If you've ever set your name + a descriptor in a logo and felt the descriptor was either fighting your name or disappearing entirely, the Anchored Wordmark is probably the structure you needed.
It's the logo style that makes your personal name the anchor and lets the descriptor sit quietly underneath, the way a subtitle supports a book title without competing with it.
This page walks you through what the approach is, how to build it correctly, and how to know whether yours is working.
When this approach fits
The Anchored Wordmark fits when your personal name is what people remember and the descriptor exists to explain what you do. Coaches, designers, therapists, consultants, photographers, anyone whose business is essentially a personal practice. The descriptor is functional ("Coaching," "Studio," "Therapy") and it matters, but it's not what makes your business yours. Your name is.
When this isn't your approach
If the descriptor matters more than your personal name, or if both carry equal weight, the Stacked Layout probably fits better. If one specific word in your name is doing the heavy lifting and the rest is context, look at the Hierarchy Split.
A worked example
For "Sarah Mitchell Coaching," I set "Sarah Mitchell" in a 36pt serif at full weight. Underneath, set "Coaching" in 14pt sans-serif.. The whole thing reads as one unit in under a second. It's the structure used by countless personal-name brands, from law firms to designer studios. The name carries the identity, the descriptor handles the context.
How to build yours
Set your personal name at full weight and full size on its own line. Set your descriptor 40 to 60 percent smaller, in the same font family or a complementary one, positioned directly below. Treat the descriptor like a subtitle, not a co-star. The eye should land on your name first, and the descriptor should confirm what kind of business this is in a glance. Letter-space the descriptor slightly wider than the name to help it feel grounded rather than crowded.
Free resource
The next decision is the typeface
Choose the right font for your logo in this three-day mini series. You'll be done over a weekend.
Three tests to check if it works
Shrink it to 40 pixels. Can you still read your name? If yes, the hierarchy is right. If you see a blur, your descriptor is too big or your name weight is too thin.
Set it next to a competitor's logo at the same size. Does yours hold its own, or does it disappear? If it disappears, your weight balance needs work.
Show it to three people without telling them what your business does. Can they guess your industry from the descriptor alone? If they can, the descriptor is doing its job.