Logo design terminology can sometimes be perplexing for non-designers. As a client, you might not know the specific industry lingo. If you are looking to engage with an agency to have a logo developed, it might be beneficial to understand some of the basic terms. Here’s a list of some common logo design terminology that is often used:
Brandmark
A brandmark is a graphic mark or symbol that represents a brand without the associated name. Examples:
Wordmark
Wordmark logos are unique text-only typographic treatment of the brand’s name, with exact typeface, colour, letterspacing and arrangements, where the name becomes the instant identification of the brand without any additional symbols or graphics. Examples:
Lettermark or monogram
Lettermark logos are similar to wordmark logos, however they are made up of initials of the brand name or business. A lettermark can be useful if you have a long name or if you are already more commonly known as an acronym. Examples:
Combination mark or lockup
While wordmarks, brandmarks, and lettermarks can operate independently, they can also be combined together known as a lockup. Businesses often use a lockup, also called a combination logo, as their primary identifying mark. This ‘lockup’ is an exact arrangement of the individual pieces that creates a new whole. Examples:
File type or file format
A file type or format, refers to the standards used to encrypt and compress an image file digitally.
Bitmap or raster
A raster graphic or bitmap image is made up of a dot matrix data structure, in varying file formats such as JPEG, PNG or GIF. Raster/bitmap images loose quality if scaled up.
Vector
Vector graphics are computer graphic images and are made up of points, lines, and curves and can scale in size without losing any quality, unlike raster images that can get blurry when scaled. Common vector graphics formats are SVG, EPS, AI or PDF.
Pixel
A pixel is a minute area of illumination on a display screen (the word comes from “picture element”). A pixel is the smallest unit of programmable colour on a computer, and images are made up of many individual pixels.
Resolution
Resolution is the degree of detail visible in an image. It refers to the number of pixels in each dimension that can be displayed.
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