# Wordmark logos: famous examples and how to design one

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/wordmark-design)

Some of the most recognised logos in the world have no symbol at all, just a name set with care. Here is how they work and how to make one for your own brand.

## The short version

- A wordmark is a logo made entirely of the brand's name in a distinctive typographic style, with no separate symbol.
- Wordmarks suit short, pronounceable names and young brands, because every appearance teaches people the name itself.
- The strongest wordmarks start from a typeface and then customise letters, spacing or joins so no font reproduces them exactly.
- FedEx's wordmark hides an arrow in the space between the E and the x, a well known example of customisation through negative space.
- Long names need a shorter partner mark, such as a lettermark or monogram, for small spaces like favicons and profile pictures.

A **wordmark** is a logo made only of type: the brand's name, set in a distinctive way, with no separate icon. Google, FedEx, Coca-Cola, Sony and Visa all use one. A wordmark works best for short, pronounceable names, because every time people see the logo they learn the name. To design one, start with a typeface that matches the brand's character, then customise it: adjust a letter, tighten the spacing, join two characters, until it belongs to you and no font can reproduce it.

## Wordmark vs lettermark, logo symbol and combination mark

Wordmark is sometimes used interchangeably with logotype. Both mean a logo built from the name in type. The other common logo types differ in what they show.

| Logo type | What it is | Examples of the idea | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wordmark (logotype) | The full name in custom type | Google, FedEx, Coca-Cola | Short, distinctive names |
| Lettermark (monogram) | Initials only | IBM, HBO, CNN | Long names people already shorten |
| Symbol | An image with no words | A bitten apple, a tick | Brands already widely known |
| Combination mark | A symbol and a wordmark together | A symbol beside the name | Brands that need both |

Most brands end up with a wordmark plus a compact partner, either a lettermark or symbol, for tiny spaces.

## Famous wordmark examples and what makes them work

| Brand | What is distinctive | The lesson |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FedEx | An arrow formed by the space between the E and the x, designed by Lindon Leader in 1994 | Customise the gaps, not just the letters |
| Coca-Cola | Flowing Spencerian script, first written in the 1880s | Lettering can last more than a century |
| Google | A custom geometric sans introduced in 2015, in four colours | Simple shapes survive every screen size |
| Supreme | Futura Heavy Oblique in white on a red box | A plain font becomes a mark through strict, unchanging use |
| Sony | A heavy, wide serif set in capitals | Consistency over decades builds recognition |

Two routes to a memorable wordmark: customise letters until they are unique, or use one treatment so consistently it becomes yours.

Notice that the Supreme route depends on the box and the colour as much as the font. A wordmark set in a popular typeface with no other customisation is easy to imitate. [Famous brand fonts](https://gradiently.design/guide/famous-brand-fonts) shows how many big brands commission their own.

## When a wordmark is the right logo

- **The name is short**: roughly four to ten letters fit comfortably at small sizes.
- **The name is new**: a wordmark teaches it, while a symbol on its own would ask people to remember something they have not learned yet.
- **The name is distinctive**: an invented or unusual word does more of the logo's work for you.
- **You need to move fast**: a good wordmark is quicker to design and easier to apply than a symbol system.

If the name is long or descriptive, a wordmark still works as the main logo, but plan a lettermark or monogram for favicons and profile pictures from day one. [Logo variations](https://gradiently.design/guide/logo-variations) covers the full set.

## How to design a wordmark

1. **Describe the character in three words** For example "warm, precise, local". Every typeface choice is tested against these, not against personal taste.
2. **Set the name in 20 typefaces** Serif, sans, geometric, humanist, script, slab, in capitals and lower case. The name's own letters will favour some styles; a word full of round letters looks very different in a condensed face.
3. **Shortlist three and check the licence** Make sure the font's licence allows logo use and modification. [Font licensing](https://gradiently.design/guide/font-licensing) explains what to look for.
4. **Customise one or two things** Redraw a distinctive letter, add a ligature between two characters, trim a terminal, or use the space between letters. One clear idea beats five small ones.
5. **Space it by hand** Default font spacing is made for text. A wordmark needs optical spacing pair by pair. [Kerning](https://gradiently.design/guide/kerning) shows how.
6. **Convert to outlines and test** Turn the type into vector shapes so it never depends on an installed font, then test it small, large, on dark, on light and in one colour.

### Avoid

- A trending font used straight out of the box
- Thin strokes that vanish at small sizes
- Letter spacing so tight that letters touch at small sizes
- Effects such as gradients inside the letters as the only version
- Five clever ideas in one name

### Do

- A typeface chosen for character, then customised
- Stroke weights that hold up at small sizes
- Spacing that opens slightly for small use
- A solid one colour version first, effects later
- One memorable detail

## Test your wordmark at real sizes

A wordmark that looks great at the width of your screen can fall apart at the width of a favicon. Test it in the places it will actually live, and check that it still reads in one flat colour. [Logo sizes](https://gradiently.design/guide/logo-sizes) has the full list.

| Where | Size | What to check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Website header | About 24 to 40 px tall | Strokes stay crisp, spacing still even |
| Business card | 1050×600 px at 300 dpi | Reads in one colour and in foil or emboss |
| Email signature | 600×200 px | Still legible when the email client shrinks it |
| Social profile picture | Shown as a small circle | Usually too small: use the lettermark |
| Website hero | 1920×1080 px | Details hold up very large |

If the full name will not read in a small circle, that is the job of your partner mark, not a reason to change the wordmark.

## Your wordmark on a background

Wordmarks are simple, so the surroundings carry much of the brand's feeling. A plain name on a distinctive background is a strong, simple identity: the type is yours, and so is the look around it.

A portrait social post with the wordmark Halden and Co. centred above the line Furniture made slowly

A wordmark with a short descriptor, centred on a Mark. The background does the mood; the name does the remembering.

That is the idea behind a Mark in Gradiently: a living background that has exactly one owner once you claim it, so the look around your wordmark is yours alone. Owning a Mark is a Gradiently registry record, not a trademark; protecting the name itself is a separate step. [Logo on a gradient background](https://gradiently.design/guide/logo-on-gradient-background) covers contrast and placement, and [lettering vs typography](https://gradiently.design/guide/lettering-vs-typography) helps if you are deciding whether to draw the name or set it.

## FAQ

### What is a wordmark?

A logo made only of the brand's name in a distinctive typographic style, with no separate symbol. Google, FedEx and Coca-Cola are well known examples.

### What is the difference between a wordmark and a lettermark?

A wordmark spells out the full name. A lettermark, or monogram, uses only the initials, which suits long names people already shorten.

### Is a logotype the same as a wordmark?

In everyday use, yes. Both describe a logo built from the brand's name set in type.

### Can I use a free font for a wordmark?

Often yes, if its licence allows logo use and modification. Customise it so the result is distinctive rather than the font straight out of the box.

### What makes a good wordmark?

A short, readable name, a typeface that matches the brand's character, one memorable customised detail and careful spacing that holds up at small sizes.