What is a wordmark?
A logo type that consists of the brand's name set in a custom or distinctive typeface, with no separate symbol (e.g., Google, Coca-Cola, FedEx).
Also known as: logotype
A wordmark (sometimes "logotype") is a logo built from the company name itself. Google, Visa, Coca-Cola, FedEx, IBM, and Sony are all wordmarks. The visual identity is carried by the typography (custom letterforms, specific weight, sometimes a hidden symbol like the FedEx arrow) rather than by an accompanying icon.
Wordmarks contrast with letter-marks (monograms like HBO or NASA), pictorial marks (the Apple apple, the Twitter bird), abstract marks (the Nike swoosh), and combination marks (a wordmark plus a separate symbol, like Adidas). Many brands ship multiple variants: a full combination mark for primary use and a wordmark or letter-mark for compact spaces (favicons, app icons).
For brand intelligence, knowing whether a brand's primary logo is a wordmark, a symbol, or a combination affects how you display it. A wordmark needs more horizontal room and renders poorly at small sizes; a symbol works at favicon size but is unrecognizable without the wordmark next to it on first encounter. Context.dev returns multiple logo variants per brand precisely so consumers can pick the right one for the surface.
In the wild
- The Google logo: a custom-spaced wordmark in product sans-serif
- FedEx using its wordmark with the famous hidden arrow between the E and the X
- A SaaS brand pairing a wordmark for its marketing site header with a square icon-only mark for its app favicon