# Logo, symbol, icon and wordmark

> A company usually has several versions of its logo, and lookup APIs name them differently. What each term means, where to show which, and the formats returned.

A company usually has more than one version of its logo, and brand APIs use different words for them.

| Term | What it is | Where it fits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Logo, wordmark or brandmark | The full logo, often the name set in type, usually wide | Headers, footers, documents |
| Symbol | The mark on its own, without the name | Next to the name set in your own type |
| Icon | A square version, often the symbol on a background | Lists, avatars, small sizes |

[Brandfetch's](https://brandapis.com/directory/brandfetch) Logo API serves an icon, a symbol or a logo, each in a light or dark theme. [Logo.dev's](https://brandapis.com/directory/logo-dev) image URL serves the square logo; its Brand API also returns the wide one, which it calls the brandmark.

## Which one should you show?

In a list or a table of companies, use the square icon so the rows stay aligned. In a header or a document, use the full logo. Ask for the theme that matches your background: both Brandfetch and Logo.dev have light and dark versions.

## Which file format?

SVG is drawn from shapes, so it stays sharp at any size and is what designers prefer. PNG, JPG and WebP are pictures at a fixed size. Brandfetch returns SVG for the logo and symbol types. Logo.dev's image URL serves JPG, PNG or WebP but not SVG; its Brand API reports the format of the source file and downloads come as JPG, PNG or WebP up to 800 pixels.

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Source: https://brandapis.com/concepts/logo-variants
Last updated: 2026-11-10
Published by The Brand API Register. The Brand API Register is run by Rainbrand, which makes one of the APIs listed. Its entry follows the same rules as the others.