Designing Logotypes: When Lettering Becomes Identity

Wordmark vs. Logotype

The terms are often used interchangeably, but I make a distinction. A wordmark is a brand name set in an existing typeface, possibly with modifications. A logotype is lettering drawn or designed specifically for the brand — it may reference existing typefaces but is genuinely custom, made from scratch or so heavily modified that it functions as original letterform work.

The difference is the degree of ownership. A wordmark uses shared letterforms. A logotype creates proprietary ones.

Why Custom Lettering?

Custom lettering gives a brand something no one else can have: letterforms that exist only for that brand. They can't be appropriated by a competitor, they can't look generic, and they can't date in the same way a commercial typeface can because they're not tied to a particular type release.

For brands where distinctiveness is a core strategic value — luxury goods, entertainment, cultural institutions, established premium brands — the investment in custom lettering pays off over a long time horizon.

The Lettering Process

I approach logotype work differently from type selection. I start with sketches that explore letterform personality — weight, proportion, the character of curves, how letters connect or separate. These sketches aren't finished drawings; they're explorations of formal language.

From sketches I move to vector work, but I treat the digital phase as refinement of decisions already made in sketches, not as a second exploration. The digital work needs to have clear direction from the analog work.

Optical Spacing in Custom Lettering

Spacing custom lettering is a different skill from kerning existing type. With existing type, I'm adjusting the spacing relationships between characters designed to work together. With custom lettering, the characters are being designed simultaneously with their spacing — each affects the other.

I work holistically, looking at the entire word as a unit, adjusting letterforms and spacing together until the whole feels balanced and intentional.

The Consistency Standard

Custom lettering has to hold up to the consistency standard of any brand mark: it needs to reproduce perfectly at any size, in any color, across any substrate. This means the vector work needs to be impeccably clean — smooth bezier curves, no unnecessary anchor points, precise proportional relationships.

Sloppy vector work in custom lettering becomes visible at large scale and in print. The craft standard is uncompromising.

When Custom Lettering is Overkill

Not every brand needs custom lettering. For brands without the budget to do it properly or the longevity to justify the investment, a well-selected and carefully modified wordmark is the right approach.

Custom lettering done badly is worse than a well-executed wordmark. The standard for craft is high. Don't go custom unless you can meet it.