Brand mark design

Kinds of brand mark

Literal or suggestive?

A literal symbol, such as a house for a builder or a cup for a café, communicates quickly but is shared by many businesses and can become misleading if the business expands. A suggestive symbol hints at an idea, such as movement, growth, connection or precision, through shape rather than illustration. It is more distinctive and flexible, but customers need time to associate it with the business.

A middle path is common: a recognisable object treated in an unexpected way, or an abstract shape with a subtle reference.

Developing a brand mark

1. 01

   Find the idea

   What about the business could be expressed visually.

   Output: Concept themes

2. 02

   Sketch widely

   Many interpretations, literal and abstract.

   Output: Shortlist

3. 03

   Simplify and refine

   Strongest ideas reduced to essentials and drawn precisely.

   Output: Final symbol

4. 04

   Pair and test

   Combined with the name; tested small and in one colour.

   Output: Mark and lock-ups

Checks before finalising a symbol

Using a symbol while recognition grows

• With the name

  Most uses pair the symbol with the name, building the association.

• Alone in small spaces

  App icons and social avatars, where the name is nearby.

• As a graphic device

  Parts of the symbol can become patterns or frames in the wider identity.

Unintended meanings

Simple shapes can resemble other things, and some symbols carry meanings in particular cultures or communities. Showing shortlisted marks to a few people from different backgrounds, viewing them upside down and at small sizes, and checking for resemblance to well-known symbols reduces the risk of an awkward discovery after launch.

Symbols as part of a wider system

A strong symbol can do more than sit beside the name. Its shapes can be cropped, repeated or enlarged to create patterns, frames, backgrounds and icons across the identity. Designing with this in mind, for example choosing a shape that still looks good when cropped, gives the brand a flexible toolkit and makes materials recognisable even when the full logo is small or absent.

This is one reason abstract marks are popular with businesses that produce a lot of visual content.

When a symbol may not be needed

Not every business needs a symbol. If the name is short and distinctive, a well-drawn wordmark may be clearer and cheaper, with a lettermark for compact spaces. Adding a symbol to a logo that is already working can make it more complicated without improving recognition. A symbol earns its place when the business appears often in small square spaces, operates across languages, or wants a visual element that can stand alone in the long term.

Colour and symbols

A symbol in a distinctive colour can become recognisable quickly, but it must also work in one colour and reversed. Designing the symbol first in black, then adding colour, ensures it does not depend on colour to be understood.