Designers and non-designers alike struggle with common terminology when talking about brand marks, often using different terms interchangeably. When it comes to clarifying definitions, sometimes even the most seasoned professionals get confused.

在谈论品牌商标时，设计师和非设计师都在使用通用术语，通常会互换使用不同的术语。 在澄清定义时，有时甚至是最有经验的专业人员也会感到困惑。

There’s one thing that’s easy enough to agree on: Any established and repeatable mark that represents your brand or product, visually, is a logo. But does a logo need to include text? Not necessarily. How about an icon that symbolically represents your product or brand value? Again, no.

有一件很容易达成共识的事情：任何在视觉上代表您的品牌或产品的既定且可重复的标志都是徽标。 但是徽标需要包含文字吗？ 不必要。 象征性地代表您的产品或品牌价值的图标怎么样？ 再说一次

Some of the most iconic brand marks are merely abstract symbols that, in reality, mean nothing, but have achieved a high level of recognition through well-intentioned brand building and constant care.

一些最具标志性的品牌标记仅仅是抽象的符号，实际上并没有任何意义，而是通过精心设计的品牌和不断的关注获得了很高的认可度。

Many of them have evolved over time. Take Mastercard for example. The Mastercard logo of the 1990s (the height of the magnetic strip era) was one of the most recognizable of the time, and stood for 20 years until a simplified redesign was introduced in 2016. More a refresh than a redesign, the new logo streamlined the overlapping circles into simplified geometric shapes and brought the company name—now lowercase—into a secondary space below the corporate symbol.

他们中的许多人都随着时间的推移而发展。 以万事达卡为例。 1990年代(磁条时代的高度)的万事达卡徽标是当时最知名的徽标，并持续了20年，直到2016年推出了简化的重新设计。重叠的圆圈变成简化的几何形状，并将公司名称(现在为小写字母)带到公司符号下方的辅助空间中。

These changes not only brought the Mastercard logo into a digital era ruled by minuscule social media avatars, but also prepared them for the next evolution. In 2019 Mastercard dropped the name from their logo altogether. A bold statement to capitalize on the brand recognition the company had been building since the 1970s; and one that few brands have been able to attain.

这些变化不仅使万事达卡徽标进入了由微不足道的社交媒体化身统治的数字时代，而且为下一步的发展做好了准备。 在2019年，万事达卡(Mastercard)完全从其徽标中删除了该名称。 大胆的声明，以利用公司自1970年代以来一直在建立的品牌知名度； 而只有少数几个品牌能够做到的。

As the visual design of the logo underwent changes, so did the definition of what type of logo it became with each iteration. How so? Let’s take a look at the 6 categories that all logos fall into.

随着徽标视觉设计的变化，每次迭代后徽标类型的定义也随之改变。 为何如此？ 让我们看一下所有徽标的6个类别。

基于类型的标记 (Type-based marks)

会标 (Monogram)

Monograms—also known as lettermarks—are logos that consist entirely of letters (not words). More often than not, these letters are brand name initials. Think HP, IBM, and HBO. Monogram logos are a favorite of baseball teams and wedding parties alike.

字母组合(也称为字母标记)是完全由字母(不是单词)组成的徽标。 这些字母经常是商标名称的缩写。 想想HP，IBM和HBO。 会标徽标是棒球队和婚礼聚会的最爱。

In many cases, the monogram represents the shorthand of an otherwise long brand name. Organizations like ESPN, CNN, and NASA not only utilize a monogram to represent their brands visually, but adopt the shortened moniker for verbal reference as well. In other cases—like Warner Brothers and Louis Vuitton—the monogrammed letters serve as a visual identifier only.

在许多情况下，会标代表原本就很长的品牌名称的缩写。 ESPN，CNN和NASA等组织不仅利用会标来形象地表示其品牌，而且还采用缩短的绰号作为口头参考。 在其他情况下(例如华纳兄弟公司和路易威登公司)，字母组合字母仅充当视觉识别符。

字标 (Wordmark)

A Wordmark (or logotype) is similar to the monogram in that both are entirely type-based. However a wordmark visualizes the full brand name. Some of the most recognizable in this category include Coca-Cola, Google, and Disney. Wordmarks rely on a strong, and often stylized, font choice to help instill uniqueness and communicate brand personality.

字标(或徽标)与会标相似，因为两者完全基于类型。 但是，文字标记会显示完整的品牌名称。 此类别中最知名的一些产品包括可口可乐，谷歌和迪士尼。 字标依赖于强大且通常为风格化的字体选择，以帮助灌输独特性并传达品牌个性。

Wordmarks are devoid of brand symbols and icons and rely on the brand name to do the heavy lifting, although some text decoration is acceptable—often achieved through the modification of a letterform (Vans, Casper) or clever introduction of shape within the white space (FedEx, Toys ‘R’ Us). The wordmark has proved to be a favorite design choice in the streaming business, with Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Philo, and others adopting the wordmark for competition in the smart device marketplace.

字标没有商标符号和图标，而是依靠商标来进行繁重的工作，尽管可以接受一些文字修饰，通常是通过修改字母形式(范斯，卡斯珀)或在空白处巧妙地引入形状来实现的(联邦快递，玩具反斗城)。 事实证明，该字标是流媒体业务中最喜欢的设计选择，Netflix，Hulu，Vudu，Philo和其他公司采用该字标在智能设备市场中进行竞争。

图形标记 (Graphic-based marks)

符号 (Symbol)

Symbols (or brandmarks) are the opposite of wordmarks: A graphic sans text. Often, and historically, referred to as an icon, the name “symbol” is more fitting for a digital era where the icon has become synonymous with the user interface. To rely solely on a symbol as a primary mark, brands need to be well-established and instantly recognizable. This is often an evolution that takes place over time (like Mastercard) and is rarely an option for new brands.

符号(或商标)与字标相反：图形无文字。 通常，从历史上讲，“符号”一词更适合于数字时代，在该时代，图标已成为用户界面的代名词。 要仅依靠符号作为主要商标，就必须建立良好的品牌并立即识别品牌。 这通常是随着时间的推移而发生的演变(例如万事达卡)，而很少是新品牌的选择。

Nike’s Swoosh, the Twitter bird, and Target’s bullseye all fall into this category: Brand symbols that need no textual introduction. But the meaning of the symbol doesn’t necessarily need to be highly recognizable. Many brands utilize abstract symbols that gain the same recognition over time. Think BP’s starburst or Airbnb’s weird genitalia logo.

耐克(Nike)的Swoosh，推特(Twitter)鸟和塔吉特(Target)的靶心都属于这一类：不需要文字介绍的品牌符号。 但是，该符号的含义并不需要高度可识别。 许多品牌使用的抽象符号会随着时间的流逝获得相同的认可。 想想BP的爆炸形或Airbnb怪异的生殖器徽标。

Regardless of what symbol logos visually reference—abstract or signifier—they all perform the same job of visually representing brands that have become bigger than the brand name.

无论在视觉上引用什么符号徽标(抽象或指示符)，它们都在视觉上代表已经大于品牌名称的品牌执行相同的工作。

吉祥物 (Mascot)

Mascots act as a spokesperson for a brand, and a dream project for character illustrators. They live heavily in the worlds of consumer packaged goods (Tony the Tiger, Twinkie the Kid), fast food restaurants (Wendy’s, KFC), and sports. They can serve as brand ambassadors that appeal to children, intimidating mascots for NFL teams, or whimsical characters that add personality to a brand.

吉祥物是品牌的代言人，也是角色插画家的梦想项目。 他们生活在包装消费品(老虎托尼，小男孩Twinkie)，快餐店(温迪，肯德基)和体育世界中。 他们可以充当吸引儿童的品牌大使，威胁NFL球队的吉祥物，或者是为品牌增添个性的异想天开的人物。

徽标 (Logo marks)

组合标记 (Combination mark)

When a symbol and a wordmark fall in love, they make a logo. More specifically, a combination mark (a traditional logo) is comprised of a type-based and a graphic-based mark. Regardless of the orientation—stacked or side-by-side—combination marks rely on both visual and textual elements to establish the brand mark.

当一个符号和一个字标坠入爱河时，它们就形成一个徽标。 更具体地说，组合标记(传统徽标)由基于类型的标记和基于图形的标记组成。 不论方向(堆叠或并排)，组合商标都依靠视觉和文字元素来建立品牌商标。

Amazon is a “prime” example with its smile symbol always accompanying all forms of the visual identity, whether it’s the full company name or the sole lowercase “a” sometimes used for small-scale graphics.

亚马逊是一个“原始”示例，其微笑符号始终伴随着所有形式的视觉识别，无论是公司的全名还是有时用于小尺寸图形的唯一小写字母“ a”。

The combination mark is often the most versatile choice, especially for new brands that have yet to build visual recognition and brand awareness.

组合标记通常是最通用的选择，特别是对于尚未建立视觉识别和品牌知名度的新品牌。

徽章 (Badge)

Also known as an emblem, the badge logo is a combination mark that is contained in an enclosed shape. Often the badge acts as a container for the brand name and symbol (or mascot), but in some cases the overall badge shape–Harley-Davidson, for example—takes on its own life as a visual identifier for the brand.

徽章徽标也称为标志，是包含在封闭形状中的组合标记。 徽章通常充当品牌名称和符号(或吉祥物)的容器，但是在某些情况下，徽章的整体形状(例如Harley-Davidson)将自己的生命当作品牌的视觉标识。

Emblems have continued to endure in the automotive industry, are often a go-to choice for apparel embroidery, but are most notably associated with private schools and universities because of the tradition, authority, and exclusivity that they represent.

徽章在汽车工业中一直持续存在，通常是服装刺绣的首选，但由于它们代表的传统，权威和独占性，因此与私立学校和大学特别相关。

The beautiful thing is: These options aren’t exclusive. Many brands—including many of the examples mentioned here—employ several different logo types to round out their visual presence. Choice often comes down to usage, and strong brands are built on cohesive, and scalable, brand identities. Symbols, wordmarks, and combination marks can all be used in tandem to build a successful visual brand. And that brand can evolve over time, as long as it’s done with intention and purpose.

美丽的是：这些选项不是唯一的。 许多品牌(包括此处提到的许多示例)采用几种不同的徽标类型来完善其视觉形象。 选择通常取决于使用情况，而强大的品牌则建立在具有凝聚力且可扩展的品牌形象之上。 符号，文字标记和组合标记均可一起使用，以建立成功的视觉品牌。 只要有意图和目标，该品牌就可以随着时间而发展。