There seems to be plenty of confusion across the board regarding the terms “logo”, “symbol”, and “branding”. I have yet to hear a client ever say to me “we need a symbol”. What I do hear is “we need a brand” or “we need a logo”. When either of these things are said to me, they more than likely mean the same thing in the mind of the client: they want me to design a symbol that will be instantly recognized as their company when it is seen. So let’s clear the fog out of the way so that you can better understand these design terms and, thus, better communicate with your designer.
Logotypes
Commonly referred to as a “logo”, a logotype is a word or words used to identify a company. Let’s look at some examples.
CitiBank
Break Cafe
Souperie
Eight Business Lounge Bar
Starbucks
I saved Starbucks for last because it is one of the most widely recognized logotypes across the globe, and it makes a perfect segue into the next section.
Symbols
Often referred to as a company’s logo, symbols are marks without type used to represent a company and are often combined with their logo. The Starbucks example above is technically a logotype because of the use of the words “Starbucks Coffee”. Here are some widely recognized symbols:
Target
Bacardi
Pepsi
CBS
BP
Dallas Cowboys
Branding
The term “branding” is thrown around constantly without regard to its actual meaning. Some say that they want to “brand” their company, when what they really mean is that they want a logo to put on their business cards or letterhead. What branding actually refers to is clearly communicating the identity of the company visually, consistently throughout all collateral (brochures, website, business cards, invoices, etc.) that is used to represent the company. More information can be obtained from the following video.