When to skip the logo entirely
A wordmark is sometimes the only mark a brand needs. A short note on when that holds.
Not every brand needs a logo. A wordmark - the brand name set in a specific typeface, at a specific weight, with a specific treatment - does the same job in many cases and saves a design step.
When a wordmark is enough
The brand name is short and visually distinct. The brand mostly lives online, where the wordmark sits next to the page. The product or service doesn't need a glyph for app icons, merchandise, or tiny placements.
When you actually need a mark
App icons (a 60×60 square needs a glyph). Physical product packaging where space is tight. Merchandise. Anywhere the brand has to live without text alongside it.
Many brands need both - a wordmark and a glyph. Some only need the wordmark. Pretending a brand needs a glyph when it doesn't has produced a generation of forgettable abstract logos.
The failure mode
Designing the glyph first and the wordmark as an afterthought. Every successful brand we've worked with had a clear wordmark before the glyph existed. The glyph derives from the wordmark, not the other way around.