Logo
The principal role of a logo is to identify, and simplicity is its means ... Its effectiveness depends on distinctiveness, visibility, adaptability, memorability, universality, and timelessness. - Paul Rand
A logo has to represent the brand it is made for and should meet all of the following requirements:
Simplicity
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. - Antoine de Saint Exupéry
A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and the logo to be versatile & memorable. Too much detail in a logo can confuse and seem cluttered. It is advised when designing to follow the K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid! - David Airey) rule. The workflow often begins with a complicated design and should be worked down to the essential and important parts.
Distinctiveness
To be effective a logo should not resemble another logo in a way that it could be mixed up. This would be bad for the brand and could create confusion. To create a distinct design, sometimes you have to break the rules and try something completely new.
Visibility
Visibility is an important factor. If the public is supposed to recognize, memorize and connect your logo with your company, it should be visible. If a customer gets in touch with something from the company, the logo should be there.
Adaptability
A logo should be able to adapt to any circumstances. It should be possible to use the logo in any kind of size and still be recognizable and readable. The logo should be able to appear in pure black and white and therefore not only rely on color differentiation.
Memorability
To achieve a logo that is easy to memorize it is sometimes better to forget the company behind it.
Surprising to many, the **subject matter of a logo is of relatively little importance**, and even appropriateness of content does not always play a significant role. - Paul Rand
This does not mean, a logo should be inappropriate, it just indicates that in order to achieve a memorable form, a logo often has to lose some of its appropriateness.
Universality
A universal logo is understood by a wide range of people without requiring background knowledge. It can be achieved by integrating multiple colors, using an international symbol or for example a fruit that everyone knows.
Timelessness
An effective logo should be timeless and endure ages. There are always trends and styles of design that are popular at the moment but in one or two years nobody likes them anymore. A logo shouldn't be based on a trend because it should remain in people's heads and therefore the idea behind it should not change.
Leave trends to the fashion industry - David Airey
How good is your logo - Dave Schools
12 essential rules to follow when designing a logo - Jarkko Laine
Adaptable logo tips - workerbee
What makes a good Logo - Jacob Cass
Types
It can have many different forms & types but the most common ones are:
Wordmark (Logotype)
A wordmark is a typography based logo that focuses on the name of the brand. When the name is catchy and rememberable and is combined with a unique typography it creates a strong brand recognition.
Lettermark (Initials, Monogram)
Like the wordmark, the lettermark is typography based but loses some letters on the way. Most of the time the lettermark is used by companies with rather long names and individuals for personal logos (because of the fact that nearly everyone has a first and last name). It uses initials or just the first letter of a name. It is a neat way to streamline the brand's name and make it easier to recognize and grasp. If the name is not established yet, adding the full name under the lettermark is a common technique.
Brandmark (Pictorial mark, Symbol or Icon)
A true brandmark is a simplified image representing the brand. It is hard to establish because you have to link it to the brand without really showing the brand. There are two major ways companies use brandmarks. The first is to just create an image out of the brand name (Apple). The second is to show what the product does on a deeper level (Snapchat).
Abstract logo mark
It's a kind of brandmark but not really. Because a brand mark represents a real thing and the abstract logo mark can be any abstract geometric form. The mark should represent the image and the feeling a brand wants to deliver. A good example for an abstract mark is the Nike swoosh which delivers the motion and activeness that Nike wants in a simple geometric form.
Combination mark
The name says it all it is basically half typography half image. You have the benefits of a word and a brand mark but you also have the disadvantages of both. It is a common choice because people then combine the pictorial part with the name and vice versa.
Emblem
The emblem consists out of a symbol with font inside (eg. badges, seal, crest). These Logos tend to have a traditional look because they are old-school and used by universities, schools or government agencies but some modern companies like Starbucks also use an emblem. The biggest problem with emblems is size. Because of their structure and lean towards higher detail, most of the time they are not usable in small sizes.
