One of the best ways to determine where professional design is headed is to look at how the most successful companies in the world are going about it. At least that's what we thought when we evaluated the world's 100 top-earning companies of 2015 and their logos. And we weren't wrong – looking at the pros gives us a very good idea of what's-what in logo design.

Far and away the most common logo design decision of the greats is to use a combination mark, meaning a logo consisting of both a graphic design element (or logomark), and the brand name (or logotype). But while a whopping 61 companies chose to go that route, 35 brands opted for a pure logotype, leaving only four companies with nothing but a logomark.

Going with either a pure logotype or logomark can be risky business, as it often risks weakened brand recognition. Use a strong graphic and you'll catch people's attention, but they might not associate it with your brand name, giving them lots of interest with nowhere to go.

With a strong logotype, you put your company name front and center, giving you a clean, strong look. But using only type can limit your designer's ability to give you personality, and unless your product or service is in the name, a fledgling company might see consumers confused about what you actually do.

Whether or not the risks outweigh the benefits of a pure logotype is up to the individual. They usually work best for companies which already have a certain amount of brand recognition, so fledgling entrepreneurs might want to consider going with a combination mark first and eventually dropping either the graphic or text.

Whatever you choose, make sure you get your logo custom-designed by professional graphic designers – it's the most important design decision you'll make, and one you can't afford to get wrong.

Google

Coca-Cola

IBM

Samsung

Disney

Oracle

American Express

Honda

Gillette

ESPN

H&M

L'Oréal

The Home Depot

Gucci

Siemens

Wells Fargo

FOX

Ebay

Cartier

J.P.Morgan

Zara

Kellogg's

Canon

Prada

Philips

Sony

FedEx

Subway

Goldman Sachs

Exxon Mobil

Panasonic

Hershey

LEGO

Lancome

Estee Lauder

Want More?

Other companies' logos can be great inspiration for your own. Check out these previous round-ups for more winning designs:

100 Famous Corporate Logos From The Top Companies Of 2015

New Logo For BBC Three Illustrates The Difficulties Of Rebranding

Good to Great: Start-up & Small Business Logos from the UK and Europe

Written by Jane Murray on Monday, January 25, 2016

Jane Murray is a freelance copywriter based in Sydney. Apart from writing up a storm for the DesignCrowd blog on anything from logo design to Michael Jackson's shoes, she enjoys reading literary science fiction and hanging out with most animals except wasps. Get in touch via LinkedIn.