In fact, it’s very common for professionally designed brands to have up to four or more logo variations. They are made in variants to suit the different print and digital use cases. One of the variants is the primary logo, and the others are used when needed based on the platform. When taken together, these logo variations help your brand look cohesive across a variety of platforms.
What are logo variations?
Logo variations are simply alternate versions of the present log. They are not very different from the primary logo, but they differ in size, style or font as per needed by the platform. In fact, the more similar they are, the better it is. The main difference between them is a size or at times the shape. Each variation is applicable for some specific sue cases which we will look in detail.
Four common logo variations:
Of course, it is not important that the company has all the mentioned four logo variations. Some brands or companies can go for more than four or less as per their needs. The number is entirely dependent on what type of business you have and where you display your logos. The following are the common four logo variations which you must go for and which contribute to the brand’s visual identity.
- Primary Logo:
Your primary logo refers to the most comprehensive logo which contains the combination of your logo and the brand name. It is present in the most detailed version. They are balanced horizontally and vertically. The primary logo is the most commonly used logo design variation and is best utilized for large displays like website headers, broachers and flyers.
- Wide or Horizontal Logo:
The wide version of the primary logo is usually referred to as the alternate or secondary logo, which is used in backgrounds, watermark, backdrops etc. In order to create a wide or horizontal version of your primary logo, some re-shaping or simplification might be needed, for instance, removal of the tagline. They are also perfect for letterheads, email signature and social media banners.
- Submark:
A sub mark is a condensed and simplified logo variation. Usually, it contains just the brand icon or initials but there are at times some exceptions. Sub marks are usually circular or squared shaped. Submarks are great for small displays where the primary and secondary logos become illegible like social media profile pictures, footers and watermarks.
- Favicon:
A favicon is a small icon which sits in the browser tab right next to the title of the website. Since it is so tiny, it usually contains just the main part of the primary logo or the tiny version of the primary logo. If the logo system does not include style which can be utilized as the icon of the website. Then, the favicon might instead consist of the brand or company initials.
Conclusion:
Along with the mentioned design variations, it is essential to also have different colour variations of the logos. For different applications, social media platform, you might require a full colour, black or white version of the logo. Therefore, apart from focusing on the custom logo present make sure to have variations of your logo made to ensure a smooth and stylish presence everywhere.
