Coat of Arms vs Family Crest vs Logo: What Is the Difference?

The short answer

• Coat of arms: the design on the shield, with its colors, divisions and emblems. In heraldry this is "the arms."
• Crest: strictly, only the figure that sits on top of the helmet above the shield, such as a lion's head or an arm holding a sword. It is one part of a full display, not the whole thing.
• Achievement: the heralds' word for the complete picture: shield, helmet, crest, mantling, motto and, for some arms, supporters.
• Logo: a mark that identifies a business, team or product. A logo can borrow the look of heraldry, but it follows trademark law and design taste rather than heraldic rules.

In everyday speech "family crest" and "coat of arms" are used as if they mean the same thing, and nobody will misunderstand you. If you are talking to a genealogist, an engraver or a heraldry enthusiast, though, the difference matters.

Parts of a full coat of arms

These are the parts of a full achievement, and the name of each:

1. Shield (escutcheon): the heart of it all. If a design has only one part, it is this one.
2. Helm: a helmet set above the shield. Its style often signaled rank in older traditions.
3. Mantling: the leafy, scalloped cloth that flows down from the helm on both sides, usually in the main color and metal of the arms.
4. Torse (wreath): a twisted roll of cloth around the base of the crest, where it meets the helm.
5. Crest: the figure on top of the torse. This is the part that gave the whole thing its popular name.
6. Motto: a short phrase on a scroll. English arms usually place it below the shield; Scottish arms usually place it on a scroll above the crest.
7. Supporters: a pair of figures, often animals, standing either side and holding the shield up. They are granted only in particular cases, which is why you see them on royal, civic and noble arms.

Where the crest came from, and why the word stuck

Crests began on real helmets. Knights of the 12th and 13th centuries wore metal fans on their helms that could be painted, and by the late 13th and early 14th centuries these had grown into three-dimensional figures, especially for tournaments. Because the crest sat on a helmet, it was tied to people who fought: traditionally women (other than reigning queens) and clergy did not use crests.

Later, in the age of paper heraldry, people began using the crest on its own: on signet rings, silver, bookplates and writing paper. A small figure on a ring was easier to engrave than a full shield with all its colors. That habit of showing the crest alone is why "crest" drifted into meaning the whole coat of arms in everyday English. The Heraldry Society still says plainly that there is no such thing as a family crest: the crest is one part of a coat of arms.

If you want your own design on a ring or a seal today, the same logic applies. A simple shield with one bold emblem cuts well at small sizes; see the signet ring crest guide.

Is there a coat of arms for my surname?

Usually not, and this is the most common misunderstanding of all. In the British tradition, arms are granted to one named person and passed to that person's heirs. They do not belong to everyone who shares a surname. A shop that sells "the Smith family coat of arms" is showing you arms that belonged to one Smith, who may not be related to you at all.

Scotland has a related custom that causes confusion. Clan members may wear a crest badge: the chief's crest inside a strap and buckle bearing the chief's motto. It shows membership of the clan, but it is not the wearer's own coat of arms. The Scottish family crest guide explains it in more detail.

Who grants arms depends on the country. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Crown's heraldic authority is exercised through the College of Arms; in Scotland, by the Court of the Lord Lyon. The United States has no government heraldic authority, and Americans are legally free to adopt arms of their own design. That is what an original design from a tool like Crest Studio is: new arms in the heraldic style, not an inherited grant.

Coat of arms or logo: which do you need?

Choose a coat of arms when the subject is a person or a family

A coat of arms suits something meant to last and be passed on: a family, a couple, a new baby, a household. The traditional meanings of colors and emblems give it a story you can explain, which is why a certificate describing the design makes a good gift. The symbols and meanings guide covers every color and emblem.

Choose a crest logo when the subject is a brand

A business, club or team needs a mark that reads at the size of a browser tab and works in one color on a cup or a shirt. That is a logo job, even if the logo looks like heraldry. Keep it to one bold emblem and two contrasting colors, and check existing trademarks before you register it. The crest logo maker guide explains what the $29 Logo Kit includes: transparent files, a shield-only mark, favicons and social banners.

Either way, the rule of tincture helps

Heraldry's oldest design rule is to put a metal (gold or silver) against a color (red, blue, green, purple or black), never color on color or metal on metal. It is a contrast rule, and it is just as useful for a coffee shop logo as for a family shield. All the examples on this page follow it.

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