Types of trademarks: names, images, shapes and sounds

A trademark can be more than a name or a conventional logo. The shape of packaging, a sound or another element that customers use to identify the source of goods or services may matter to a business. However, filing options and requirements for representing that sign depend on the jurisdiction.

Signs worth considering

WIPO describes different types of signs, including words, letters, numbers, images, shapes, colours and sounds. This shows the variety of trademarks, but does not confirm that every unusual element can be registered everywhere.

For illustration, a manufacturer develops an unusual box and a short sound for advertisements. These are two separate subjects for assessment. You need to determine whether customers perceive each element as identifying a particular brand, how to describe it and how to submit it to the chosen office.

Shape, colour and sound

As a starting point, Ireland’s IPOI explains trademark types. A shape mark may concern the shape of a product or its packaging; a colour mark concerns a colour or combination of colours without contours; a sound mark consists of a sound or combination of sounds. The office also distinguishes position, motion, multimedia and other types.

Use these concepts to describe your idea more precisely to a specialist. Do not copy a foreign application format without checking the rules of the country where protection is needed. Even similar names for trademark types do not remove differences in procedure and acceptable materials.

Prepare a specific subject for assessment

For a shape, collect consistent images from the relevant angles. For a sound, prepare the final recording and explain where it is used. For a colour arrangement, show which element you consider a lasting feature of the brand and which is seasonal design.

These are materials for an initial assessment, not a universal application checklist. Check the final requirements for files, descriptions and representation under the chosen procedure. In Ukraine, use the Ukrainian IP Office’s current rules and forms.

Questions to ask before filing

• Do customers see or hear this element as an independent feature identifying the brand?
• Does it stay consistent across products and advertising?
• Can the boundaries of the sign be defined precisely?
• What materials show its actual use?
• What requirements apply in the target market?
• Should another form of protection also be considered?

For example, a new product’s appearance may call for a separate assessment of design protection. Do not try to solve every issue with one instrument simply because you already know about trademarks. First explain the result the business needs: identifying the manufacturer, protecting appearance or another objective.

The next step

Compare the cost of preparing the filing with the element’s importance to customers. If it is rarely used or will soon change, tell the specialist before deciding protection priorities.

Prepare a short description and dated examples of use. Separate facts from assumptions about recognition: the team’s confidence does not replace evidence of customer perception. Ask for an assessment of eligibility, representation requirements and whether filing makes sense in the territories you need.

Once agreed, record the final version. If the sound, shape or composition changes regularly, discuss this before filing: the application must concern a defined subject, and the team needs to understand exactly what has been submitted for registration.

Checked against official sources: 22 October 2026.