As a professional graphics designer I can say I know a thing or two about logos, having designed several logos for several clients. One thing that stands out is that the client usually has a vision in their mind no matter how vague or detailed. This vision this vision could be right or wrong depending on what kind of logo they are thinking about with respect to the business they are running, the name of the business etc.
Maybe you are thinking of just starting a business or you already have done so, then knowing the seven types of logos and their advantages and flaws would help you choose the right logo for your business or determine if the logo you have is working against you. The seven type of logo are below
A. TYPOGRAPHY LOGOS
The seven types of logos can be divided into 3 sets, the first is typography logos, here the logos
Are designed with text and fonts. There are two typography logos which are the Letter-Mark and the Word-mark logos

1. The Letter-Mark Logo

The letter-marks are logos which focus on the initials of a business name; they could also be monograms which is just one letter of the business name. We think of NASA, IBM, and CNN etc.
All these companies chose the letter-mark type of logo for the obvious reason of their business name being too long to remember or use effectively in a sentence. Why say “international Business Machines” when you can say IBM in a second or “National aeronautics & space Administration” when you can simply say NASA.
So letter-marks are to be considered if your business name is long. An important tip for startups using the letter-mark logo is to include the full name beneath or at the side, this would let people know what the initials stand for and what you are about, you can remove the name and use just the letter-mark only when you have become quite known and popular amongst your target audience.

2. The Word-Mark Logo

The likes of Google, Coca-Cola, Visa are all word-mark logos, this means they focus on the full name of the brand written out clearly with little or no extra stuff going on around the logo. The essence of this type of logo is in the font style and typography, the colors, effects etc. it takes a good designer to make word-mark logos standout perfectly, because it’s easier for them to be lost and taken as mere text. The multi-color on Google logo screams “notice me, am not just a text” so does the Coca-Cola’s custom styled font and the color scheme and shave of the “v” in visa.

Word-mark logos are best used if your business name is a bit short and not cliché, since the word-mark logo isn’t easy to pull-off the business name must be interesting and easy to say, this would complement the design.

B. PICTUREMARK LOGOS
The picture-mark logo is the second set of logo types. These types of logos use images to represent the brand, there are three types of Picture-mark logos, and these are the Logo symbols, abstract logos, Mascots logos and Emblem logos.

3. Logo Symbol
Logo symbols use images of things in existence to represent the brand, image is usually plain without any details to show lifelike characteristics unlike the mascot logo which would be discussed later. Examples are of apples apple, twitters bird etc.
Use logo symbols when the image in question has a positive connection with your business but more importantly to your target audience as well, a tip is to make the design unique, since the symbols can be found in everyday life, there are chances of other companies using the same symbols to represent their brand, just like the missing bite in apples logo and the twitter birds pose, your logo must also have a unique style on its own.

4. Abstract Logos
Abstract logos use imaginative concepts and abstract designs to represent the brand, since the images are imaginative and not found in existence, the design is more likely to standout especially if the designer knows his/her onions. Examples are the Pepsi logo, Nike logo, Addidas logo etc.
Abstract logos are to be considered when you want to emphasize on uniqueness and originality of the brand, once again it is advisable to attach your company name to the design until your popular enough to only show the swoosh sign and the slogan “just do it” like Nike.

5. Mascot Logos

These are logos with a live like character (a mascot) as the main focus. Mascot logos are quite popular in sport clubs and also in eateries/ fast-food outlets. A good example is the KFC logo. Most Mascot logos would be smiling, this is to create rapport with the consumer and create a sense of welcome-ness. However they can be made to look terrifying like the timber wolves and Chicago bulls logos, to frighten opponents and boost team moral as well.

Use mascot’s logos when they can represent a deeper meaning to your brand and communicate a particular feeling you want to communicate. Every aspect of the mascot from the choice of the mascot(human, animal or alien…whatever) to the color scheme, the shape and style of illustration should be considered and made to appeal to the particular business you represent.

C. THE COMBINATION LOGO
These are logos with a combination of text and pictures. It’s different from having the image and your logo name underneath or at the side, combination logos have the text and images blended together perfectly to form one single composition. There are two types of combination logos, the emblem and the combination-mark logos.

6. The Emblem logos

Emblem logos are like more like badges, seals, crests. These have a traditional feel to them although they can also be made to look quite modern. Emblem logos usually consist of texts within a symbol or icon. Popular symbols used for emblem logos are shields, circles, squares and kites. However there is no limit to the form the symbols can take, it all depends on the creativity at work. Examples of the emblem logo include the BMW logo, Volvo logo, Starbucks logo Harvard logo. Emblem logos are quite popular with universities and other institutions.

Use emblem logo when you have so much to communicate, emblems can have room for the use of many icons if designed properly, also use emblems if you want that traditional and orthodox feel for your brand.

7. The Combination-Mark logos

This is a more loose and unrestricted type of combination logo when compared to the emblem logos. They don’t feel traditional like the emblem logos and can be very modernist in design. Combination-mark logos occur when the designer combines two or more types of logo without the restrictions of creating an emblem. An example of this is the burger king logo.

Use combination-mark logos when you have a catchy name and you still want to incorporate icons and images in your design.


Thanks for reading, have you decided what type of logo best suits your business let me know what you think, and which type is your current logo if you already have one, it would be great to know what criteria you based your choice for the design on and how its working out for you.

Kilojo

Thanks for this bro, it really made me to know a lot about graphic design, as a start up, God bless you, Amen.

Highly educative.