- Terminology is one of the first issues to address
when discussing branding and identity design.
Having a shared understanding of language
helps avoid confusion and miscommunication.
Since branding and logos have been appropriated
by every aspect of life,
they tend to be overused and misunderstood.
The word logo means 10 things to 10 different people,
but we can simplify this with some clearer understanding.
Let's begin with a wordmark.
A wordmark is just that, a word that is a mark.
It is a company name typeset in a proprietary way
and used consistently.
Some of the most successful brands in history
use a wordmark such as Ford, Johnson & Johnson, and Disney.
They're easy to read, memorable,
and I won't be confused with another, similar name
that can happen with a monogram.
The upside of wordmark is that it's easy to identify.
I can read the name
and know who the company or organization is.
I don't need to decipher a symbol
or remember a special icon.
The downside is that it relies on reading.
It may not be easily understood in other languages,
like Chinese or Arabic.
Some words, like Coca-Cola, transcend this problem,
but that's taken over a hundred years
and billions of dollars to be recognized globally,
simply by the shape of the letter forms and the color.
Like many other wordmark logos,
enough exposure turns them into iconography, not letters.
One issue with a wordmark is the tendency for non-designers
to try to recreate it themselves.
They might look at a wordmark and think,
"I can make that logo on my email signature.
I have a font just like that."
That's not good.
Often, it's clunky at best, is not the company logo,
creates confusion for the audience,
and diminishes the equity of the wordmark.
A wordmark must be unique enough
to discourage civilians from trying to make it alone.
A good wordmark isn't simply typeset.
It should be a proprietary set of letter forms,
easy to read, and memorable.
The wordmark is not a typeset word. It's an icon of a name.
The letter forms in a successful wordmark
have been modified to read faster and be more unique
and proprietary to the client.
The Mobil wordmark has an incredibly low cap height
and simplified forms.
It has perfect circles and straight lines that all match.
This isn't possible with the typeface Futura out of the box.
The wordmark isn't a typeface,
it's a customized and refined logo.
A wordmark doesn't need to be rigid,
sans-serif letter forms.
These can work wonderfully, but there are alternatives.
Some of the most successful wordmarks are scripts,
like Johnson & Johnson,
or feel handwritten, like Disney,
or based on serif letters, such as Tiffany & Co.
The point is to create an iconic representation of the name
using letter forms that express the brand attributes best.