Logos and the story behind them
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Transcript of Logos and the story behind them
ESTABLISHED LOGOS AND THE STORY BEHIND THEM
RITIKA AGARWAL
WHAT IS A LOGO?
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by
commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to
aid and promote instant public recognition. Logos are either
purely graphic (symbols/icons) or are composed of the name of
the organization (a logotype or word mark).
HISTORY OF LOGOS AND HOW THEY CAME TO BE
Numerous inventions and techniques have contributed to
the contemporary logo
CYLINDER SEAL - A cylinder seal is a cylinder engraved with a
'picture story', used in ancient times to roll an impression onto a two-
dimensional surface, generally wet clay
COINS
TRANS-CULTURAL DIFFUSION
In cultural anthropology and cultural geography,
cultural diffusion, as first conceptualized by Alfred
L. Kroeber in his influential 1940 paper Stimulus
Diffusion, or trans-cultural diffusion in later
reformulations, is the spread of cultural items—such
as ideas, styles, religions, technologies, languages
etc.—between individuals, whether within a single
culture or from one culture to another. It is distinct
from the diffusion of innovations within a single
culture.
LOGOGRAM
Logograms are often commonly known also as
"ideograms“ that represent ideas directly rather than words
Since logograms are visual symbols representing words
rather than the sounds or phonemes that make up the
word, it is relatively easier to remember or guess the
meaning of logograms, while it might be relatively harder
to remember or guess the sound of alphabetic written
words.
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
As the industrial revolution converted western societies from agrarian
to industrial in the 18th and 19th centuries, photography and
lithography contributed to the boom of an advertising industry that
integrated typography and imagery together on the page.
Simultaneously, typography itself was undergoing a revolution of form
and expression that expanded beyond the modest, serif typefaces used
in books, to bold, ornamental typefaces used on broadsheet posters.
The arts were expanding in purpose to a differentiation of brands and
products that the growing middle classes were consuming.
] Playful children’s books, authoritative newspapers, and conversational
periodicals developed their own visual and editorial styles for unique,
expanding audiences. As printing costs decreased, literacy rates increased,
and visual styles changed,
The First logo to be trademarked was the Bass red triangle in 1876
A renewal of interest in craftsmanship and quality also provided the artists
and companies with a greater interest in credit, leading to the creation of
unique logos and marks.
By the 1950s, Modernism had shed its roots as an avant-garde
artistic movement in Europe to become an international,
commercialized movement with adherents in the United States and
elsewhere. The visual simplicity and conceptual clarity that were the
hallmarks of Modernism as an artistic movement formed a powerful
toolset for a new generation of graphic designers whose logos
embodied Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s dictum, "Less is more."
Modernist-inspired logos proved successful in the era of mass visual
communication ushered in by television, improvements in printing
technology, and digital innovations.
IMPORTANCE OF A LOGO
Logo symbolizes your company and provides an
image nothing else can provide. It is one of the many
important yet missed elements for many businesses.
Either the company doesn’t have one or it isn’t good
enough.. It is crucial to have one for branding
purposes and gives your company an identity.
Your identity is an extension of your
business that communicates visually,
through appearance, and emotionally,
through symbolism. Curtailing or
ignoring thought, revision, and
growth in the design process will hurt
your finished product and corporate
image.
GENERL MILLS - BETTY CROCKER
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500
corporation, primarily concerned with food products.
One of the largest FMCG companies in America.
Earlier called the Washburn Crosby Company .
got a lot of mails from its customers asking baking questions.
In 1921, the company thought that it would be better to sign the responses
personally, so they combined the last name of its director, William Crocker, with
the first name "Betty" (chosen because "it sounded cheery, wholesome, and
folksy.") (Source) The famous Betty Crocker signature was penned by a company
secretary who won a contest.
A group of college educated women were hired to develop Betty’s persona. Her
picture and signature appeared in print ads. Cooking demonstrations were
organized showing off Betty’s “solutions to domestic woes.” [...]
On the radio, Betty could speak to her loyal followers. Cooking and Gold Medal
Flour were central to the script. But so were housekeeping, time management,
friends, family, and husbands.
BUICK
The Buick Motor Company was founded in 1903 by David Dunbar
Buick, a Scottish-American inventor
Buick, a high school drop out founded a company that later became
the world’s largest auto company, General Motors.
At 15 years of age, Buick dropped out of school to work for a plumbing
fixture manufacturer. When that business failed, Buick and his friend
took it over – but within a few years, Buick had an argument with his
partner because he preferred to spend his time tinkering with car
engines. Buick sold his share in the company and quit
CONTD..
With the money, Buick founded the Buick Motor
Company and within a few years ran it to the
ground. He was kicked out of the company by his
partner William "Billy" Durant in 1906 and later sold
his stock for a mere $100,000. Had he held on to his
shares, it would’ve been worth well over $100
million today.
Early Buick logos were variations of the cursive word
"Buick." In 1930s, General Motor Styling researcher Ralph
Pew found a description of the Scottish "Buik" [sic] family
crest and decided to use it as a radiator grille decoration.
In 1960, the logo incorporated three such shields, to
represent the three Buick models then built: LeSabre,
Invicta, and Electra.
In 1975, Buick changed their logo to a hawk named
"Happy" with the launch of their Skyhawk line. However, in
the late 1980s, as the Skyhawk car was retired, Buick went
back to the tri-shield logo.
XEROX
In 1938, Chester Carlson invented a photocopying
technique called electrophotography, which he later
renamed xerography
Like many inventions ahead of its time, it wasn’t
well received at all. Carlson spent years trying to
convince General Electric, IBM, RCA, and other
companies to invest in his invention but no one was
interested.
Until, that is, he went to the Haloid company - manufacture
photographic paper and equipment.
They helped him develop the world’s first photocopier, the Haloid
Xerox 914. The copier were so successful that in 1961, Xerox
dropped the Haloid from its name.
In 2004, Xerox tried to re-invent itself (complete with a new logo).
Four years later in 2008, it tried to get away from the image that
it’s only a copier company and adopted a new logo. The good news
is people don’t think of copier when they see the new logo. The bad
news is, they think of a beach ball.
color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems,
photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related
consulting services and supplies
TIPS ON HOW BEST TO CREATE YOUR LOGO
First of all, the shape of the logo is either a make or break scenario. The shape
either has to correlate with the name or relevant to your business. Best not to
have your logo be something that the customer has to guess to bring out the traits
of your business. Also the shape has to tie in with your business and something
that sticks out so people will remember. For example, a logo for an eyeglass
retailer can be an eyeglass case that is open with the eyeglass inside. It is easy to
remember, sticks to the mind and the logo forces customer to remember you
when they use their cases to get their eyeglasses out or placing it back in.
CONTD..
Color also plays an important role on catching the eyes of viewers. The
color has to be catchy but not awkward for the logo. Finding the color for
your logo can be hard at times to separate yourself from the competition
that may have a similar logo. Just experiment the colors and see what you
like or better yet do a survey with customers and engage with them on the
best color for your logo (your logo is targeting the consumers and what
better answer than from a customer’s standpoint).
CONTD..
Once you have the logo you should register the trademark from
trademark infringement. Put the logo next to your Business Name and start
promoting it to create awareness and retention. Put your logo next to the
name of the products offered in your business and start building brand image
of your business. Logo is a must to build brand image because it conveys the
qualities and thoughts of the business to the people.