What Is a Pictorial Logo?

A pictorial mark is a logo built from a standalone icon or symbol, used without any accompanying business name built into the mark itself.

Icon-only logos are highly effective once a brand is already well known, since the icon alone can carry recognition. For a new or growing business, though, a pure pictorial mark is risky — it communicates nothing about what the business is called or does until the audience has already learned the association.

Most businesses that eventually use a pictorial mark started with a combination mark (icon plus name) and phased out the text once recognition was firmly established.