Your logo’s basically your brand’s visual marker. That means that it’s pretty important. It’s the first thing your customers see when they check out your brand. That’s why it’s important that your logo tells the right story about who you are, what you do and what you value.

The right logo design can create a more powerful impact than a rabbit in a carrot field. It can stir up images and association in your audience’s minds, help your brand stand out from its competition, and resonate with strong emotions.

So how do you go about picking the right logo design company in NZ? The White Rabbit burrow of clever creative bunnies reckons there’s a few key types worth considering…

Much like lettermarks, wordmark logos are simple, textual designs. They use your brand’s name rather than just its initials.

They work great if your company’s got a succinct, unique name that rolls easily off the tongue – think about brands like Google, Subway, or Disney. With a catchy, memorable name and powerful typography design, logotypes can evoke immediate brand recognition.

Wordmarks can certainly play around with unique graphic elements, too. A great example is the arrows on the tips of the letters in Subway’s logo.

Much like lettermarks, the font matters. It’s not as simple as clicking Times New Roman and hoping for the best. The right choice of font, colour, size, and spacing can play a big role in conveying your brand’s character.

For example, elegant, cursive fonts might work better for high-end fashion brands, while sleek, minimalist, sans-serif designs look great for tech firms.

Wordmarks and lettermarks are great for newer businesses. They’re versatile, easily replicable across marketing material, and don’t pose any confusion about who they represent.

It’s time to talk images. Pictorial marks are a simple image used to represent your brand.

These graphic symbols usually represent a real-world object or animal. (Can you guess our favourite?) They’re more suited to more established brands, especially ones with names that can be easily played on.

Think of Twitter’s bird, Playboy’s bunny, (Our favourite – because it’s a rabbit! Get your mind out of the gutter ?) or Apple’s – well, isn’t it obvious?

You could also choose something that represents what your company does. For instance, if you’re planning on setting up a bakery, a loaf of bread might look great. You could also tug at their heartstrings. Why not a poor little puppy for an animal shelter?

However, there’s a catch when it comes to pictorial marks. If your brand’s not well known, your audience might not be able to draw an immediate connection between your icon and your company. They’re also tricky if you offer a more intangible service.

Which brings us to…

Like the name suggests, abstract marks are similar to pictorial logos, but use abstract symbols instead of recognisable, real-world entities.

Their simple, geometric forms are a great way to condense your brand’s personality. They’re also very useful if you don’t have a clear item you can associate your company with.

Abstract marks let you create a truly unique, one-of-a-kind logo quite unlike anything else. With careful play around colour and form, they can stir up powerful meaning or emotion and are great for brands that offer a range of products or services.

Mascots are fun!

And so are mascot logos. They’re great if you want to leave your audience feeling hoppier than the Energizer bunny.

Mascot logos use an illustrated character and are popular with brands targeting families or children, which is why you often see them on children’s cereals and snack foods or fast food companies like Pringles or KFC.

They tend to be colorful and cartoonish, but that means they’re not a great choice if your brand wants to send a more serious, professional image. You probably won’t see “Larry the Friendly Lawyer” around anytime soon, for instance.

The more complicated illustrative style of a mascot logo means that they might not be the best pick for smaller forms of marketing material, like business cards.

If only there was a way you could have the best of both worlds…

The name says it all. Combination marks throw a wordmark or lettermark together with pictorial, abstract or mascot imagery.

They’re an extremely common, highly versatile logo type found just about every-hare. Think Burger King, Mastercard, Spotify or Doritos.

Combination Marks are an excellent choice for newer businesses that might struggle to get recognised using graphics alone. You’ll be able to really reinforce your brand’s visual identity with its name.

That’s why a combination mark is great with both symbols and letters at your disposal, a combination logo lets your text and symbol or mascot work together to reinforce your brand. That’s why they’re such a great choice for creating a strong brand message.

Plus, once your brand’s found its feet, a combination logo offers you excellent flexibility. You might have situations where you only use your logo’s text – like on your business card – and others where you just take the imagery, like for a social media icon.

This final logo type is a little different from the rest.

Emblem logos consist of a font set inside a badge, seal, crest, or similar symbol. As a highly traditional style, they lend a strong air of professionalism to your brand.

That’s why they’re very popular with government bodies, schools, and certain historic firms. That said, not all emblem logos are old-fashioned. Many companies have modernised these historic designs to better fit their brands. Harley-Davidson’s famous crest boasts a gritty, modern feel, while Warner Brothers’ shield offers a simplified, minimal take on the genre.

The downside of emblem logos is that their detail makes them less versatile than simpler alternatives, and means they won’t replicate well across all marketing materials.

If only there was somebunny to help you choose…

If you’re ready to hop to the logo drawing board, we’re the burrow to call.

Here at White Rabbit, our clever creative colony (yes, that’s what a group of rabbits is called!) has all the skills and know-how to craft you a stunning visual symbol that helps you stand out from the crowd.

Whether you’re looking for monogram minimalism or elaborate emblems, our Auckland design agency can create a powerful logo that really makes a mark.

Want to learn more about our logo design services? Just hop on a call with us at 0800 WHITE RABBIT (0800 944 837).