Logo Design Foundations: Logo Lockups and Basic Typography Pairing

What a Lockup Is (and Why You Need More Than One)

A logo lockup is a defined arrangement of your symbol (icon/mark) and your wordmark (name) that you can reuse consistently. Most real-world usage needs multiple configurations because available space changes: website headers are wide, social avatars are square, and small applications may only allow an icon.

In this chapter you’ll build a small set of deliverables: horizontal, stacked, and icon-only lockups, plus rules for spacing, alignment, and typography pairing so every version feels like the same brand.

Deliverable Set: Three Core Lockups

1) Horizontal Lockup (Primary for Wide Spaces)

Typical structure: [symbol] + [wordmark] on one line. This is usually the most readable at small sizes in headers and navigation bars.

• Use when you have width and limited height (web header, letterhead top bar, signage strips).
• Prioritize legibility of the wordmark; keep the symbol from overpowering it.

2) Stacked Lockup (Primary for Narrow Spaces)

Typical structure: symbol above wordmark, or wordmark above symbol. Stacked versions are useful for square-ish placements and centered compositions.

• Use when height is available but width is limited (poster corner, packaging front panel, square layouts).
• Keep vertical spacing intentional; avoid “floating” elements.

3) Icon-Only (Smallest Footprint)

Icon-only is the symbol without the wordmark. It must be a defined variant, not a random crop.

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• Use when the brand name is already present or space is extremely limited (favicon, app icon, social avatar, watermark).
• Ensure the icon has its own clear space and size rules.

Alignment and Spacing Logic (Make It Systematic)

Choose a Measurement Unit

Define a unit you can reuse across lockups. Common choices:

• x = the x-height of the wordmark type (height of lowercase “x”)
• cap = cap height (height of uppercase letters)
• s = a key dimension of the symbol (e.g., stroke width or inner counter width)

Pick one unit and stick to it. This makes spacing rules portable across sizes.

Horizontal Lockup: Step-by-Step Build

1. Set the wordmark first (type choice, size, tracking baseline). Keep it editable while you test spacing.
2. Place the symbol to the left of the wordmark (most common). Align using a meaningful typographic reference (see next section).
3. Define the gap between symbol and wordmark using your unit (e.g., gap = 1.0x or 1.5x). Start slightly generous; tighten only if it still reads cleanly.
4. Match visual weight: if the symbol feels heavier than the wordmark, reduce symbol size slightly or adjust type weight (not both at once). Aim for equal “presence.”
5. Lock proportions: record symbol height relative to cap height (example: symbol height = 1.2× cap height). This becomes a rule for future resizing.

Stacked Lockup: Step-by-Step Build

1. Center-align the wordmark (usually) to create a stable axis.
2. Place the symbol above and set symbol width relative to wordmark width (example: symbol width = 0.55× wordmark width). Avoid matching widths exactly unless it’s intentional.
3. Set vertical spacing using your unit (example: vertical gap = 1.0x). Increase slightly if the symbol has descenders or low visual mass.
4. Check balance: the stacked lockup should not feel top-heavy. If it does, reduce symbol size or increase the gap slightly.

Icon-Only Variant: Step-by-Step Build

1. Choose the most stable form of the symbol (no thin details that disappear at small sizes).
2. Define a bounding box (square or circle) only if it’s part of the brand system; otherwise keep the icon free-form.
3. Optically center the icon inside its intended container (see optical centering below).
4. Set minimum size for digital and print usage (e.g., 16 px for UI, 6 mm for print) based on legibility tests you already performed earlier in the course.

Optical Centering (Why “Perfect” Alignment Looks Wrong)

Geometric centering is mathematical; optical centering is perceptual. Many symbols have uneven visual weight (e.g., a leaf leaning right, a circle with a cutout, a mark with a heavy top). If you center them purely by bounding box, they can look off.

Practical Optical Centering Checks

• Squint test: zoom out until details blur; the “blob” should feel centered.
• Flip test: mirror the layout horizontally; if it suddenly looks more centered, your original likely needs adjustment.
• Overlay guides: use a vertical center line and nudge the symbol until it feels centered, then record the offset (e.g., +2 px at 1000 px artboard).

Optical adjustments are usually small (1–3% of the symbol width), but they make lockups look professionally set.

Consistent Proportions Between Symbol and Wordmark

Proportion consistency is what makes your lockups feel like a single system rather than three unrelated logos.

Define Proportion Rules (Examples)

Write these down as part of your lockup kit so you (and others) can rebuild the lockups accurately.

Typography Mini-Module: Pairing Type with Brand Attributes

Choose a Type Style That Matches Attributes

Start from the brand attributes you already defined earlier (e.g., precise, friendly, premium, technical). Translate them into typographic qualities:

• Geometric sans: clean, modern, structured; can feel “tech” or “minimal.”
• Humanist sans: friendly, approachable, readable; good for service brands.
• Grotesk/neo-grotesk: neutral, corporate, versatile; can feel authoritative.
• Serif (old-style or transitional): established, editorial, premium; can add warmth or tradition.
• Slab serif: sturdy, confident, practical; can feel industrial or bold.

Practical pairing rule: if your symbol is highly geometric and sharp, a very organic typeface may clash unless you intentionally want contrast. Aim for either harmonizing (similar character) or controlled contrast (different but compatible).

Baseline, Cap Height, and Symbol Alignment

Typography has invisible structure. Use it to align your symbol and wordmark consistently.

• Baseline: the line letters sit on. Aligning the symbol to the baseline often looks wrong unless the symbol is also “grounded.”
• Cap height: height of uppercase letters. A common approach is aligning the symbol’s visual center to the cap-height center, or matching symbol height to cap height (or a multiple).
• x-height: height of lowercase letters. Useful as a spacing unit because it scales with readability.

Practical method: draw guides for baseline, x-height, and cap height. Then test these two alignments for horizontal lockups:

• Option A (common): symbol vertically centered to the wordmark’s cap-height area.
• Option B (stable): symbol bottom aligned slightly above baseline (optical “sitting” effect), especially for icons that feel grounded (shields, blocks).

Kerning: Make the Wordmark Look Custom

Kerning is adjusting space between specific letter pairs. Even good fonts often need manual kerning in a logo wordmark.

Step-by-Step Kerning Workflow

1. Set tracking first (overall letter spacing). Keep it subtle; many wordmarks use slightly tighter tracking than body text.
2. Zoom in and adjust obvious pairs (e.g., A/V, T/o, W/a, L/T). Look for uneven “holes” of space.
3. Zoom out and check rhythm. The goal is even texture, not equal numeric spacing.
4. Check at small size: some tight kerns that look elegant large can clog at small sizes.
5. Convert to outlines only at the end (or keep a live type master). If you outline too early, iteration becomes painful.

Kerning Heuristics You Can Apply

• Round letters (O, C) often need tighter spacing next to straight letters (T, L) because their shapes create extra white space.
• Diagonal letters (A, V, W, Y) can create large gaps; reduce them until the negative space matches neighboring pairs.
• Don’t kern by measuring letter-to-letter distance; kern by comparing negative space shapes.

Build a Lockup Kit (Your Practical Output)

Your lockup kit is a small specification set that defines exactly how the logo can appear. It should be easy for someone else to apply without guessing.

Kit Contents: Defined Variants

• Primary horizontal lockup (full color and single-color versions as applicable)
• Primary stacked lockup
• Icon-only
• Optional: wordmark-only (useful when the symbol is not needed)

Clear Space Rules Per Lockup

Clear space is the minimum buffer around the logo where no other elements should intrude (text, edges, other marks).

Define clear space using your unit (x-height or cap height). Example specs you can adopt:

• Horizontal lockup: clear space = 1.5x on all sides
• Stacked lockup: clear space = 2.0x (stacked forms often need more breathing room)
• Icon-only: clear space = 1.0x (or a symbol-based unit like stroke width)

Also define minimum size per lockup (digital and print). Keep it as a simple table in your kit.

Misuse Examples (Show What Not to Do)

Include a small grid of “don’ts” so the system stays consistent across teams and vendors. Common misuse cases to document:

• Stretching or squashing (non-uniform scaling)
• Adding effects (drop shadows, glows, bevels, outlines not in the system)
• Inconsistent colors (using off-brand hues, gradients if not defined, low-contrast combinations)
• Rearranging elements (changing symbol position, swapping stacked/horizontal proportions)
• Changing type (substituting fonts, altering weight without updating symbol balance)
• Violating clear space (placing text too close, crowding edges)

Simple Spec Block Template (Copy/Paste)

LOCKUP KIT SPECS (example)  Unit: x-height (x)  Horizontal: symbol height = 1.2 cap; gap = 1.0x; clear space = 1.5x  Stacked: symbol width = 0.55 wordmark width; vertical gap = 1.0x; clear space = 2.0x  Icon-only: optical center offset = +2px right at 1000px artboard; clear space = 1.0x  Minimum sizes: Horizontal 120px wide / 25mm; Stacked 90px wide / 20mm; Icon 16px / 6mm  Misuse: no stretch, no effects, no recolor, no rearrange, no font substitution