To wrap up a very exciting year of design, we created an analysis of the world's 100 highest-earning companies and their logos. From that round-up we saw a number of interesting trends develop, which we have since started dissecting to help start-up business owners who may be in the market for a brilliant logo design.

Far and away the most prevalent decision of top 100 brands was to represent themselves with a combination mark - or a logo containing both an image or graphic of some type and the business name. Sixty-one companies make this design choice, giving us cause to stop and consider why.

They could have opted for a logomark, or simply visuals with no brand name or typography, or even logotypes, which consist only of the brand name in a distinctive font and color.

While all three types of logos have their pros and cons, the combination mark is uniquely versatile and applicable across industries and uses. Generally speaking, having a graphic element in your logo will help a designer showcase your company's personality and values much more effectively, while keeping the name front and center ensures instant brand recognition.

Finally, as long as your combo mark is not integrated, meaning the text and graphic are separate rather than merged (think VW or Starbucks vs Microsoft or Mercedes Benz), you have the option to choose to use only the graphic or logotype in specific circumstances. This feature alone makes a combination mark the adaptable choice for a logo, whether you're just starting out or earning the big bucks.

Microsoft

Toyota

General Electric

AT&T

Amazon

Louis Vuitton

Cisco

BMW

NIKE

Intel

Wal-Mart

Verizon

Mercdes-Benz

Budweiser

Marlboro

SAP

Pepsi

Visa

Nescafe

Hewlett-Packard

HSBC

Frito-Lay

Audi

UPS

Ford

Nestle

Accenture

IKEA

Pampers

Hermès

MasterCard

Danone

Caterpillar

Kraft

Colgate

Chevrolet

Coach

Hyundai

Rolex

Lexus

Volkswagen

Thomson Reuters

Santander

John Deere

Chase

Bank of America

Nissan

Red Bull

Porsche

Citi

Boeing

Adidas

Chanel

RBC

Allianz

Ralph Lauren

Heineken

Target

KIA Motors

Sprite

MTV

Want More?

Great companies need great logos. Here is some design inspiration from the best:

24 Red Logo Designs From The World's Leading Brands

50 Great Business Logos Featuring Car Designs

40 Excellent Egg Logos For Fresh Design Inspiration

Written by Jane Murray on Tuesday, January 19, 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.