When it comes to logo design, one of the most common expectations from clients is the inclusion of a literal symbol to represent their activity —a house for a real estate agency, a car for an auto dealership, a slice of pizza for a pizza restaurant, and so on. Sounds logical, right?
Well… no. At least, not always.
Let me explain why, from a minimalist designer’s perspective, that might not be the best route —and how most times less truly is more when it comes to communicating a brand’s essence.
First of all, some technical clarifications. The brand mark that’s a pictorial element, what’s commonly known as an “icon” or “symbol”, is called an isotype. Isotypes can be formed by letters (monograms), or by graphic representations of ideas or objects, or a combination of both. And this depiction can be either abstract or literal. The case I’m discussing here is the latter —a visual representation of an object that recreates its shape in a way that’s easily recognizable —or what in Semiotics is called an icon. That’s the denomination I’ll use for this kind of literal representation throughout this article.
So, some time ago, I worked on a visual identity development project for an electric car dealership in which the client was adamant about incorporating a car or steering wheel silhouette to the brand mark design. While that may seem like a logical visual cue, I strongly advised against it. The thing is, since the logo would often be displayed alongside images of cars (imagine social media posts, website, or printed materials), adding car-related iconography into the brand mark itself would create unnecessary repetition. Rather than enhancing the message, it would make the logo both visually and conceptually redundant.
Because, you see, it’s all about function. Good design should work in harmony with the context, not just mirror it unnecessarily. So, before we even choose colors or fonts, we need to think about how and where the logo will perform. Will it be used mostly online, alongside product photos? Will it need to be easily recognized in small formats, like app icons or favicons?
In the case of the car dealership, I knew that cars would always be visually present. So my approach when creating this brand mark was to focus on typography —using letters, shapes, spacing, and rhythm to evoke the brand’s spirit in a cleaner and more memorable way. The shape of the brand name itself became the message. With balanced lettering and smart composition, it carries the identity of the brand without needing an extra pictorial element.
Of course, there are exceptions. There are cases in which logo icons can be beneficial for the brand —only I can’t think of any right now!
Don’t get me wrong —it’s not that I’m against using icons altogether. However, I’m all about abstraction and minimalism, so I’ll always prefer a smart abstract graphic representation to a literal depiction, but that’s just me…