What would you think if we told you that something you have called as a logo throughout your life really isn’t?
Don’t worry, it’s not something isolated, or something that only certain people do, but we all say logo when we want to refer to the visual representation of a brand.
But the real meaning of “logo” often doesn’t coincide with the element we refer to. And there are other words such as imagotype, isotype and isologo that better define the different typologies that exist for the visual representation of a brand.
Therefore, in this article we’ll explain what a logo is, what is the difference between logo, isotype, imagotype and isologo; and give you some examples of personal and company logos so you can see how they choose their different logo and structure.
What is a logo?
A logo or visual representation is a graphic symbol that visually identifies a brand, product, project or company, to facilitate its recognition, differentiation, and transmission of information.
However, as we said before, it’s not about any representative graphic drawing of a brand, but there are different types or different elements that identify each project, and it’s not necessarily a logo.
Types of “logo”
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Logotype:
It’s defined as the graphic representation of letters or typographies that make up the name of the brand. Therefore, a logo will only have words or some legible element.
For example, brands such as Coca-Cola, Kellogs, Google, and Zara, are brand with a logo, since it’s not formed by any drawing or have any other graphic element.
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Isotype:
It’s the figure or image that represent the brand so the users can remember and identify it. It’s only composed by the drawing, without any text, so if you see it, you must be able to remember the brand.
Many companies have done a good job with the recognition of the isotype, such as Apple. Whenever we see the apple, we know what brand or company is talking about.
Another good example of isotype is Twitter, just seeing the little blue bird, we know what social network it belongs to, and the same goes for Instagram.
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Imagotype:
It’s the union of the text and the symbol or drawing, basically the union of the logo and the isotype.
It’s a legible part with the brand name and another visual part that identifies and transmits information to users. Both can be separated to identify the company, but normally you’ll see them together.
Some brands that use imagotype are Spotify, LG, Adidas, Converse, where you can identify the brand by either the letters or the drawing.
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Isologo:
As in the imagotype, we have the name and the symbol, but in this type of logo these elements cannot be divided.
Therefore, an isologo is defined as the coexistence or union of an isotype and logo in the same element. They are less typical in the logo world, but they are a fantastic idea to differentiate us from the competition if we create it well.
Some brands that use isologos are Burger King, Starbucks, Harley Davidson, and Pizza Hut, just imagine separate the drawing from the letters, it will be unrecognizable.
As you can read, the company’s logo is decisive in the image it projects to its consumers, as well as its success, which is why it’s so important to choose the logo that will represent the company in the better way.
en Mérida, Yucatán