What is a Word Mark? Worded Logos and Personal Brands
What is a word mark or ‘wording logo’ and how is different than a logo? A typographic logo is a powerful way to create a distinctive brand. Here’s why.
#1 Worded logos are memorable
A word mark is essentially a logo made entirely of text using carefully chosen typography to represent your brand identity. The benefit of a typographic based logo is that it’s easier to remember and associate that brand with the words. Whereas an image-based logo can be more symbolic and esoteric. This works fine for major brands like Apple or Nike, but for the rest of us, not so much.
For personal brands, consultants or small businesses having a the true meaning of your business obscured by a symbolic logo isn’t easily remembered. A worded logo makes it much easier for people to understand what your business does at first glance.
And when it comes to your website, you really want people to ‘get’ what your business is about immediately. Word marks help website visitors understand who you are and what you do right away.
As powerful as design marks can be, some of the worlds most iconic brands use wording logos:
Word Mark vs. Design Mark: The difference between a typographic or a design mark or logo
Just to be clear, here’s the difference between a worded logo and an image based logo:
Word mark: A typographic logo using existing typefaces/fonts
Design mark: A symbol used to represent a company often used with or without text. Example: Nike swoosh
Why should you care about the difference between a design mark and a word mark?
#2 Wording logos showcase your uniqueness
Worded logos do a great job of expressing and showcasing your special something as a business. By combining different fonts, sizes and colors, a word mark can be a visual identifier that does something important.
A worded logo creates a unique visual signal that is associated with your brand and business by using both rational and intuitive elements
The meaning of a word is understood by the rational side of our brain, while the distinctive use of typography and letterforms as a visual element are remembered by the intuitive side of our brain.
A designer friend of mine once said “Logos are the kind of thing that take a ton of work and look like they don’t.”
This is 100% true, especially if they’re done right. They involve deep work into understanding your brand and services or products and representing them symbolically.
People get very emotional about logos because they are so representative.
#3 Clients and customers associate word marks with your business faster
Logos or design marks also require a lot of brand exploration work because you are trying to communicate information and a feeling about a company only with symbols developed ‘from scratch.’
It takes a very long time and/or intense marketing for design marks to build visual currency and establish themselves in a clients mind.
A word mark is a kind of short cut to present your business uniquely, using existing typefaces.
Don’t misunderstand me; a word mark involves work. My own word mark, took me a lot of thought and experimentation to get the look I wanted.
Typography is expressive and communicates different moods, feelings and impressions depending on the type face. Understanding the difference between both types of logos helps explain why this approach works so effectively for consultants, experts and thought leaders who need name recognition to help build their brands.
Word marks I’ve designed for various clients:
#3 Worded logos offer more flexibility for brand expansion
Worded logos offer you the chance to grow or pivot your products or services in the future, without changing your logo.
You’re also not constrained by a symbol-based logo which could later become hard to adjust to different offers or business directions. With a worded mark, you can alter and tweak the design using elements like size, colour and typeface to update or revise your brand identity.
Your brand will always evolve. At some point will probably be a good idea to do a lot of deep brand work. Knowing what approach to take for your logo helps you make informed decisions about your brand’s visual direction as your business grows.
How a word mark fits into a visual brand:
#4 A word mark is easier to work into other branding materials
Whether your created digital assets like presentations, social media banners or graphics or printed materials like trade show booths, posters or business cards word marks are easier to work with.
Why? Symbol or image-based logos can use patterns, delicate or photographic elements that don’t always translate well on all mediums. They can be difficult to read or register visually.
A wording logo can be easily adjusted using size and/or color to work on every type of branding collateral, regardless if it’s digital or printed.
Wondering whether or a word mark or a logo is right for you and your business?