A word mark and a logo mark are two different U.S. trademark applications. A word mark, formally a standard character mark, protects the words themselves, without claiming a particular font, color, or styling. A logo mark, also called a design mark or stylized mark, protects a specific design, including any stylized text that is part of that design.
If you can only file one application, the word mark is usually the broader choice, because it can cover the name no matter how it is displayed. If the logo is an important part of the brand, many companies file both.
What a word mark covers
A standard character mark is for a name, slogan, or other wording. The registration is not limited to one font or layout. Someone who uses the same or a confusingly similar name in a different typeface can still be an issue.
This is the usual first filing for a brand name.
What a logo mark covers
A logo application protects the design as shown in the drawing: shapes, graphics, and any stylized lettering in that design. It does not, by itself, give you exclusive rights to the words in the logo. Those words are listed in the application as the literal element, which the USPTO uses for searching. The literal element is not a separate word-mark registration. See Understanding the literal element in logo trademark applications.
Should you file both?
File both when the name and the logo each matter on their own, and the budget allows two filings. Each application has its own USPTO fee (the base fee is $350 per class, and Markavo's government-fee line is $450 per class) and its own legal fee. Two one-class Basic filings would be $549 each, or $1,098 all-in to file. See the 2026 trademark cost guide and U.S. trademarks.
If you already have one of the two, Markavo's missing trademark application service is set up for the other filing.