A logo system is the foundation for brand consistency, allowing for adaptability and scalability in any situation while enhancing brand awareness, loyalty, recall, and standing out in a crowded marketplace.

A logo is a symbol or mark that visually represents a company, its products, and its services.

Many mature brands usually don’t just have one static unchanging logo, but instead are made up of a logo system.

This is graphic framework that can shift, scale, morph for different uses or situations, allowing for flexibility of use while maintaining a cohesive, recognizable visual identity.

Oftentimes, a logo system is made up of a few different types elements or “marks”.

1. A lettermark - think coca-cola, a logo defined by it’s unique script typeface or google with its rounded, colorful letters.

2. A brandmark - or an icon, a drawing, or letter that stands in place of the lettermark. The  McDonalds’ golden arches or Apple’s bitten apple are perfect example of a brandmark.

A lockup - A fancy word for the combination of a brandmark and a lettermark.  Target is a good example of this, they have a couple versions of their lockup that displays the target icon + the lettermark.

There also might be variations of a lockup within a logo system, where orientation of a logo may shift from horizontal to vertical.

Or even versions that reduce in complexity as the logo scales down in size to increase legibility.

An effective logo system is adaptable, scalable, and memorable and feels seamless to the consumer in varying situations.

Take McDonalds for example, its golden arches are so recognizable they are interchangeable with the lettermark but allow for more creative applications.

Another effective use of logo systems, is to create variable logo treatments to your base logo, creating infinite versions that can speak to your values as a business.

Take MTV as an example, who in the 80s gave artists & designers free reign to personalize their logo - celebrating the brands core values of individualism & creative expression.

Or Google’s doodle, which highlights important things like anniversaries, a cause, an individual through their logo overhauls on their home page.

These logo systems remain recognizable despite their immense variability and signal to their audiences the things they care about most.

All in all, a well-designed logo system is the foundation for brand consistency for the long-haul, ensuring your visual identity can can stand the test of time.

Want to build out a more sophisticated logo system for your brand? We can help. Reach out to us at hello@greaterstudio.co.