Overview

A logo is an iconic symbol designed to represent a company, organization, product, service, and sometimes certain places (e.g., Canada).

The word "logo" is derived from the original word "logotype". In the days before means of mechanical typesetting were invented, compositors in printing offices used to assemble, or "set" type into a composing stick, picking up individual letters as they went. An idea to save time and effort resulted in commonly used words such as "the", "and", etc were created onto a single body of type and this composite piece of type was called a Logotype. Later on as technology improved the same idea was used to create a design, or symbol representing the identity of a company or institution.

In recent times the term 'logo' has been used to describe signs, emblems, coats of arms, symbols and even flags. In this article several examples of true logos are displayed, which may generally be contrasted with emblems, or marks, which include non-textual graphics of some kind. Emblems with non-textual content are considered one aspect of a complete logo.

Distinct aspects of a complete logo:

The uniqueness of a logo is often necessary to avoid confusion in the marketplace among clients, suppliers, users, affiliates, and the general public. To the extent that a logo achieves this objective, it may function as a trademark, and may be used to uniquely identify businesses, organizations, events, products or services. Once a logo is designed, one of the most effective means for protecting it is through registration as a trademark, so that no unauthorised third parties can use it, or interfere with the owner's use of it.

There are several elements of a good logo. An effective logo—