Articles on graphic design and
visual communication.
The Creative Brief
A Short History of Logos, continued
Clarifying Some Terms
A symbol is a visual stand-in for an idea. Like a skull is a symbol of death, or a dove is a symbol of peace.
An icon is a simplified representation of something. Originally “icon” meant a religious image that had become standardized through convention, like the recognizable guises of Buddha. Now it is used to describe the stripped-down visual signifiers such as “man” and “woman” on public restrooms or the little image of a light for your car’s headlights.
A logo is a graphic symbol that represents a business entity. It can incorporate the name of the entity, in which case it may be called a logotype. A logotype may, in fact, be only the name of the entity. Likewise, it could be just the symbol with no text, in which case it might be called a mark or emblem.
Originally, a trademark was used to denote a product offering. A service mark was used for companies offering a service rather than tangible objects. But, nowadays, the words logo, logotype, and trademark are used pretty much interchangeably. However, there is a distinction for a trademark having that little ™ or the little ® next to it. The ™ is used when a company is claiming trademark rights but the logo is not officially registered. It follows that the ® for “registered” is for those logos actually registered with the government.