This post is about the type of logo that some people call a LogoType. It goes by other names as well, but I’m referring to logos that are essentially text with very little graphic elements. Michael Lambert at Fredd Design calls them Alphanumerics. This is what he said on his website about this category of logo. “This type of mark is the most widely-used logo and we are bombarded with them wherever we go on practically whatever we see. An alphanumeric logo is your company or brand spelled out, literally, but the treatment of the typography is usually unique unto the name itself and can therefore be trademarked and be treated as a logo.”

You can probably think of many logotypes off the top of your head, because they’re so popular. Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Microsoft, and Google’s logos are just a few examples. When done correctly, it can last for many generations and always represent the company quickly and confidently, without distracting the eye with graphics that can get stale over time. Plus, it shows creativity…I mean, look at Red Lobster’s logo…”wow, you’ve put a lobster that’s red above your text…how did you come up with that?”

10. The Ambigram
The Ambigram is my favorite kind of logotype, because it takes a lot of patience and skill to create. It also stays in the mind of the viewer, because the eye has fun reading it in different ways. Ambigrams are words that can be read in more than one way, so it doesn’t have to just be turned upside down. They can also be read from the side differently, or can have words within words.

9. The “Literal Embodiment”

This style makes use of the company name, turning it into a visual metaphor. It doesn’t work with all names, but when it does, it really works to represent the name. Employing this style also ensures that the logo will be remembered. But you can only use this style with certain names.

8. The AlphaGlyph
This is a design using the letters to create art, thus eliminating the need for a graphic. This requires the designer to really get familiar with the shapes of letters, and to explore many different possiblities. When it works, it works, though, and you can get some really elegant designs. It also helps reinforce the name of the company.

7. The Integrated Graphic
This style works when the graphic is meant to be not subliminal…the comapny really is sure about the product, and wants you to associate them with the leader in that product or service. Amazon does it with the smile that also means A-Z. Creating it takes a lot of thought into something that really represents the company well, and won’t need to be changes if the company shifts directions.

6. The Typography Lover’s dream
This is when the text is front and center, and gets a lot of loving attention to each shadow and curve. ANy supporting graphics are incidental, almost unnecessary, because the shapes of the letters have been lovingly massaged until they’re perfect. This may not be a very common kind of logo, but this style is getting more popular every day, based on a quick search on Behance.

5. The Monogram
A close cousin to the Alphaglyph, this is where the designer uses an acronym and make the rest of the text very incidental, using visual hierachy techniques. It’s good for companies that WANT be known for their initals, like HP, AOL, and VW. Usually this logo starts out its career as an alphaglpyh accompanied with the explanatory text, and then evolves into just the acronym once brand recognition is established.

4. The Typographic Crest
Very similar to #6, but this one is text enclosed in a shape. THis makes it good fora ll kinds of backgrounds, and easier to embroider. New York Life’s logo does this, and it’s never seen without it’s enclosure.

3. The Dangler
This style employs a descender or ascender from one of the letters being put to good use to describe the business. It could be a tail, a moustache, or a piece of food, as long as it’s joined with a simple graphic. A close cousin to the Integrated Graphic style, but it has the graphic apart from the text, so either can be used separately.

2. The Hidden Graphic
FedEx did this and did it well with their hidden arrow. They’re fun to find, and I find myself constantly looking for this kind of thing. You can find it in Tostito’s, Staples, and Baskin Robbins. This example isn’t very hidden, but I think it counts.

1. The Calligraphic Wonder
I am really starting to appreciate this kind, because it takes a designer that loves typography. This style is also good for t-shirts, hoodies, posters, and events. It gives weight to the text, and shows that the company cares enough to take time with their message.

All of these logos were done by the talented designers over at BusinessLogos.com. You can send your typographic logos to feedback@logodesign.com…we’d love to post it and share it with the world!

Once again, we bring you another Mad Men fan illustration, done by Paul browning. Draper’s character is partially based on Draper Daniels, the creative head of the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago in the 1950s who created the Marlboro Man campaign. However, some of the advertising techniques and the professional accomplishments of Don Draper are based on those of Rosser Reeves, who rose to chairman of the Ted Bates agency.

To get quality artwork like this in a custom logo design, go see the experts at BusinessLogos.com.

This was submitted to us by Augustino Nguyen, a designer in Vietnam. What do you all think?

I personally think it’s a very interesting name, but I went to iBrand first to check it out before I realized it’s i3rand. It’s not a name that rolls easily off the tongue, but it is unique. The logo is a little too simple for my taste. Maybe its the Myriad Bold font.

To see more examples of logo design, go to our website.

Today’s logo submission got me thinking about a problem that many logos have. Sometime the designer designs it to look nice and give a professional face to the business. Maybe the designer wants to keep it simple, and just use text. Then they want to dress it up with something, so they add a drop shadow or an underline. Things are added to make it look unique, without thought to how this relates to the business.

The company’s purpose should always be foremost in the designer’s mind throughout the design process. Manas sent this in telling us that it is for a social networking site. Is that what it communicates? No. In response to the question “what will the logo be used for?”, he put: to represent the brand. Does the logo represent any brand? I would say, possibly a little, since the name is there. But it doesn’t represent what the company does.

First off, let’s use a typeface that’s a little more unique. We want to set the company apart from the hundreds of other social networking sites. Next, let’s customize the text a little. I brought the cap height down a little on the L, K, H, and T. The underline was doing nothing, so I used it as an arch to communicate between two letters, which is the purpose of a social networking site. You could do the same with a dotted line, or intersecting speech bubbles. The important thing is that it looks nice AND communicates a message. Every part of it should have a reason to be there. This is how boring logos can become custom logos, tailored to the client’s business.

This logo design was sent to us by a designer named Mikey Maruszak, who made it for his place of business, Printplace.

What does everyone think?

I think the .com is too small to be seen. I like the graphic, and the font. Maybe the ink and P’s could be a little bigger within that drop icon. I hope you’re using that face as a mascot on the body of an owl. I could see that working.

Everyone knows a start-up often does not have deep pockets to spend on agency quality logo and branding design. BusinessLogos Inc. has teamed up with the GrowAmerica SpringBoard Competition and is awarding all three winners a free design packages! Check out how BusinessLogos and GrowAmerica are busting the recession by rewarding the best business ideas!

What is a great custom logo design really worth? It is hard to say but there are a few things we can say for certain. The logo has historically been called “the face” of the company because it’s usually the first encounter the public has with the company. It’s likeability either loses or gains a company customers, and it does this 24 hours a day for the life of the company. In terms of marketing power, this effect is similar to what financial brokers call “compound interest.” When a customer is considering a company for services of any kind, they usually compare them to one or two other companies – and besides price, the look and feel of the company logo and website design is what they have to use to consider what kind of service they will receive from a company. You make hundreds of decisions based on looks every day. Here’s an example:
The last time you bought an app on your iPhone, you probably typed in the category of app you’re looking for that ill fit your needs. You were then presented with a few options, all represented by a little 57 x 57 pixel graphic square. The meticulous customer checks reviews and reads all the info about the app, but most of us pick the one based on the icon. And when I say most us, I mean, studies show it’s about a great majority of app consumers buy the app based on the graphic.

A well-tailored logo and corporate brand design tells the customer that the company is not a fly-by-night operation and that their service will be fair and consistent. A well-designed logo catches the attention, and is retained in the consumer’s mind.

I really like the name! I usually hate “punny” business names, but this one actually sticks into your memory banks, and works!

Today’s submission comes to us from Dhiraj Chand, and is for a food company that will be at festivals and catering events. The logo will be used for cards, menus, banner, tees, social media and more.

The background gives it an indian feel, but I don’t think it can be used for most media, unless it fades away. I don’t know how the leaf/wisp applies over the i, maybe it works as steam. It needs to be integrated more. The typefaces are too closely kerned, and don’t work well together, because the “curried” font is modern and techy. The tagline and “private parties | festivals…” text are way too small. If this were on a business card, I wouldn’t be able to read them at all. Best to leave the tagline off and use it larger on your website, not as part of your logo.

This is how I would re-work it. I used a warmer, personal font, and made it easier to read. The “away” font is now closer to hand scripted, and I used the S from that font to make a new steam vapor wisp on the I.

Let the logo design experts help transform your business image at BusinessLogos.com.

Reading this awesome strip by Scott Adams reminded me of the many logos we’ve done here at Business Logos that can be flipped upside down. They’re called Ambigrams, and they take a lot of time and creative effort to make them look right.

Here’s some examples of ambigrams we’ve done.

Interested to see how your name or logo would look like this? Contact the logo design experts at BusinessLogos.com.

Logos should ideally be read quickly. Logos ahve a lot of competition with the viewer’s eye, so the name should at least be read within 3 seconds, and give a good impression of the company quickly. Equally important, though, is that they leave an impression. A well-crafted logo with “hidden” elements, like these done by the team at Business Logos, give the A-HA moment that makes people remember that company name, and make the viewer feel involved in the artistic aspect of the design.

For instance: at first glance, the Carrie Smith Design logo looks like a simple S. But once you notice that all the letters are represented, you automatically have a higher likelihood of remembering that logo.