1 There are several types of company and product identifications. The trademark, also called a brand name, is the name by which people can speak of the product. Very often a trademark will include some pictorial or design element. If it does, the combination is called a logotype (or simply a logo).

2 Trademarks are proper terms that identify the products and services of a business and distinguish them from products and services of others. Specially, a trademark is a word, design, or combination used by a company to identify its brand and to distinguish it from others, and it may be registered and protected by law. Trademark formats can include letters, numbers, slogans, geometric shapes, pictures, labels, color combinations, product and container shapes, vehicles, clothing, and even sound.

3 Trademarks can also be termed service marks when used to identify a service. In general, a trademark for goods appears on the product or its packaging, and a service mark is used in advertising to identify the services.
 

4 The logo design is an extremely important element in the successful marketing of a product. It is difficult to sell a product until a reasonable level of name recognition is achieved among the consumers. In fact, the creation of a logo is so important that a number of firms have been established whose primary function is the design of logos, packages, and corporate identity. Most designers attempt to forge a compatible relationship among the package design, logo, and advertising for the product. A strong logo on the package and in product advertising creates an environment of recognition.

5 Clearly, the most successful packages are those that combine an intriguing design scheme with a provocative logotype. What we mean is a logo that is distinctive enough if it is extracted from the package that it will still project the visual personality of the product. After all, when pushing a shopping cart down a supermarket aisle, the consumer's first images will be recognizable brand names.

6 Trademarks should not be confused with trade names, which are corporate or business names. General Motors, for example, is the trade name of a company making automobiles whose trademark (not trade name) is Buick. The terms trademark and trade name are often confused. Trade names are proper nouns. Trade names can be used in the possessive form and do not require a generic form. Many companies, however, use their trade names as trademarks. For example, Reebok International Ltd. is the corporate name, and Reebok may be used as a trade name, as “Reebok's newest line of athletic shoes is for children. ” Reebok also is used as a trademark: “Are you wearing Reebok athletic shoes or another brand?”

7 If you're confused, think of yourself as a new product. Your surname is your
trade name (e. g. Lane or Smith). Your gender is the product classification (Female Lane or Female Smith). Your given name then is the brand (Lois Lane or Judy Smith) because it distinguishes you from other family members.

8 Some personal names (as with product names) may sound the same but may have different spellings — Sherry, Sherri, or even Cheri. Or they may simply be very familiar names — Jennifer, Jane, Susan, Emily — or clearly distinctive, like Ruhanna. Yet, distinctive may appear difficult to read or pronounce. Companies and products have a similar problem. They want names that can easily become familiar to consumers, yet be easy to read and pronounce and be memorable.

9 General Electric has a simple procedure for developing trademarks for its brands. GE's branding strategy has a number of steps:

1. Pick a name. General Electric, for example. 2. Create a memorable trademark. The GE monogram is recognized the world over. 3. Make a promise. For 60 years. GE promised better living through electricity, which     became better living through technology, for the past 30 years. 4. Effectively communicate the promise. GE has always had highly imaginative and memorable     work produced by its agencies. 5. Be consistent. Even as we grow and modify our business, we carefully manage the use of     our identity worldwide. 6. Don't get bored. GE has kept the same strategic promise for 30 years. If you follow the     basic strategy, your brand should thrive.