Also commonly known as secondary logos, alternative logos (or alternate logos) are a must-have for your business.
In this post, I’ll be covering exactly what they are, why you need one, and how you can use one to promote and grow your business while maintaining consistent branding.
(And, psst...having one is one of the easiest ways to do both!)
Ready to get started? Let’s jump in!
What is it?
An alternative or secondary logo is just what it sounds like - a second logo you have for your business that you can think of as a “condensed” version of your main logo.
While primary logos are often wider than they are tall and used on the top of a website or on stationary, alternative logos are usually circular or square and can be used in ways that main logos cannot.
They will commonly feature the initials of your name or abbreviations of your company’s name to remain simple, easy to read when small, and condensed.
Here’s an example:
You can see my main logo at the top, which is wider than it is tall and used on the main page of my website, as well as wherever else I want my logo to appear big, beautiful, and bold.
The favicon appears below that on the left. As you can see, the only text it includes are the letters “L” and “T” for my name, and is super easy to read, even when small.
If you don’t know already, a favicon is the little icon that appears beside your website name on its search engine tab. (And, for more information about favicons, check out this post!)
It’s essential that favicons are 1) small, 2) square or circular, and 3) simple (never too busy!) so they can be easily distinguished amongst many tabs a user may have open on their computer.
My secondary logo, or alternative logo, appears below that on the right.
Why do you need one?
You may be asking yourself why you need a secondary logo in the first place. Chances are, you already have a logo you worked hard to create (or paid for) and want to use as much as possible.
However, an alternative logo not only adds to your brand’s professionalism, but also allows you to display your logo in a different format while remaining on brand.
Visualization is a key part of branding, and being able to offer your audience a second visual experience for your logo is a great way to promote your brand in a way that’s not repetitive.
For these reasons, as a website and brand designer, I make sure I include both a main logo and an alternate logo in all my branding packages.
Thousands of brands use more than one logo - think Nike, Disney, etc… Nike’s logo can be as complex as the “swoosh” mark with “NIKE” in big letters under it, or as simple as a tiny “swoosh” mark on a shoe or sweatshirt.
Either way, you know whatever product it is belongs to Nike, and provides the company with versatile branding options for whatever it is they decide to create!
Lastly, there are several instances when using a smaller, secondary logo is more appropriate than using your full logo...which I will be covering next!
How can I use it?
Social media graphics
Alternative logos can be used to brand social media graphics, like on your Instagram feed or on your Facebook group banner.
Whenever you create your own graphic, it’s a great idea to put your smaller, simpler logo in the bottom right corner to brand it and ensure no one can take it without credit.
In addition, secondary logos can be used as a profile picture on Instagram or Facebook if you prefer not to use your face. The constraints for profile pictures are - you guessed it - circular, which can make it difficult to squeeze your main logo in without losing visibility.
I would only recommend it if you’re not the face of your online business and have quite a few employees.
Business cards
Business cards are another perfect place to use your alternative logo, as business cards are small and should be kept as simple as possible. A business card is no place for a super busy logo!
Presentations
Lastly, you can use a secondary logo to brand slide presentations, just like you might brand a social media graphic. Adding your alternate logo to the bottom right corner of your slides gives your slides a professional look and, again, ensures no one can take your content to use without credit.
As shown in this post, secondary logos can quickly become essential pieces of your branding - and are no place to mess around.
If you are ready to invest in a logo or website, talking to the designer about including a secondary logo (or two!) is extremely important - it’s not something you want to try to do yourself afterward!
If you don’t know where to begin looking for these design services, I encourage you to check out my services page below. As I mentioned, I include both a main logo and alternative logo in my branding and website design package!
This, at the time of completion, gives you a professional and fully functional website, complete with a beautiful primary logo and secondary logo that can be used outside of your website, too.
I look forward to hearing from you and helping you create the website of your dreams!
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