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.