Definition:
An isotype symbol or imagotype is the graphic representation of a company or brand through an image devoid of textual elements. The word isotype comes from initials formed from the Anglo-Saxon expression “International System of Typographic Education”, ISOTOPE. In general, the choice of an isotype is not accidental, and an attempt is made to correspond the visual identity of the same with the corporate image of the brand. For this, graphic designers rely on the games of colors and shapes as well as the representations of elements that form mental associations with the brand in the minds of consumers.
The functionality of these elements lies in the use of the visual power of images to impact through brands, being an important element within marketing. However, for an isotype to be effective, it must previously go through a long positioning process, accompanied by the name of a brand through a logo, imagotype or isologo.
Applications of isotypes
Some common applications of isotypes include:
- In advertising: Isotypes are often used in advertisements to grab the public’s attention and make a brand recognizable.
- In packaging design: Isotypes are also used in the design of product packaging, whether on labels, boxes or packaging, to identify and promote a specific product.
- In corporate communication: Isotypes are an important element of a company’s corporate communication, as they provide a consistent and recognizable visual image for the public.
- In website and social media: Isotypes are also used in website and social media to identify a company and make its brand recognizable online.
- In signage and store design: Isotypes are also used in signage and store design to guide customers and make a brand recognizable at the point of sale.
Typologies of visual representation of a brand
There are different types of typologies with which a brand can be visually represented, and they often generate confusion among themselves because of their resemblance. In addition to the isotype, we can define the following graphic representations of marks:
- Logo: from the Latin logos (word) the logo is the visual representation composed only by text, so it lacks any other visual element, we could say that it is the simplest representation of the corporate identity of a brand.
- Imagotype: It is the combination of visual elements with texts forming a unity, but so that each element remains independently without merging. Both elements must be integrated harmoniously, without either standing out above the other.
- Isologo: finally, the isologo is the combination of a symbol and text in an indivisible way, that is, they are merged unlike the Imagotype.