Emblem logos are universal. They’re found across every industry around the world, from universities, sports teams, major car brands, state flags, and even the logo on your Starbucks coffee cup.

Once you’re familiar with what emblem logos look like, they’re pretty hard to miss. Here are a just few instantly-recognizable examples:

• Harley Davidson
• Starbucks
• Paramount
• Warner Brothers
• Stella Artois
• Superman’s shield

What are the four basic types of logos?

Before we delve any further into this very distinctive logo style, it helps to have a little background on what it’s up against. Here’s a brief rundown of the four main categories of logos.

1. Brandmark logos

Of the four logo types, this is the most basic: you’re conveying your brand’s message and personality with a solitary graphic, usually an abstract symbol of some sort. Also known as a pictorial mark, there’s absolutely no text to be seen. This means the image you choose has to be strong enough to stand on its own as a representation of your entire business.

This type of logo works great for global corporations, where the name of the company might get lost in translation.

Example of a brandmark logo: Apple’s iconic apple symbol.

2. Wordmark logos

This type of logo takes it to the other extreme: your logo is literally the name of your business. Sometimes this literalness is taken to the next level, with a tagline stating what your company does or when it was established. Because there’s no imagery, wordmark logos rely heavily on typography to stand out from the crowd.

This logo style is very cost-effective for start-ups because there are fewer graphical elements. Furthermore, it can help establish name recognition.

Example of a wordmark logo: Walmart.

3. Lettermark logos

Like wordmark logos, this type of logo relies solely on typography — only this time the company’s initials are used exclusively to represent the brand.

This logo style is minimalistic and scales down well, and it’s especially effective if a company’s full name is a mouthful. The drawback? Using just your initials to represent your brand can leave potential customers out of the loop.

Example of a lettermark logo: IBM.

4. Combination mark logos

This type of logo is exactly what it says it is: the combination of a brandmark and a wordmark, in one tidy package. You could argue this logo style gives you the best of both worlds. You get the clarity of text with the eye-catching appeal of an image.

Example of a combination mark logo: Mastercard.

So what is an emblem logo, exactly?

Similar to combination mark logos, emblem logos combine images with text. The difference? Emblem logos encapsulate their design features within a frame or border. Combination logos do not. Emblem logos also rarely use a mascot. Any imagery is instead more symbolic, and it often fuses seamlessly with the text.

Businesses often choose emblem logos to give off a decidedly vintage vibe, and there’s a reason it works so well: the design replicates the old-school method of branding, which involved pressing circular rubber stamps into wax seals.