Create a Phenomenal Lettermark Logo:
10 Clever Tips
Presentation by Company Folders, Inc.
Lettermarks are one of the most popular types of logos.
That's because they:
- Use typography to showcase your brand's personality
- Combine text and imagery for a memorable design
- Remind clients of your brand name
- Give you unlimited design options
Let's take a look at our ten favorite ways to create a great lettermark, so you can make an original logo design that works for your brand.
1. Choose the right case
Uppercase—when you use only uppercase letters, you create a bold and authoritative presence.
Lowercase—these smaller letters send the message that your brand is modern and youthful.
Combined—using one uppercase and one lowercase letter may break the rules of good grammar, but it shows that your brand is growing and evolving.
2. Experiment with typography
Single fonts—test your letters in serif, sans serif, display, and script fonts to see what works best.
Combined fonts—try using two different fonts to create a bit of contrast in your letters and better showcase your brand's personality.
3. Share vertical strokes
Straight strokes—since nearly half the alphabet has a vertical stroke, designers use these lines to connect two letters.
Angled strokes—letters like the capital A have slanted strokes. You can straighten this line to connect it to a vertical stroke, or alter the vertical stroke to match the slanted one.
4. Connect crossbars
Top crossbars—letters with crossbars at the top like F and T easily connect to one other; you can also use serifs to attach them to a letter that doesn't have a natural crossbar.
Middle crossbars—H and A both have middle crossbars, which can be connected with a cool line or image through the center of your logo.
Different crossbars—if your letters' horizontal strokes don't match, place the letters at different heights so their crossbars can overlap.
5. Connect letters in other ways
Script fonts—script fonts seamlessly connect almost any letters and give your brand a more elegant, artsy style.
Corners—letters that have matching strokes, such as an M and W or K and X, can be placed so their corners touch for a near-mirror image design.
6. Create specialty lines
Removed strokes—removing an entire stroke (or part of a stroke) from a letter helps engage the viewer's mind.
Unbroken lines—you can also take the opposite approach and create unbroken lines that run through the letters, making them look like a single entity.
7. Modify curves
Circular strokes—round letters like O and Q can be combined with vertical strokes by overlapping the letters or bending the vertical stroke to fit the round letter.
Curved strokes—curvy letters like S or C can be flattened at the top or bottom to connect with another letter's horizontal crossbar.
8. Look for letters inside letters
Interlocking letters—weave letters together so their strokes appear to go over and under each other, which symbolizes a strong and confident brand.
Colors—use two different colors to highlight the shape of one letter that appears naturally in the strokes of another, like the c that's visible in a lowercase t.
9. Incorporate images
Added illustrations—overlap your letters with an illustration, or manipulate their shapes to resemble an image that's relevant to your brand.
Replaced letters—another option is to replace a letter entirely with an image; this requires the audience to think harder and engage with your logo longer.
10. Manipulate negative space
Hidden letters—you can distort the negative space inside hollow letters, like D, to create the shape of another letter.
Cropped letters—use negative space to cut a letter's outline into a different shape, while still keeping the majority of the strokes intact.
Hidden images—if a letter has lots of negative space, like an O or a D, you can fill that space with an image that's relevant to your brand.
Congratulations! You're now ten steps closer to creating the perfect lettermark logo for your brand.
These tips are brought to you by the logo design specialists at Company Folders. Visit http://www.companyfolders.com/logo-design-services for more info.