5 Logo Variations Your Brand Needs (And Where To Get Them Fast)
Your logo is the face of your business. It appears everywhere, from your social media accounts to the small stickers on your packaging.
But there’s one problem. What works perfectly on one platform may not work on another. Your logo may look great on your website, but looks too cluttered as a small app icon. Likewise, it may look too empty when blown up to be a sign in your office.
The solution? You need to have logo variations.
Think of them as your logo’s wardrobe. Just like how you have an outfit for different occasions, your logo should also have other versions to fit various sizes, contexts, or platforms. This ensures that your brand will look good anytime, anywhere.
Curious about these logo variations? We got you. Scroll down below to read the essential logo variations your brand should have, when to use them, and how you can design one with the help of our handy logo maker tool.
What Are Logo Variations?
A logo variation is a rearranged version of your main logo that is created to fit specific sizes, placements, or platforms.
And no, they are not a complete redesign. Logo variations maintain your core color, font, and style, just rearranged or simplified to fit different contexts.
An example is McDonald’s. They have logo versions with their wordmark + icon, icon-only, and wordmark only. This flexibility allows them to stamp their brand everywhere, whether it’s a small favicon on their delivery website or spelled out completely on their ordering kiosks.
Why Logo Variations Are Important
So why does your brand logo need multiple versions? Some key benefits are:
Versatility
Different platforms will require different sizes, placements, and designs.
For example, a social media photo space is smaller and rounder, while a website header is typically larger and more rectangular. Using the same logo for both may not look as stunning as it should since the sizes are different.
Your logo’s appearance will also depend on the platform’s orientation. What looks great when spaced out on a horizontal layout may look too cluttered if crammed into a narrow card.
Another is the color. Will it still be visible and have the same visual impact if the background color is black, white, red, blue, and so on?
Logo variations solve this problem. With them, your brand is ready for any space and scenario.
Consistency
Your logo variations also allow you to remain consistent across different platforms. Since you have other versions ready for anything, your brand can remain visually unified whether you are posting on TikTok, sending email newsletters, giving out business cards, or printing your company t-shirts.
Recognition
And do you know the positive impact of consistency? That’s right, it’s an increase in brand recognition and brand recall. If customers can see your logo anywhere and everywhere, they subconsciously find it easier to remember your brand. They can then easily recognize you whether they see a simplified icon or just your wordmark.
Types of Logo Variations Your Brand Should Have
Let’s now break down the five essential logo variations your brand should have in its toolkit.
Primary Logo
Your primary logo is your main logo, aka the one you will use most often.
They are the most detailed version, usually containing your full company name, symbol, and, in some cases, slogan and establishing date. Because they are more detailed and intricate, they are best used in materials with plenty of space.
Since it is your main logo, you need to ensure that it is the best it could be. If you are unsure on how to design an effective logo, check out our guides like, Marketing 101: How to Create the Perfect Logo for Your Company? or Anatomy of Logo Design.
Best used on: websites, About Us pages, signage, large printed materials
Secondary or stacked logo
The secondary logo is your primary logo rearranged to fit a different layout.
For example, if your main logo is horizontal, your secondary logo is vertically stacked. If your primary is vertical, then the secondary is horizontal.
This version allows you to maintain the details of your logo while adapting it to fit tighter spaces.
Best used on: business cards, email signatures, letterheads, mobile layouts
Icon Logo
As the name suggests, this variation is your primary logo stripped down to just show your icon or symbol.
This logo variation is best used for extremely small spaces, particularly for circular ones like website favicons, app icons, or social media profile photos.
Some brands either use their icon and completely leave out their wordmark, while some place their wordmark in a circular layout around the icon. Whatever you go for, what’s important is that you rearrange your logo to fit a circular and smaller layout in mind.
Now, what if you don’t have an icon or symbol in your primary logo? Instead, you can use the initial of your wordmark – like how Google just uses a “G” or how Netflix uses their “N” as their main icon.
Best used on: favicons, app icons, social media icons, stickers, stamps, and smaller print materials
Wordmark Logo
Another variation you need is a text-only version. This is when you remove icons and other visual elements and just put the focus on your wordmark itself. It’s best used when your logo is going to be displayed on a graphic background and you don’t want it to get lost in a sea of illustrations. Alternatively, a wordmark logo is also great if you have a memorable company name.
Wordmark logos are all about clarity and simplicity, so it’s important that you use a strong, distinct, yet still legible font. Check out our guides, like Emotional Typography and the Psychology of Fonts and Typographic Terms Every Designer Should Know to help you find the best font for your brand.
Best used on: digital ads, print ads, more minimalist style materials, packaging, merch
One-color or reverse-out logo
Lastly, there should be a one-color version of your logo.
Most brands have this in either black or white, or in just their primary color (for example, McDonald’s has a single yellow one). Since it is a single color, you won’t have any issues with color contrast and can print these in grayscale. This makes it more adaptable and cost-effective for printing.
And if you have more time and resources, consider making a reverse color version of your logo. Let’s say you have a red logo on a white background. The reverse version will be a white logo on a red background. This allows you to keep main elements of your logo design while still adapting it to fit various backgrounds, colors, and context.
Best used for: printing formal documents, invoices, and materials, or for embroidered merch
Best Practices for Logo Variation Design
Thinking of creating logo variations for your brand? Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Stay consistent
Having logo variations doesn’t mean creating five different logos.
Think of it as rearranging or adapting a core design. Use the same color palette, typography, and style. Make sure they still look like they came from the same brand.
Plan ahead
Think about the different formats and platforms you’ll use. Are you more active on social media? Then you definitely need an icon-based logo. Do you have a lot of printed materials? Then you need to focus on creating a great wordmark and a one-color version of your logo.
Knowing the context of where your logo will appear should help you create more effective designs.
Keep it simple
Simplicity is crucial, no matter how big or small your logo is.
Make sure your wordmark is legible. And if you have intricate illustrations, make sure they still look great when scaled down. Lines, shadows, tints, and shades might get lost when the design is shrunk, so keep an eye out for those.
Minimalist logos and abstract logos tend to look great no matter the size, so it’s worth checking if you can create your primary logo in this style.
Test, test, test
A logo that looks perfect in a design file might not hold up when done in the real world.
Before finalizing, place your variations in mockups like a product packaging, browser tab, or business card. Testing helps you catch issues early, like an icon-only version that feels too empty in a profile picture or a wordmark that looks unbalanced on signage.
How To Make Log Variations Easily With BrandCrowd
Now that you know the secrets behind creating effective logo variations, it’s time to put them to test.
And luckily, creating logos doesn’t have to be difficult with BrandCrowd. With our tools, you can make your primary logo and instantly generate multiple variations, all consistent with your brand identity.
Here’s a simple process:
- Go to our logo maker tool to create your primary logo design.
- To create your variations, click the “Layout” button to choose from different layout styles. This can be an icon with text below, icon with text on the right, and so on. You can even choose the alignment and size of the elements!
- Happy with the design? Click “Download” to use!
With BrandCrowd, you save so much time as you won’t need to rearrange elements manually. It also makes editing super easy, as you just need one click to change the design.
At the same time, these designs were created with one brand identity in mind, so rest assured that your logos will look consistent and cohesive with each other.
Examples of Effective Logo Variation Use
Want to see how top brands do their logo variations? Here are some great examples:
Starbucks
Chanel
Netflix
Adidas
Conclusion
Your logo is the most recognizable part of your brand, so you need to get it right.
A one-size solution won’t work since your logo will appear in various contexts, sizes, and materials. But if you have logo variations, you ensure that your logo will look great, polished, and professional no matter what.
Ready to create your logo variations? Get started with BrandCrowd today!
FAQs on Logo Variations
How many logo variations should you have?
You should ideally have five variations, but if you can only create a few ones it’s best to have your primary logo, an icon logo, and a wordmark logo. These three gives you the most flexibility and adaptability.
Is a one-color version necessary?
Yes. A one-color version makes it easier to print your logo since there is just one color and won’t have any issues with color contrast. It’s also easier to adapt to different materials, texture, or background colors.
Can I create all variations from one design?
Absolutely. Rather, your variations should come from one design to maintain consistency and cohesiveness. BrandCrowd also simplifies this as you can choose various layouts from one template, which allows you to create vertical stacked, horizontal stacked, or icon-only layouts for your logo.
Faviola Publico is an SEO Content Writer specializing in branding and digital marketing strategies. Outside of work, she enjoys reading slice-of-life novels and watching any mystery thriller-themed series.
Original Artwork by Khim John Blazo
