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Graphic mark representing an entity
"Logotype" redirects here. For the racehorse, see
Logotype (horse)
This article is about the graphic mark or emblem. For other uses, see
Logo (disambiguation)
Three logos:
NASA
IBM
by
Paul Rand
and the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures
Coat of arms
of the
Chiswick Press
logo
(abbreviation of
logotype
from
Ancient Greek
λόγος
(lógos)
word, speech
and
τύπος
(túpos)
mark, imprint
) is a
graphic
mark,
emblem
, or
symbol
used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in a
wordmark
In the days of
hot metal typesetting
, a logotype was one word cast as a single piece of type (e.g. "The" in ATF
Garamond
), as opposed to a
ligature
, which is two or more letters joined, but not forming a word.
By extension, the term was also used for a uniquely set and arranged
typeface
or
colophon
. At the level of
mass communication
and in common usage, a company's logo is today often synonymous with its
trademark
or
brand
Etymology
Douglas Harper's
Online Etymology Dictionary
states that the first surviving written record of the term 'logo' dates back to 1937, and that the term was "probably a shortening of
logogram
".
History
Numerous inventions and techniques have contributed to the contemporary logo, including
cylinder seals
c.
2300 BCE
),
coins
c.
600 BCE
),
trans-cultural diffusion
of
logographic
languages,
coats of arms
watermarks
silver hallmarks
, and the development of
printing technology
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
10
The arts were expanding in purpose—from expression and decoration of an artistic, storytelling nature, to a differentiation of brands and products that the growing middle classes were consuming. Consultancies and trades-groups in the commercial arts were growing and organizing; by 1890, the US had 700 lithographic printing firms employing more than 8,000 people.
11
Artistic credit tended to be assigned to the lithographic company, as opposed to the individual artists who usually performed less important jobs.
A coin from early 6th century BC
Lydia
bearing the head of a roaring lion with sun rays
Innovators in the visual arts and lithographic process—such as French printing firm Rouchon in the 1840s, Joseph Morse of New York in the 1850s, Frederick Walker of England in the 1870s, and Jules Chéret of France in the 1870s—developed an illustrative style that went beyond tonal, representational art to figurative imagery with sections of bright, flat colors.
11
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
Victorian decorative arts
led to an expansion of typographic styles and methods of representing businesses.
12
The first logo to be trademarked was the
Bass
red triangle in 1876.
The
Arts and Crafts Movement
of late-19th century, partially in response to the excesses of Victorian typography, aimed to restore an honest sense of craftsmanship to the mass-produced goods of the era.
13
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.
Contemporary logos
Red Cross
and
Red Crescent
emblems
The current era of logo design began in the 1870s
citation needed
with the first abstract logo, the
Bass
red triangle. As of 2014
[update]
, many corporations, products, brands, services, agencies, and other entities use an ideogram (sign, icon) or an emblem (symbol) or a combination of sign and emblem as a logo. As a result, only a few of the thousands of ideograms in circulation are recognizable without a name. An effective logo may consist of both an ideogram and the company name (logotype) to emphasize the name over the graphic, and employ a unique design via the use of letters, colors, and additional graphic elements.
The Coca-Cola logo is identifiable in other writing-systems, here written in
Cyrillic
Ideograms and symbols may be more effective than written names (logotypes), especially for logos translated into many
alphabets
in increasingly globalized markets. For instance, a name written in
Arabic script
might have little resonance in most European markets. By contrast, ideograms keep the general proprietary nature of a product in both markets. In non-profit areas, the
Red Cross
(varied as the
Red Crescent
in Muslim countries and as the
Red Star of David
in Israel) exemplifies a well-known emblem that does not need an accompanying name. The red cross and red crescent are among the best-recognized symbols in the world. National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and their Federation as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross include these symbols in their logos.
Branding
can aim to facilitate cross-language marketing.
14
Consumers and potential consumers can identify the
Coca-Cola
name written in different alphabets because of the standard color and "ribbon wave" design of its logo. The text was written in
Spencerian Script
, which was a popular writing style when the
Coca-Cola Logo
was being designed.
15
Logo design
Since a logo is the visual entity signifying an organization, logo design is an important area of
graphic design
. A logo is the central element of a complex identification system that must be functionally extended to all communications of an organization. Therefore, the design of logos and their incorporation in a visual identity system is one of the most difficult and important areas of graphic design. Logos fall into three classifications (which can be combined). Ideographs, such as
Chase Bank
, are completely abstract forms; pictographs are iconic, representational designs; logotypes (or wordmarks) depict the name or company initials. These elements can be combined in a set position and relative size in a logo lock-up, so named because elements are "locked" together and should not be broken apart or resized individually.
16
Because logos are meant to represent companies' brands or corporate identities and foster their immediate customer recognition, it is counterproductive to frequently redesign logos.
The logo design profession has substantially increased in numbers over the years since the rise of the
Modernist movement
in the United States in the 1950s.
17
Three designers are widely
18
considered the pioneers of that movement and of logo and
corporate identity
design: The first is
Chermayeff & Geismar
19
which is the firm responsible for many iconic logos, such as
Chase
Bank (1964),
Mobil Oil
(1965),
PBS
(1984),
NBC
(1986),
National Geographic
(2003), and others. Due to the simplicity and boldness of their designs, many of their earlier logos are still in use today. The firm recently designed logos for the
Library of Congress
and the fashion brand
Armani Exchange
. Another pioneer of corporate identity design is
Paul Rand
20
who was one of the originators of the Swiss Style of
graphic design
. He designed many posters and corporate identities, including the famous logos for
IBM
UPS
, and
ABC
. The third pioneer of corporate identity design is
Saul Bass
21
Bass was responsible for several recognizable logos in North America, including both the Bell Telephone logo (1969) and successor
AT&T Corporation
globe (1983). Other well-known designs were
Continental Airlines
(1968), Dixie (1969), and
United Way
(1972). Later, he would produce logos for a number of Japanese companies as well.
An important development in the documentation of logo design is the study of French trademarks by historian Edith Amiot and philosopher Jean Louis Azizollah.
22
Logo color
Color is a key element in logo design and plays an important and potentially vital role in brand differentiation. Colors can have immense consequences on our moods. They are remarkably dominant to the point that they can psychologically manipulate perspectives, emotions, and reactions.
23
The importance of color in this context is due to the mechanics of human visual perception wherein color and contrast play critical roles in visual detail detection. In addition, we tend to acquire various color connotations and color associations through social and cultural conditioning, and these play a role in how we decipher and evaluate logo color. While color is considered important to brand recognition and logo design, it should not conflict with logo functionality, and it needs to be remembered that color connotations and associations are not consistent across all social and cultural groups. For example, in the United States, red, white, and blue are often used in logos for companies that want to project patriotic feelings but other countries will have different sets of colors that evoke national pride.
Choosing an organisation's logo color is an important decision because of its long term implications and its role in creating differentiation among competitors' logos. A methodology for identifying potential logo colors within an industry sector is color mapping, whereby existing logo colors are systematically identified, mapped, and evaluated (O'Connor, 2011).
24
Logo design process
Designing a good logo often requires involvement from a marketing team teaming with the graphic design studio. Before a logo is designed, there must be a clear definition of the concept and values of the brand as well as understanding of the consumer or target group. Broad steps in the logo design process include research, conceptualization, investigation of alternative candidates, refinement of a chosen design, testing across products, and finally adoption and production of the chosen mark.
Dynamic logos
Nunc est bibendum
(now is the time to drink), 1898
Michelin
poster
logo in use from 2005-2015
The
MTV
logo. It has been modified to include images within the black areas from time to time.
In 1898, the French tire manufacturer
Michelin
introduced the
Michelin Man
, a cartoon figure presented in many different contexts, such as eating, drinking, and playing sports. By the early 21st century, large corporations such as
MTV
Nickelodeon
Google
Morton Salt
, and
Saks Fifth Avenue
had adopted
dynamic logos
that change over time from setting to setting.
25
Internet-compatible logos
A company that uses logotypes (wordmarks) may desire a logo that matches the firm's Internet address. For short logotypes consisting of two or three characters, multiple companies are found to employ the same letters. A "CA" logo, for example, is used by the French bank
Credit Agricole
, the Dutch clothing retailer
C&A
, and the US software corporation
CA Technologies
, but only one can have the Internet domain name CA.com.
In today's digital interface adaptive world, a logo will be formatted and re-formatted from large monitors to small handheld devices. With the constant size change and re-formatting, logo designers are shifting to a more bold and simple approach, with heavy lines and shapes, and solid colors. This reduces the confusion when mingled with other logos in tight spaces and when scaled between media. Social networks like
, and
Google+
used such logos, and
, and
, still do.
Möbius strip
used as a logo on a van in
Bristol
, England
Design protection
Logos and their design may be protected by copyright, via various
intellectual property
organisations worldwide which make available application procedures to register a design to give it protection at law. For example, in the UK, the
Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)
26
govern registered designs, patents, and trademarks. Ordinarily, the trademark registration will not 'make claim' to colors used, meaning it is the visual design that will be protected, even if it is reproduced in a variety of other colors or backgrounds.
In some countries, especially civil law countries, the
threshold of originality
required for copyright protection can be quite high, so a logo that contains simple geometric shapes or text might not be eligible for copyright protection although it can be protected as a trademark.
Sports
For many teams, a logo or "
crest
" is an important way to recognize a team's history and can intimidate opponents.
For certain teams, the logo and color scheme are synonymous with the team's players. For example,
Manchester United
, the
Toronto Maple Leafs
, or
New York Yankees
all have a recognizable logo that can be identified by any fan of the respective sport.
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Logos
Graphic design
Heraldry
Icon
Logogram
Monogram
, a
motif
made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other
graphemes
to form one symbol
Seal (emblem)
Slogan
Sound trademark
Swiss Style (design)
Letter symbolism
Logorama
References
"logo"
Lexico
UK English Dictionary
Oxford University Press
. Archived from
the original
on 2019-12-18.
Fyffe, Charles.
Basic Copyfitting
, Studio Vista, London, 1969, SBN 289797055, p.54.
Wheeler, Alina.
Designing Brand Identity
ISBN
978-0-471-74684-3
logo-
Archived
2022-12-13 at the
Wayback Machine
Online Etymology Dictionary
Herodotus.
Histories
, I, 94.
A. Ramage, "Golden Sardis", King Croesus' Gold: Excavations at Sardis and the History of Gold Refining, edited by A. Ramage and P. Craddock, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 2000, p. 18.
C. A. Stothard,
Monumental Effigies of Great Britain
(1817) pl. 2, illus. in Wagner, Anthony, Richmond Herald,
Heraldry in England
(Penguin, 1946), pl. I.
Meggs 1998
, p. 58.
Meggs 1998
, pp. 138–159.
Meggs 1998
, pp. 126–134.
Meggs 1998
, p. 148–155.
Meggs 1998
, pp. 159–161.
Meggs 1998
, pp. 162–167.
"TICoRD'13: Global Product Development"
Springer
. Springers
. Retrieved
26 November
2016
permanent dead link
"The Coca-Cola logo story"
Coca-Cola Official Website
. The Coca-Cola Company. Archived from
the original
on 28 January 2016
. Retrieved
28 January
2016
"What is the difference between a logotype, logomark, and logo lockup?"
DesignTLC.com
. Design TLC. August 1, 2020.
Archived
from the original on June 24, 2021
. Retrieved
June 22,
2021
Meggs 1998
, p. 363.
Meggs 1998
, pp. 369–374.
Meggs 1998
, pp. 373–374.
Meggs 1998
, p. 369.
Meggs 1998
, p. 375.
Les Marques Francaises 1824–1974
Fugate, Jennifer Marie Binzak; Franco, Courtny L. (2019).
"What Color is Your Anger? Assessing Color-Emotion Pairings in English Speakers"
Frontiers in Psychology
10
206.
doi
10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00206
PMC
6399154
PMID
30863330
Zena O'Connor (2011). "Logo Colour and Differentiation: A New Application of Environmental Colour Mapping".
Color Research and Application
36
(1):
55–
60.
doi
10.1002/col.20594
Rawsthorn, Alice (2007-02-11).
"The new corporate logo: Dynamic and changeable are all the rage"
International Herald Tribune
Archived
from the original on 2007-02-14
. Retrieved
2008-05-21
"Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)"
. UK Patent Office.
Archived
from the original on 2013-01-14
. Retrieved
2013-01-05
Sources
Meggs, Philip B.
(1998).
A History of Graphic Design
(Third ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
ISBN
978-0-471-29198-5
External links
The dictionary definition of
logo
at Wiktionary
Authority control databases
International
GND
National
United States
Japan
Czech Republic
Israel
Other
NARA
Yale LUX
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