Wordmark

For the computer hardware term, seeWord mark (computer hardware).

Awordmarkorword markis a distinct text-only typographic treatment of the name of a product, service, company, organization, or institution which is used for purposes of identification and branding. A wordmark can be an actual word (e.g., Apple), a made-up name that reads like a word (e.g., Google), or an acronym, initialism, or a series of letters (e.g., IBM).

Trademarking

In manyjurisdictions,such as theUnited StatesandEuropean Union,a wordmark may be registered as a trademark, making it a protectedintellectual property.

Unlike names andlogos,trademarked wordmarks are generally not case-sensitive and are listed in uppercase by trademark registrars such as theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office,even if they are always cased in a certain way by the owner; this gives the trademark holder rights no matter how the wordmark is presented.Some examples are shown in the sidebar.

In the United States, the legal term "word mark" refers only to the text, not to any graphical representation.

In most cases, wordmarks cannot be copyrighted, as they do not reach thethreshold of originality.

Comparison with logos

Wordmarks and logos are the two most common types of brand marks.Wordmarks, by definition, always contain the name of the product or company, whereas a logo might be a textless image only. For example, theCoca-Cola,Disney,andFedExlogos are graphical versions of those names, while theStarbuckslogo contains no text.

A wordmark logo (also called a lettermark or a lettermark logo) is a type of logo, not a type of wordmark, which consists of just text set in a particular style, such as a typeface or color, without other graphical features.For example, theSONYlogo contains only the name in uppercase, set in a particular typeface. In some cases, such as Disney's logo, a custom or proprietary typeface is used.

See also

• Slogan
• Trademark

Further reading

• Wheeler, Alina.Designing Brand Identity: A Complete Guide to Creating, Building, and Maintaining Strong Brands.Wiley: 2006.ISBN978-0-471-74684-3.