Selecting the right design for a brand identity is a crucial step in developing a business.

When spelling out the initial brief for such an essential asset, it's important to be specific when describing the requirements.

Whether working alongside an agency, through a crowdsourcing model or using a logo maker, it's a good idea to provide examples of similar designs, impressive portfolios, and as much context about the business as possible. These strategies will help deliver the best quality of designs that are fit for purpose.

Another good idea is to brush up on some of the design lingo – that way it's easier to exactly describe the requirements, and more importantly, ensure there is no accidental misuse of a term, which could lead to countless unsuitable design entries.

So for those in the market for a logo design, here are some terms that might come in handy.

Logo

A logo is simply a type of design a company, brand or individual chooses to represent themselves by.

The term "logo" itself does not necessarily narrow down what the design might look like, although marketing wisdom (and common sense) suggests it should probably be in some way relevant to the brand in question and versatile enough to be used in a variety of contexts.

How it is constructed and what elements are incorporated can vary depending on the purpose. Here are three design types, and examples of how big brands have executed them.

Logomark

A logomark refers to an image or symbol which represents a brand, and usually does not include the name of that company.

This version has the advantage of great creative range, and can generate a very strong visual identity for a company.

By the same token, it has the disadvantage of not including the name of the company, so usually a logomark is most appropriate for businesses that are already market leaders with an established brand identity. Android and Pepsi are both brands with highly recognizable logomarks.

Logotype

The logotype, also known as a "word mark", is a brand name styled as a logo.

The advantage of this is obvious - it immediately associates a business name with the visual identity and does not leave much room for brand confusion. This makes it a great starting point for new businesses.

It might, however, leave less creative scope for a designer to visually represent the brand, which can be a problem, especially if the business name does not make it clear what it does.

A logotype can commonly seem quite conservative, which makes it popular in sectors like finance or law. On the other hand, this form might not work well for creative professionals or hospitality businesses. One of the most famous logotypes would be that of Facebook.

Combination Mark

A combination mark is just what it sounds like – a combination of the logomark and logotype. This allows for greater freedoms to creatively represent a brand, while ensuring the company name is associated with it. This composition is perfect for new businesses.

The branding has the choice of being an integrated combination mark; meaning text and image work together to create one design, like Starbucks' or VW's logos, or a standalone combination mark, which has separate logomark and logotype, such as Adidas or McDonald's.

An integrated combination mark offers the benefit of a very strong brand identity, whereas the standalone marks can offer greater flexibility in its applications, so it might allow for the logotype to be dropped further down the line. This frees up the opportunity to create a cleaner visual identity once the brand has gained traction.

A solid visual identity can go a long way to helping a business succeed, so ensuring time is taken to decide on what type of logo best meets the strategic needs is crucial.

No matter what the logo ends up looking like, studying to make an educated decision will undoubtedly pay off.

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You'll make a lot of design choices along your way to a successful business. Let us help you with some of them!

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Written by Jane Murray on Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Jane Murray is a freelance copywriter based in Sydney. Apart from writing up a storm for the DesignCrowd blog on anything from logo design to Michael Jackson's shoes, she enjoys reading literary science fiction and hanging out with most animals except wasps. Get in touch via LinkedIn.