Drawing of your mark

Your application must include a clear “drawing” or depiction of the trademark you want to register. We also call a “drawing” a “mark drawing” or a “representation of the mark.” Federal trademark law requires that you provide a drawing with your application for us to assign the application a filing date and move it toward registration. Click on the headings below to learn more.

How are drawings used?

Once your application has a filing date, we upload the drawing of your trademark into our automated records. The public can view these records online using the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) and the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) databases. This publicly available information about your trademark may help you avoid subsequent legal conflicts.

The trademark that appears in your drawing will also appear on your registration certificate.

For more information about drawings, see the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) §807 and our Trademark Information Network video, “Drawing Issues.”

Which type of drawing should I use and which provides broader protection?

This decision depends on many factors, including the mark you use most often with your goods or services, which words or designs are important for you to protect, and how much money you plan to spend on protecting the mark.

For example, companies often separately register various components of a mark that they use together and separately. A company might register its business name, a slogan, and a logo to ensure the broadest possible protection. This gives companies flexibility in their promotional matter, social media, and webpages to mix and match marks (sometimes using a slogan or design alone, or a design with the slogan) and still protect all their marks.

Some companies, however, can afford to register only one mark, so they might focus instead on registering the one or two components they use most often and that are most important to their brand. Because this decision is important, an applicant may wish to hire a private attorney specializing in trademark matters.

Click on the headings below to learn more about the two types of drawings, the protection each provides, and when a special form drawing is required.

The two types of drawings

Apply for one of the two types of drawings in your application:

1. A standard character drawing shows a mark in text only (without a design) in no particular font style, size, or color.

Examples of standard character marks:¹ NIKE, TARGET, VW.

2. A special form drawing shows a mark with stylization, designs, graphics, logos, or color. These are also called “stylized marks” or “design marks."

Examples of special form marks:²

The term NIKE with a curved band below it

A design of concentric circles representing a target or bullseye.

The design of a white V over a white W within a white circle on a blue circle

Apply for only one mark per application, and include only one drawing. Generally, we will not assign your application a filing date or move it toward registration if your application has two or more drawings of different marks (or one drawing of multiple marks). For more information about the requirement for only one mark, see the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) §807.01.

¹ These marks are registered as follows (from left to right): U.S. Registration Nos. 3081688, 5167255, and 2992649.

² These marks are registered as follows (from left to right): U.S. Registration Nos. 2209815, 5200640, and 3032408.

DISCLAIMER: References to particular trademarks, service marks, products, services, companies, or organizations appearing on this page are for illustrative and educational purposes only and do not constitute or imply endorsement by the U.S. government, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or any other federal agency.

Protection provided by a standard character vs. special form drawing

You must decide whether to apply for a standard character drawing or a special form drawing (you cannot choose both). If you register your mark in standard characters, you will receive the broadest form of protection for your mark because your registration will encompass the wording itself, without limiting the registered mark to a specific font, style, size, or color. If you register your mark in special form, your mark will be protected only for the particular depiction you provided.

When is a special form drawing required?

You must submit a special form drawing when your mark includes words, letters, or numerals presented in a way that creates an uncommon or "special" impression that would be altered or lost if the text were registered alone.

A special form drawing is also required if you want your registered mark to include specific colors or underlining, superscripts, subscripts, exponents, emoticons, or characters and symbols that are not in our standard character set (see also “Requirements for color marks”).

Here are two examples where a special form drawing was required:

The mark appeared on the drawing as LABID (for use with prescription drugs) but on the specimen as LáBID. "BID" is a common abbreviation of the Latin “bis in die,” used with prescription drugs to mean twice a day. Standard characters did not convey that BID stood apart from the other letters because of the specific font style used on the specimen.
The mark appeared on the drawing as FOR LIFE INSURANCE SEE US (for insurance services), but on the specimen the "US" portion was underlined and appeared in much larger lettering. The actual use on the specimen suggested a double meaning, with “US” standing for both the applicant’s name "United Services" and the pronoun "us." Standard characters did not convey this double meaning.

For more information about when a special form drawing is required, see TMEP §807.04(b).

For more information about the protection provided by standard character and special form drawings, see In re Calphalon Corp., 122 USPQ2d 1153, 1160 n.8 (TTAB 2017) and 37 C.F.R. 2.52(a).

What are the requirements for drawings?

Requirements for standard character drawings

You must submit a depiction of the mark as well as a standard character claim.

The depiction must:

Show text only (no graphics, logos, or designs; no color or stylization)
Display the mark in black on a white background
Show all letters and words in Latin characters (A-Z)
Show all numerals in Roman (VII, IX) and/or Arabic (0-9) numerals
Include only common punctuation (colon, dashes) and diacritical marks (accents, tildes).

The standard character claim

The standard character claim is a statement that the mark consists of standard characters without claim to any particular font style, size, or color. This statement is automatically provided in the initial online application if you select “Standard Characters.”

For a complete list of all the characters and symbols you can use in a standard character mark, view our standard character set. For example, standard character marks may include symbols such as the dollar ($) or Euro (€) sign; “at” sign (@); degree sign (°); ampersand (&); number, pound, or hashtag sign (#); or asterisk (*).

Standard character marks cannot include:

Underlining
Superscripts (like the “1” at the end of this line¹)
Exponents (like the “2” in MC²)
Subscripts (like the “2” in CO₂)

You cannot use a standard character drawing if your mark includes any elements not found in our standard character set, or includes standard characters that form shapes or designs, such as emoticons.

Our databases will display a standard character mark in a simple standardized typeface. For more information about standard character drawings, see the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) §807.03-807.03(i).

Requirements for special form drawings

You must submit a depiction of the mark as well as a description of the mark.

The depiction must:

Display the mark—if the mark is not in color—in black on a white background, or—if the mark is in color—in color on a white background (see “Requirements for color marks” below)
Display a high-quality image of the mark drawing that reproduces well with all lines appearing clean, sharp and solid, and not fine or crowded.

To claim special form:

In addition to submitting a special form drawing that meets the requirements above, you must also submit a statement consisting of an accurate and concise description of everything appearing in the mark: all text and design elements, and the location of any color, if relevant.

For example, the Target design mark of a bullseye³ in the section above called "How are drawings used?" includes the following description: “The mark consists of concentric circles representing a target or bullseye design.” A description of your mark cannot, however, include a registered mark or elements not appearing in the mark.

In the initial online application, if you select “Special Form,” you will enter the description in the text field following “The mark consists of.”

We will assign all design elements in your mark a numerical “design code” from our Design Search Code Manual that enables us to properly search those design elements for conflicting design marks. The design code will appear in our databases.

For more information about special form drawings, see TMEP §807.04-807.04(b).

³ This mark is registered as U.S. Registration No. 5200640.

Requirement for mark in drawing to match mark on specimen or foreign registration

Depending on your filing basis, the mark in your drawing has to match the mark on either your specimen or your foreign registration.

If your application was filed based on use in commerce under Section 1(a) of the Trademark Act, or you are now filing an allegation of use (AAU/SOU), the mark in your drawing must show a “substantially exact” representation of the mark on your specimen. With few exceptions, the marks have to match.
If the marks do not match, and the differences are material or significant (see below on changes to mark after filing your application), you must submit a different specimen showing the mark on the drawing or amend the application filing basis to intent-to-use under Section 1(b), (or withdraw the AAU) and submit a specimen (that matches) at a later date.
If your application was filed based on a foreign registration under Section 44(e), the mark in your drawing must show a “substantially exact” representation of the mark in your foreign registration. If the marks do not match, you must change your application basis to a Section 1(a) or 1(b) basis, if you can satisfy all the requirements. If you cannot, your mark will not be permitted to register.

For more information about the requirement for the mark in drawings to match the mark on specimens or foreign registrations, see TMEP §807.12(a)-(b).

For more information on specimens and how to use the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) to submit a new specimen and amend the filing basis, see our specimen webpage.

Requirements if you change your drawing after you file your application

People often rely on our database of trademarks to see what trademarks have been applied for before selecting a trademark for their business, so federal law does not allow you to make any material or significant changes to the trademark in your drawing after you file your application.

Generally, adding or deleting significant text or design elements to your trademark is likely to be a material change and will not be accepted. For example:

A frankfurter with a face and arms wearing a hat.

Adding the wording MR. SEYMOUR to the design above was a material change because it added a naming element that changed the overall commercial impression of the character design.
Adding the letter “t” to TACILESENSE to read TACTILESENSE was a material change because it turned an otherwise meaningless word into a term that consisted of the two words “tactile” and “sense.”
Adding a crown and banner design to the wording THE WINE SOCIETY OF AMERICA was a material change because it changed the visual impression of the text phrase alone, and thus changed the overall commercial impression.

You can change the mark in your drawing only if the change does not materially or significantly alter the mark as compared to the mark shown in the previously submitted drawing. If we determine that the old and new forms of the mark create the same overall impression, the change is not considered material or significant.

We generally accept small, insignificant changes to the mark drawing, such as:

Deleting a TM, SM, or ® symbol
Deleting extraneous informational matter (net weight or volume, lists of contents, company addresses)
Adding punctuation, such as quotation marks, hyphens, periods, commas, and exclamation marks (unless it significantly changes the mark)
Changing a special form drawing from black and white to specific colors.

We generally do not permit changes to marks in drawings in requests for an extension of protection to the United States filed under Section 66(a). International and U.S. federal law do not permit these types of marks to be amended.

For more information about changes to the mark in drawings, see TMEP §§807.13-807.14, 1904.02(j).

Drawing requirements for color marks

If you have a color mark, you must include in your application:

A special form drawing showing your mark in color on a white background
A statement that color is a feature of the mark, listing all the colors shown in your mark, including black, white, and gray. For example, “The colors black and red are claimed as a feature of the mark.” When listing colors, you must use common everyday color names to identify the colors in your mark, such as pink, yellow, and blue.
A mark description that identifies where the various colors appear in the mark. For example, “The mark consists of a black hat and a red heart with the words BLACK HAT CHOCOLATES in black stylized letters.” If black, white, or gray represent background, outlining, shading, or transparent areas and are not part of your mark, you must include this information in your mark description.

For more information about color marks, see TMEP §807.07-807.07(g).

Drawing requirements for unusual marks

3D marks and trademark trade dress (3D product design or product packaging), or service mark trade dress – you generally need to provide a special form drawing showing a single rendition of your mark in three dimensions.
Motion marks – you must provide a special form drawing showing a single point in the movement, or a square showing up to five freeze frames of various points in the movement of your mark.
Scent marks – you must provide a standard character drawing with “scent mark” typed as the mark.
Sound marks – you must select “sound mark” as your mark type. You must then submit the actual sound of the sound mark in a .wav, .wmv, .wma, .mp3, or .avi format that does not exceed 5 megabytes in size.

We also require a detailed written description for these unusual marks because the mark drawing cannot always adequately represent them. For 3D and trade dress marks, you must mention in your description that the mark is three-dimensional.

For more information about drawings for these types of marks, see TMEP §807.09 (for sound, scent, and non-visual marks), TMEP §807.10 and TMEP §1202.02(c)(i) (for 3D and trade dress marks), and TMEP §807.11 (for motion marks).

Need to respond to an office action about a mark drawing issue?

Respond online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS). Follow the specific instructions below for mark drawing issues, or get general information about responding to office actions.

To submit a new mark drawing

The instructions presume that you will respond to more than one issue. To respond, fill out the form to address all issues in the office action and, at the end of the form, the correct party must properly sign it. It is important that the proper party sign your response, otherwise we may not accept it and you could miss the deadline for responding to an office action. For more information about who may sign a response, please review your office action.

1. If you are responding to a nonfinal office action, use the Response to Examining Attorney Office Action form. If you are responding to a final office action, use the Request for Reconsideration after Final Action form.
2. Answer "Yes" to question 4 on the form.
3. In the "Mark Information" section of the form, check the box stating that you have read and understood that a material alteration will not be permitted.
4. To amend your mark, do the following:

a. For a standard character mark (non-stylized text mark), click the box by “Standard Characters” and type the new mark in the text field for adding/modifying the standard character mark.

b. For a special form mark:

i. Click the box for “Special Form (Stylized and/or Design).”
ii. Click the "Browse" button to select a JPG image file from your local drive; the image size cannot exceed 5 megabytes. (If you are claiming color as a feature of the mark, you must submit a color image.)
iii. Click the "Open" file button.
iv. After the file name appears in the window, click the "Attach" button to upload the file into the application.
v. Enter the literal elements in the text field below.
vi. Enter further below a complete description of all text and/or design elements in the text field for a mark description.

5. If your mark is in color, after you click the box for “Special Form (Stylized and/or Design)” enter each color appearing in the mark in the field for claiming color and revise the mark description to indicate where color is located in the mark.

File format and size requirements for special form mark images

JPG file format
File size is 5 megabytes or smaller
File name is less than 256 characters, including “.jpg” file extension
Zipped or compressed files are not acceptable
Mark image has as little white space as possible around the design
If a color mark, use RGB color scheme; if you can open your image with your browser, then it is saved in the RGB color scheme. Do not use the CMYK color scheme when using design programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

Recommendations for creating high-quality images with a scanner

Scanning is not recommended. If you must scan:

Scan a high-quality original
Use software to crop, resize, and adjust the image to minimize white space around the design
For black and white or color images, ensure dots per inch (DPI) of 300-350, and pixel range of 250-944 for both length and width
For grayscale images, ensure 8 bits per sample pixel. We consider grayscale images to be black and white.

To submit a standard character claim

If you are responding to a nonfinal office action, use the Response to Examining Attorney Office Action form. If you are responding to a final office action, use the Request for Reconsideration after Final Action form.
Answer "Yes" to question 4 on the form.
In the "Mark Information" section, check the box stating that you have read and understood that a material alteration will not be permitted.
Click the box for “Standard Characters.”
Type your mark in the text field for adding/modifying the standard character mark.

To submit a mark description

If you are responding to a nonfinal office action, use the Response to Examining Attorney Office Action form. If you are responding to a final office action, use the Request for Reconsideration after Final Action form.
If you initially submitted your mark as a special form drawing:
Answer "Yes" to question 3 on the form.
In the “Additional Statement(s)” section, type the revised mark description in the text field following “The Mark Consists of”.

If you initially submitted your mark as a standard character mark and need to change it to a special form drawing and submit a mark description, follow the directions under “To submit a new mark drawing in TEAS” above for a special form mark.

To submit a color claim

If you are responding to a nonfinal office action, use the Response to Examining Attorney Office Action form. If you are responding to a final office action, use the Request for Reconsideration after Final Action form.
Answer "Yes" to question 3 on the form.
In the “Additional Statement(s)” section, type the revised color claim in the text field for “Mark Color.”