Brand Mark: The Visual Sign as a Brand Identifier

What is a brand mark?

In the professional environment of branding and graphic design, a 'brand mark' refers to the set of visual elements that an organization or product uses to identify itself. In other words, a brand mark is the element or elements with which a brand signs its messages, names its products, indicates its brand presence, etc.

What is a logo?

The word 'logo' is a shortened version of the word 'logotype,' and it is used in the branding, graphic design, and advertising fields as a synonym for 'brand mark.' Not all brand marks are logotypes, so technically, this synonym is incorrect. However, the use of the term 'logo' to refer to a 'brand mark' is much more widespread, even in academic and professional settings. Despite its clear imprecision, the word 'logo' has established itself in most Western languages over much more appropriate terms like 'brand mark,' 'identifying signs,' 'brand signs,' etc.

What is the difference between a brand and a brand mark?

In the marketing and branding environment, the word 'brand' is used as a synonym for 'organization' or 'product,' in the same way one might speak of a 'firm' to refer to a company. This is a synecdoche where the part (the trade name) is used to refer to the whole (the organization or product). The establishment of this concept is so strong that it has even extended to non-commercial entities, such as institutions, NGOs, and even individuals. For example, one could say that Elon Musk is a brand, regardless of whether anything is marketed under his name.

Thus, the term 'brand,' which originally referred only to the trade name of an organization or product and its visual representation, is now used primarily to refer to the brand concept, brand positioning, and the public image of an organization or product. In contrast, 'brand mark' refers solely to visual branding—the graphic signs that serve to identify the organization or product.

In the article Brand and Brand Mark, Luciano Cassisi delves deeper into the difference between these two concepts.

What elements make up a logo (brand mark)?

A logo (or brand mark) can include up to four elements:

1. The logotype, which is the stable way of writing the brand's name. In English, it is often referred to as a 'wordmark.' This element is present in all new brands.
2. The graphic symbol, also known as an isotype. For the sake of brevity, many professionals simply say 'symbol' or 'iso.' Graphic symbols are non-verbal, iconic, or abstract elements with enough character and distinctiveness to identify the brand on their own; that is, in the absence of the name (the logotype).
3. The graphic complement or accessory is a non-verbal sign but without identifying autonomy. It is a sign that needs to work in combination with the logotype and generally helps to give it a stronger brand character.
4. The graphic background, also known by other names such as 'plate,' 'container,' etc. It functions in the same way as the graphic complement, but with the particularity that it 'contains' the logotype, adding some features that it lacks when applied directly to a surface.

While there are other elements external to the brand mark that organizations and products can use for identification, such as 'mascots' and other variations, these four are the elements that make up most existing types of logos.

What can and can't a brand mark do?

Some argue that the function of a brand mark is to 'protect the brand to prevent competitors from trying to take advantage of it (by plagiarizing its appearance, copying the design or corporate colors, replicating the shapes...).' This is completely false, as that function can only be fulfilled by registering the brand name (along with the brand mark or logo) with the corresponding agency in each country.

It is also said that 'the brand mark concentrates the values, brand attributes, and business characteristics and objectives into an attractive visual design.' This is also false, despite being a very popular belief. Brand marks do not concentrate values or attributes... on their own, but rather as referents for companies or products. It is the companies and products that concentrate values, attributes, characteristics... and their logos can merely evoke them, just like the mention of their names (or word marks).

How to create a brand mark (or logo)?

On the internet, you can find many pages that explain how to create a logo for a company or venture, but most are simplifications that confuse more than they help. To create a logo or brand mark correctly, it is necessary to carry out a complex process that requires advanced training, which goes beyond the basic education of graphic designers:

• Understand the profile of the organization or product to be identified.
• Research and analyze the context in which the organization or product operates: competitors, peer organizations, related brands, etc., to determine if there are graphic paradigms in the sector.
• Research, determine, and understand the constraints of the logo's intended uses.
• Define a brand strategy that determines the required performance of the identifying signs.
• When a previous brand design exists, diagnose its performance based on the defined brand strategy, and define a program that determines what the new brand should be like before starting to produce sketches or brainstorm ideas.
• Create alternative graphic proposals (brand sketches) in response to the defined program.
• Evaluate the proposals and select the most suitable one.
• Make any necessary final adjustments and document the work in a brand manual (or visual identity guide).

It is important to keep in mind that all the advice circulating about what a good logo should be is usually wrong. A good logo does not necessarily have to be simple, original, representative, scalable, adaptable, or durable. There is no universal formula; each logo must be resolved by responding to the specific needs of the case, which are always different.

There are online tools that promise to solve the brand design process with 'artificial intelligence' or by making unlimited graphic resources available to the user. In general, the results are usually very poor because they are tools that can barely help solve a small part of the brand mark design process, and only for those who already have experience in graphic design. The ideal approach is to hire a brand design specialist capable of handling all stages, including those prior to creating sketches.