Should I register the name or the logo?

When registering a trademark, you can generally choose from two options. You can either file for a word mark or a logo mark. There is a third option that officially falls under the logo mark - a combined trademark. The final choice depends on a couple of variables.

You can choose a wordmark if you wish to protect the brand or product name that you do not use in any particular font or style. A wordmark will grant 100 % protection for any given name. The brand/product name can then be used in any font or stylization. A wordmark is a good fit if you are using many different fonts or styles of the same brand name. This way, you do not have to register each of the variations of your brand name separately.

You can choose a figurative trademark if you are using your brand/product name in one particular style across your social media, website or packaging. This way, not only the words but the particular stylization will gain protection.

If you want to protect your icon, symbol or drawing, the best fit is a logo trademark.

If your logo includes both the text and visual elements, you can file for a combined trademark officially recognized as a logo trademark. Their combination receives complete protection, while text and visuals separately gain implicit protection - meaning that their protection in isolation depends on their own inherent distinctiveness. A text included in a combined mark might, for example, not be considered unique enough on its own. Hence to increase the protection of a combined mark even more, you can also register the brand name as a wordmark.

You can find the complete comparison between registering the name, logo or both in this article.