This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
How to Design a Wordmark
A wordmark is a logo without pictures, and it’s hard to believe it’s so easy!.
A logo without symbols or pictures is called a wordmark, and it is easier to make than any other kind. Wordmarks are the most widely used of all logos: In fact, many of the largest companies use them.
Like any logo, a wordmark is a symbol of something. Before you begin, take time to consider what that something is. What is the company you are trying to represent? Is it a thing or a person? Does it manufacture a product or provide a service? Who is its market? You want these answers because as you work, you’ll find the lure of new and interesting graphics can lead you into blind alleys—it’s easy to wind up with an enchanting logo that has little to do with the company’s actual needs. The more you know about the company, therefore, the less likely you’ll wander.
In this article, we’ll design a wordmark for Berington Insurance. The principles demonstrated here can be applied to any logo.
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Quick start
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1 Select a Typeface
In a wordmark, typestyle plays the key role. Your first step is to fish one from an ocean of choices. Some guidelines:
When set in type, a name sends an explicit and implicit message. The explicit is what’s actually said; in this case, Berington Insurance. The implicit is in how it’s dressed, or the tone of its voice. What you are looking for is the interaction of the two.
Let’s try one:
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The implicit message always depends on the context. In this setting, Mr. Berington might be an insurance specialist for military families. To the general public, however, he could be mistaken for a shipping company. Let’s try another:
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The chiseled face used here imparts the sense that this guy will be in business for years to come. Now let’s change the explicit message.
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Uh-oh. That same reassuring typeface now says something different: This mechanic is going to be very expensive.
That’s what we mean by interaction.
The best way to evaluate type is to set the company name with every font in your library and have a look. You’ll gravitate toward the showier typestyles, so pay attention to the plain ones. Why? They’re often more forceful. For example, Caslon won’t stand out on a page of specimens:
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Yet set in uppercase with added letterspacing...
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...it looks positively regal, and it carries the clout that befits its stately bearing.
Be aware, too, that a single line of type often does not reveal enough: Its implicit message will be altered by other factors in your design. For example:
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is set here in Lithos, a typestyle with funky, Greek, African overtones. This attitude, though, demands funky typesetting. In a specimen catalog, its attributes are very easy to miss.
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2 Align the Words
We settled on Odeon Condensed, a super-squished, industrial-grade typestyle, for Berington. Insurance can be set in the same typestyle or another can be selected. Pay attention to the interaction of faces. Usually, you want the words to read as a unit. In this example, you’ll adjust type sizes and make use of your program’s Force justify feature to align both words to the right and left margins. Here are some possibilities:
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3 Enclose in a Shape
Now look at your words and evaluate the shape they form (try squinting at the grouping). Next, draw a box around the perimeter of this shape—or part of the shape—and fill. This works with both single- and multiple-word logos. Here are three approaches:
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4 Add and Align Rules
Rules add the polish and give your logo style. Because they emphasize structure, they can draw attention to the company name. Sometimes, you’ll use rules simply for decoration.
When adding rules, always align them in some way with the type of graphic shape. This is not only neater, it also unifies type and shape into a single powerful logo.
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Set a name, then try all of these techniques!
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Add parts to a shape
If an outline isn’t stylish enough—and sometimes it isn’t—start adding stuff! Top, we attached semicircle ends and embellished the resulting notched corners with dingbats (use only one kind of dingbat per logo). This is the kind of technique you make up as you go.
Dantés’ swashy typestyle was dropped into a less restrictive oval shape. Rules were added strictly for show. Try different line weights (above right).
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Repeat a shape
A shape can be used more than once. Try one per letter, or one per word.
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Create wordmarks for companies with long names
If you have a client whose company name is practically a sentence, this type of wordmark is excellent. Decide which part of the name to emphasize, make it big, and Force justify or center the remaining words for alignment and balance.
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Creating an initial-mark?
When designing an “initial-mark,” the type arrangement is simpler but the concepts still apply: Just treat the initials as a complete word.
Initial logos have always been popular, but they have limitations. For one, a single initial conveys very little information about the company it represents. Solution: Set the full company name next to the logo.
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Although only initials, the shapes of both logos are still determined by the type. Note how initials combine with the full company name into a forceful logo (above left).
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Although you’re not justifying whole words, don’t forget about alignment when applying rules, bars, and dingbats. It will offer the same unifying results.
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Single-letter initial-marks present a monogrammed logo. Try these on personal stationery.