, having a logo icon has become a little more important than it was in the past. Not every logo has to have an icon, but tiny graphics and profile images have made logo icons more useful than ever.

But wait, what is a logo icon? A logo icon is a representative symbol that is sometimes part of your logo. A logo icon is always paired with your logo type. Sometimes it is just a secondary, simplified mark for your brand that can be used on its own, like on social media.

If a logo icon would be useful for your business, your logo design company will create your logo with the icon in mind. This way, you end up with both a complete logo and distinct icon design.

Ask a Logo Design Company: Can the Logo Icon Stand Alone?

Sometimes, recognizable logo icons can stand alone in place of the full logo. Take Starbucks for example. Their icon is almost always used in place of their full logo. We strive for this level of brand awareness where a logo can be used without the accompanying brand support and still be recognized.

Logo Type

The logo type is the typography, or font set, that is used in your logo. Your logo type is almost always the full or partial name of your business. The fonts used in your logo type will likely end up being your brand fonts. Sometimes, your brand fonts are supporting fonts, but they are always complimentary.

Logo Colors

No matter if your logo has an icon, type, or both, your logo will always have a color set. Similar to your font set, your color set will have all of the on-brand colors that are used in your logo.

Colors are super emotional, so we use the psychology behind colors to pick out the color set for your brand. This means that the final colors used in your brand don’t depend on your personal preferences.

Our logo design company uses your industry trends and color psychology to create a strong set of colors that will impact the longevity of your brand.

Logo Guidelines

When we create a logo for our clients, we also provide them with a set of logo guidelines in addition to their logo files. This one-pager outlines appropriate uses for the logo. It includes fonts, colors, and placements that indicate the correct setups for the logo.

The logo files we send include various setups of the logo that will give you a complete suite of logo resources. We include color, black, and white versions of the logo in a complete set of file types, including .eps, .jpeg, and .pdf so you have the correct file type on hand.

Do you Need a Logo Design Company?

If you are missing any of these aspects of your logo, or if you can’t easily identify them, it is time to start a logo project with a logo design company. Let us know what you’re missing once you’ve done a little digging, and let us know if you need a hand with your logo design project.