What is a Logo?

Logos are signs, marks of identity designed for easy recognition. It is a focal point of any key identity system.

What do logos mean?

They do not have to mean anything. Their main purpose is to be informative. A logo’s effectiveness as a mark of identity lies in its degree of difference. Meaning can be added by integrating the organisation’s individual culture, ethos, activities and mission.

Are there different forms of the word ‘logo’?

Yes, there are different forms a logo can take….

• Wordmark – A wordmark uses the company name with proprietary letterforms, eg Microsoft or FedEx. The advantage is that it bypasses the problem of relating a logo to a company. The disadvantage is that a wordmark, if not designed skillfully, can be generic and be difficult to visually remember.




• Symbol – The symbol is the iconic part to the logo that can be used with or without the name: The Nike Swoosh or Apple’s ‘Apple’ etc. The potential benefit of a symbol can lead to instant recognition “A picture is worth a thousand words” moment, eg Heart in a ‘heartbeat’ (British Heart Foundation) or the Full Stop (NSPCC). However symbols may get lost on their own and may be difficult to recognise.




• Monogram – A design of one or more letters, usually the initials of a name: V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum), NHS (National Health Service). Advantages are they solve legibility issues by reducing the size of a name to fit in small areas. Monograms however depend on large scale audience contact and repeated viewing for recognition.

Corporate Logos

Corporate logos help us distinguish one organisation from another. A logo does this by reflecting the activities, values and attributes that represent the organisation.

A logo is like a lens that an organisation holds up to itself. It is is formed on personal encounters with the business such as having outstanding products, a good customer experience and excellent supplier relationships. If these encounters do not shine, then there is nothing to see, and swapping lenses will not make any difference.

Ortegra’s challenge is:

• to compress the meaning into just a few memorable marks
• to be unique
• to be informative
• to be adaptive wherever it may be applied