Creating a visual identity is more than designing one main logo. A strong brand identity includes a full system of logo variations — called submarks and alternates — that ensure your brand looks cohesive and versatile across all mediums. Whether you are a designer or a business owner looking to maximize the potential of your brand assets, understanding how to build these logo variants from just one primary logo is essential.
TLDR
Submarks and alternate logos improve your brand’s versatility and consistency across different platforms. Start with a solid primary logo and extract elements like initials, icons, or shapes to create simplified versions. These secondary marks can be used in places where the full logo might not fit or be necessary. A well-thought-out system of marks enhances professionalism and visual coherence.
What Are Submarks and Alternates?
A submark is a simplified version of your logo, typically used in smaller spaces like social media avatars, website favicons, stickers, or watermarks. They often include initials, symbols, or small motifs pulled from the primary logo.
On the other hand, an alternate logo is a variation of your main logo used to maintain visual consistency when the primary logo doesn’t quite fit. Alternate logos usually change the layout — for example, from horizontal to stacked — or may adapt the text-to-symbol ratio based on usage context.
Why You Need Them
- Brand Flexibility: Different platforms have different sizing and orientation needs.
- Stronger Recognition: Alternate versions allow your brand to stay recognizable even in small or constrained spaces.
- Professionalism: Having a full suite of logos makes your brand identity feel complete and well-thought-out.
Step 1: Start With a Solid Primary Logo
Your main logo is your brand’s visual anchor. Before you create any submarks or alternates, ensure your primary logo has all the critical ingredients:
- Typography that aligns with your brand tone
- A clear and scalable mark or icon (if applicable)
- Balanced layout suitable for adaptation
If your primary logo is too complicated or lacks distinct parts (like an icon or unique text), it may not lend itself well to creating versatile alternates.
Step 2: Analyze the Components
Break down your main logo into its individual elements:
- Text (brand name, tagline, initials)
- Icon or symbol
- Shapes or background elements
Identify which elements can function effectively on their own or in combination. A good submark might feature just a monogram of your brand’s initials inside a circle derived from your main design. An alternate might rearrange these components into a vertical layout instead of horizontal.
Step 3: Design Alternate Layouts
Alternate logos are not meant to look completely different from your main logo; they should echo the same style and feel.
Common alternate formats include:
- Stacked Variation: Break your logo into multiple lines to create a taller version for square formats.
- Symbol First: Put more emphasis on the icon by placing it above or beside a smaller brand name.
- No Tagline: Remove the secondary tagline text for simpler branding.
Design tools like Adobe Illustrator or Canva can be helpful to experiment with different arrangements while preserving fonts and brand colors.
Step 4: Create Submarks for Micro-Branding
Unlike alternate logos, submarks are designed for minimal space. They should still be highly recognizable and rooted in your brand’s visual elements.
Effective submark ideas:
- Monograms: Initials of your brand styled using your logo typography
- Symbols: Isolated icon or shape from your main mark
- Enclosures: Circular, square, or other shape enclosures to group elements for social media avatars
Remember to test how your submark looks at both small and large sizes. It should remain clear, even when scaled down to a tiny favicon or corner badge.
Step 5: Match Style and Proportions
No matter the variation, every version of your logo must feel united as part of the same brand family. Pay close attention to:
- Color Scheme: Maintain consistency with your brand palette
- Typeface: Use the same or complementary fonts from your main logo
- Spacing: Balance white space, even on smaller mark versions
If you use effects like gradients or shadows in your main logo, consider how well these translate to smaller marks. Sometimes simplifying effects improves legibility in limited sizes.
Step 6: Develop a Logo Suite
Once your alternates and submarks are ready, organize them into a cohesive suite. A solid brand kit might include the following:
- Primary logo (main layout)
- Horizontal alternate logo
- Vertical alternate logo
- Submark 1 (monogram)
- Submark 2 (icon or shape enclosure)
- Black-and-white or single-color variants
Compile these into a logo folder, exporting in multiple formats like PNG, SVG, and PDF for both web and print uses.
Step 7: Test on Real Materials
The real test of your new logo system is practical application. Place each version on real-life mockups:
- Website headers and footers
- Social media profile pictures
- Business cards and letterheads
- Merchandise like mugs or tote bags
If any version appears too cluttered or inconsistent with your brand’s voice, refine it further. Iteration is part of the design process!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overcomplication: Submarks should be simple — don’t overcrowd them with details.
- Lack of cohesion: All variants must clearly belong to the same brand family.
- Ignoring small-scale readability: Ensure submarks are still legible when minimized.
By steering clear of these traps, you’ll create a logo system that’s both aesthetic and effective.
Conclusion
Designing submarks and alternate logos doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel; it means leveraging the versatility of your existing design to expand your brand presence. With a thoughtful approach to layout, scale, and consistency, you can transform one logo into a multi-functional branding toolkit. This not only makes your business look more cohesive but also prepares your brand for growth across various mediums and platforms.
So take your primary logo, dissect its strengths, and translate its identity into elegant variations that work just about anywhere. Your brand will thank you for it.
