A Logo is a design symbolizing ones organization. It is a design used by an organization on its letterhead, advertising material, and signs as an emblem by which the organization can easily be recognized, also called logotype. A graphic representation or symbol of a company name, trademark, abbreviation, etc., often uniquely designed for ready recognition.

You may also think of a Logo as a simple visual mark to identify your company or product or services.
There are different types of signs and emblems easily recognized and associated with purposes. For example, crests are used to identify a country or a family. There was a time when only big enough organizations could afford to make their own crest. They were in some cases a very detailed drawing with many objects to enrich the crest. Cost was not an issue and more was considered better. Then flags were used due to their larger format. They were visible from the craft fields from the long distances. Road signs were designed for informational purposes. They use such techniques as contrasted colors, simplified yet stylish format to identify and attract more attention and convey information.

Now a days, the most popular and successful companies continue to say the "simpler is better". Especially today when everything is moving so fast you have less and less time to impress your customers. So it has to be done in a very stylish yet remaining conservative that makes it easier for an eye to catch and for the brain to memorize your logo design.

These days you also have to consider the reproduction cost. More detailed and colorful logo designs are harder to reproduce and they of course cost more. You also have to consider the size that your logo is going to be used at. The perfect logo design will look great on a sign board as well as on a business card or on a pen for example.

We have talked about a general use of a logo. Now we are going to get in more details of a logo.
There are some general types of a logo:
Iconic logo - Some kind of graphical element related to the business field or just an abstract image, for example: Nike, AOL, Micheline.
LogoType - Logo based only on the company name. A unique font, or unique layout style can make a great logo, for example: Sony, Coca- Cola , IBM.

Let's talk about each kind separately.
Iconic Logos can be very different. The classic variation is to make the symbol fit any of the geometrical shapes for example:
The best shapes to use are symmetrical geometrical shapes
They can be placed almost anywhere and still keep the balance; they are very easy to handle:

It is still good to make the logo fit any kind of geometrical shape, it looks more fit and balanced:



And at last there is no obligation in what kind of shape to use , you can use any free form shape you want, but you have to be very careful with the placement, so the logo doesn't look like it is falling apart or going to fall:


By selecting the shape, you should considered how conservative and stable your company wants to look like.