A logo mark is an image or symbol which becomes recognisable to a brand, for example the Nike swoosh and Shell’s image of a shell. For a logo mark to be successful it must be simple, making it easy to understand, while also being attention grabbing and being able to hold it as well. It must also be able to work across multiple applications and features of a brand, particularly with size. This is where the simplicity comes in key, as an overcomplicated piece will become hard to make out when it is reproduced in smaller sizes. A logo mark must also be unique and be able to distinguish itself from other brands in the competitive market. Every brand has a tone of voice, and the logo mark must also reflect this tone to create consistency across the brand. A successful brand will be around for a while, so having a brand logo mark that has fashionability and timelessness is key, as it saves money with not having to rebrand and won’t lose relevance if it is contemporary.
The logo mark may seem like a simple and small part of the brand, but it is a way of making the brand recognisable and consistent to the desired audience and public.
While a logo mark is a symbol or emblem which acts as a trademark or identifying feature, a monogram is a picture drawn with line only. It is a motif made by combining letters to form a single symbol. They are often formed by using initials of names of individuals or companies, which would then become recognisable symbols or logos. Geometry is a useful tool to use in terms of making a monogram, as it allows the designer to create a reductive language as a way of visual communication. A prime example of this is the rebranding process of the ‘hp’ brand as it has become so simplified it recognisable as two singular rectangles.
This style of branding is effective as humans process visual information 60,000 times faster than they do words. So visual marks mean there is a higher change of people remembering the logo rather than just the name. However, these can be combined with the name or word mark of the brand to create a combination mark. This is an effective way to begin, then as the brand becomes more recognisable, the text could be removed as people recognise the visual option alone.
In class we were tasked with creating a monogram of our name and an icon of an animal using only circles, triangles and squares. Limiting my resources to only these three shapes was challenging, but made me think a lot more about how I could form different compositions to reflect the two shapes. I also looked at how the background and negative space could be used to create shapes within the spaces between the geometric shapes. This is a useful way of thinking to carry on using forward, particularly when building and designing icons.
