What are the 7 types of logos?

Wordmarks (Google), lettermarks (IBM), pictorial marks (Apple), abstract marks (Pepsi), mascots (KFC's Colonel), combination marks (Adidas), and emblems (Starbucks). Most logos you see daily fall cleanly into one of these seven categories.

Which type of logo is best for a small business?

For most new businesses, a wordmark or combination mark. A wordmark builds name recognition fastest when nobody knows you yet; a combination mark adds a symbol you can later use alone. Pure symbols only work once you're already famous.

What type of logo is Nike's?

The swoosh on its own is an abstract/pictorial mark; paired with the 'NIKE' text it's a combination mark. Nike earned the right to drop the text only after decades of advertising — a useful warning for new businesses.

The 7 Types of Logos, With Famous Examples | Logo Guide

Nearly every logo on earth fits one of seven types. Knowing them does two things for you as a buyer: it gives you and your designer a shared vocabulary ("we want a combination mark, horizontal"), and it stops you from picking a type your business can't actually pull off yet.

The 7 types at a glance

Type	What it is	Famous examples	Best for
Wordmark	The full business name in distinctive lettering	Google, Coca-Cola, FedEx, Visa	New businesses building name recognition; short, distinctive names
Lettermark	Initials only	IBM, HBO, CNN, H&M	Long or hard-to-pronounce names; B2B and institutions
Pictorial mark	A recognizable real-world object	Apple, Target, Shell, Twitter's bird	Businesses with one obvious, ownable visual association
Abstract mark	A non-literal geometric shape	Pepsi, Adidas's three bars, BP's sunflower, Airbnb	Companies spanning many products; global reach (no language)
Mascot	An illustrated character	KFC's Colonel, Michelin Man, Duolingo's owl	Family-facing, food, sports — brands that talk to customers
Combination mark	Symbol + name together	Adidas, Burger King, Lacoste, Mastercard	Most businesses, most of the time — the safe default
Emblem	Name locked inside a badge or seal	Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, BMW, NFL	Heritage, craft, schools, anything trading on tradition

You can browse hundreds of real logos sorted by type in our logo index.

Each type in practice

1. Wordmark — the name is the logo

Google, Coca-Cola, Visa. When nobody knows your company, the most useful thing a logo can do is teach people your name — a wordmark does nothing else. FedEx is the genre's masterpiece: pure type, with a hidden arrow between the E and x. The catch: success depends almost entirely on the typeface choice, and long names (three or more words) get unwieldy at small sizes.

2. Lettermark — initials for long names

IBM stopped spelling out "International Business Machines" for good reason; HBO and CNN made the same call. Pick this when your legal name is a mouthful. The trade-off: two or three letters carry no meaning by themselves, so expect to spend on repetition before "TBR Consulting" means anything to anyone.

3. Pictorial mark — a real object

Apple's apple, Target's target, Shell's shell. Note that all three literally depict the company name — that shortcut is the cleanest reason to choose this type. If your business is called Bluebird Bakery, a bluebird earns its place. If there's no obvious object, forcing one produces the generic globes and swooshes that fill template libraries.

4. Abstract mark — a shape that means nothing (yet)

Pepsi's circle, BP's sunflower, the Adidas bars. Abstract marks start as empty vessels and acquire meaning purely through exposure — which is why they suit companies with advertising budgets and confuse customers of companies without them. Their genuine advantages: no language barrier, no literal image to outgrow, and easier trademark protection because the shape is invented.

5. Mascot — a character with a face

The Michelin Man has sold tires since 1898; Duolingo's owl is the modern proof the format still works. Mascots create warmth and give a brand a voice — ideal for food, kids, sports, and any business whose personality is the product. Costs to know about: characters are expensive to draw well, need multiple poses, and a detailed illustration collapses at favicon size — most mascot brands keep a simplified mark for small placements (see logo size guide).

6. Combination mark — symbol plus name

Adidas, Burger King, Lacoste, Mastercard. The pragmatic default, and what most professional projects deliver: the symbol and name appear together while you're unknown, and the symbol can stand alone later once people recognize it. You get the recognition-building of a wordmark plus a future icon for app tiles and avatars. If you're unsure which type to ask for, ask for this.

7. Emblem — the badge

Starbucks's siren, BMW's roundel, Harley-Davidson's shield. Text locked inside a container reads as tradition, craft, authority — which is exactly why universities, breweries and motorcycle brands use it. The structural weakness: because the name is inside the shape, the whole thing must shrink together, and emblems are the type most likely to fail the small-size tests in what makes a good logo. Starbucks has simplified its emblem repeatedly for exactly this reason.

How to choose, in three questions

Does anyone know your name yet? No → wordmark or combination mark. Yes, widely → you've earned the option of a standalone symbol.
Is there one obvious image for your business? Yes → pictorial mark or combination mark using it. No → don't force it; type-led or abstract is honest.
What's the personality? Heritage → emblem. Friendly and talkative → mascot. Technical or global → abstract or lettermark.

Whichever type you land on, name it explicitly in your design brief — it's the single highest-leverage line you can write, as covered in how to brief a logo designer.