As a professional branding and web designer, I live and breathe logos. As the main ‘eye-catching’ identifier of your business – logos are intertwined with your brand. Logos should be well-thought-out and have a high-quality design execution. Not only does a logo set your brand apart from competitors but it tells your audience exactly who you are.

However, your brand doesn’t have to settle with just one logo. In reality, your online presence would benefit from having several logotypes and variations to be used in specific areas of your business. Exciting, right? These logos shouldn’t vary too much from each other, as you still want these logos to emulate your unique brand. But each logo will serve an intentional purpose for the greatest optimization of your brand’s presence.

To make sure you are confident in moving forward with your logo variation design, I wanted to share the different logo types and how to use them effectively in your brand!

Logo Types

If there is anything to be said about logos – it’s that a business needs options! What do I mean by this? Basically, there are several variations of logos that can be created, and each version solves a certain problem for your business. Because one size doesn’t fit all!

At the end of a web design project, I provide my clients with anywhere from 3-5 logo variations. Each logo type I deliver to my client comes with the appropriate file types, transparent or white backgrounds, plus black and white options for each logo variation – all depending on the brand design. Each of these logo variations is designed to be used in specific locations of a business for a cohesive and clear brand.

So, let’s get started and find out more about these logo variations!

Primary Logo

To play off of its name – this is the logo that you primarily want to use and be known for. A primary logo is the first thing you see on a business website, newsletters, business cards, and headers on social pages. More often than not, your primary logo is a wordmark or letter mark and is designed horizontally to fit in the main online advertising spaces of your business.

Alternate or Secondary Logo

This logo variation is a great option for when your primary one doesn’t fit or work in a certain area. For example, an alternate logo is often vertical or stackable to better fit into spaces that a primary logo (horizontal) does not!

Now, an alternate logo should only be slightly different from the primary logo and still easily recognizable. Why? Because you want all of your logo types designed to look similar for a more cohesive brand aesthetic. Nothing is worse than having your logo variations look so different that your customer doesn’t recognize your branding! Alternate logos are often used in social media profiles, on websites, and in printed materials.

Icon

An icon (also known as a submark or favicon) is usually in the form of a simple design that symbolizes your brand. An icon is often found alongside a primary or secondary logo – although it can stand alone, too. Icons are often found on social media profiles or used as a favicon – the mark associated with your URL and displayed on a web browser tab.

An icon can be a fun element that adds a little flair to your logo brand. Or it can super simple and neat! The sky’s the limit on this one! Anything from a business name abbreviation to an illustrated design or ‘mark’ can work for icon designs. Just remember not to make your icon too similar to a business that is already out there.

Conclusion

I hope this post helps you in understanding the various logo types and how to use them within your business branding aesthetics. Logos are incredibly important in the communication of your brand and using them effectively will work wonders for your business.

If you are thinking about developing your business brand, please let me know if you have any questions about the process! If you are unsure whether your budget can include both a logo or web design, read this post to determine which one you should invest in first!