How to Shorten Long Company Names in a Logo: Tips & Examples
Why Abbreviate a Company Name for a Logo?
In today’s instant results world, consumers want both their information and product as quickly as possible. When a business has a long company name there can be a risk of losing a potential consumer, based on attention span and inability to remember the full company title. Because of this situation, many companies are focusing on condensing their names that fit a graphic style.
Each of the following ideas will show you how to shorten a long company name, to make things easier when creating a logo, while keeping the integrity and focus of your company clear to the consumer. Changing up the name through the use of a logo is a great way to make an impact on the current market. Once you narrow down how to shorten the business name, you can then utilize free software for your logo creation. Fore more on free ways to work on and create your logo, see Free Logo Templates and Free Logo Design Software for Your Small Business.
Abbreviate the Company Name
One way in which to shorten a company name for logo use is by abbreviating the name itself. A good example of this would be the American Automobile Association, which is a long on text, and a bit of a mouthful to say, but this group abbreviates for the use of their logo and are more commonly known as Triple A.
For a graphic example, I’ve created a made up name of Creative Freelancers Design Group. This is a long text example of a business name that would be to long to market well in addition to a graphical logo. In the example to the left is an image of how to shorten a long company name in logo format for better marketing, using the abbreviation technique.
Use an Image to Represent the Name
Another way to change up a long name, and make it more marketable to your consumers, is by using an image. Instead of shortening the name to something simpler, try to find ways in which the full company name can be represented by just as an image. An example of this would be Nike, the shoe company. Sure the name is not super long but with just the swoosh as a graphical point, their entire business is recognizable as an image.
For our created example, I will use the same company name of Creative Freelancers Design Group and make a single image that encompassed the business. This example is shown in the image to the left.
Combine Image and Abbreviation
Attaching the abbreviation to an image is also a good way to make an impact on consumers. Combine the short version of the name and include it somewhere as an element in the design. A good example of this technique would be the Bavarian Motor Works company. Their abbreviation is BMW placed inside the graphic image as a way to make their brand an easy recognizable marker.
As seen in the example that I created to left, I took the abbreviation of the Creative Freelancers Design Group company name and changed the font, for better alignment, into the graphical design. In doing so, I am left with a clean and easily reproducible logo that conveys to my consumer a memorable image that will enable them to mentally link back to my overall company.
References
*images used were created by author
AIGA, https://www.aiga.org
