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A logo (from the
Greek λογότυπος = logotipos) is a graphical element,
symbol, or
icon that, together with its logotype (which is set
in a unique
typeface or arranged in a particular way) form a
trademark or
brand.
A typical logo is designed to cause immediate recognition by
the viewer. The logo is one aspect of the
brand
of a company or economic entity, and the shapes, colors, fonts
and images are usually different from others in a similar
market. Logos may also be used to identify organizations or
other entities in non-economic contexts. |
Inkscape logo. Inkscape is a free drawing
program, and as such, the logo reflects ink spots
and freedom.
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A logo is an iconic symbol designed to represent a company,
organization, product, service, and sometimes certain places
(e.g.,
Canada).
The word "logo" is derived from the original word "logotype".
In the days before means of mechanical typesetting were
invented, compositors in printing offices used to assemble, or
"set" type into a composing stick, picking up individual letters
as they went.
An idea to save time and effort resulted in
commonly used words such as "the", "and", etc were created onto
a single body of type and this composite piece of type was
called a Logotype. Later on as technology improved the same idea
was used to create a design, or symbol representing the identity
of a company or institution.[citation
needed]
In recent times the term 'logo' has been used to describe
signs,
emblems,
coats of arms, symbols and even
flags.
In this article several examples of true logos are
displayed, which may generally be contrasted with
emblems, or marks, which include non-textual graphics of
some kind. Emblems with non-textual content are
considered one aspect of a complete logo. |
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Distinct aspects of a complete logo:
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Logotype/Wordmark/Lettermark: text or abbreviated text
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Icon: symbol / brandmark
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Slogan: description of the company
The uniqueness of a logo is often necessary to avoid
confusion in the marketplace among clients, suppliers, users,
affiliates, and the general public. To the extent that a logo
achieves this objective, it may function as a trademark, and may
be used to uniquely identify businesses, organizations, events,
products or services.
Once a logo is designed, one of the most
effective means for protecting it is through registration as a
trademark, so that no unauthorised third parties can use it, or
interfere with the owner's use of it.
There are several elements of a good logo. An effective logo—
- should be unique, and not subject to confusion with
other logos among viewers
- is functional and can be used in many different contexts
while retaining its integrity
- should remain effective whether reproduced small or
large
- can work in "full-color", but also in two color
presentation (black and white),
spot color, or
halftone
- should be able to maintain its integrity when printed on
various fabrics or materials (where the shape of the product
may distort the logo)
- displays basic design principles (space,
color,
form,
consistency, and
clarity)
- represents the brand/company appropriately
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Today there are many corporations, products, services,
agencies and other entities using a sign or emblem as logo.
As a result, only a few of the thousands of signs people are
faced with are recognized without a name. It makes less
sense to use a sign as a logo, even together with the name,
if people will not duly identify it.
Therefore, the trend in the recent years has
been to use both images (icons) and the company name to
emphasize the name instead of the supporting graphic portion,
making it unique by its letters, color, and additional graphic
elements.
Emblems (icons) may be more effective than a written name,
especially for logos being translated into many
alphabets; for instance, a name in the
Arabic language would be of little help in most European
markets.
A sign or emblem would keep the general proprietary
nature of the product in both markets. In non-profit areas, the
Red Cross (which goes by
Red Crescent in Muslim countries) is an example of an
extremely well known emblem which does not need an accompanying
name.
Branding aims to facilitate cross-language marketing. |
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The
Coca-cola logo can be identified in any language because of the
standards of color and the iconic ribbon wave.
Brand slogans
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Sometimes a
slogan is included in the logo. If the slogan appears always
in the logo, and in the same graphic shape, it can be considered
as part of the logo. In this case it is a brand slogan
also called a claim, a
tagline or an endline or a strapline in the
advertising industry. The main purpose is to support the
identity of the brand
together with the logo. The difference between a slogan
and a brand slogan is that brand slogan remains
the same for a long time to build up the brand's image, while
different slogans link to each product or
advertising campaign.
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Some countries have their logos, for example:
Spain,
Italy,
Turkey, The Islands of The
Bahamas. Logos help them to have the identity and market
their country better.
Such logos are often used by countries
which have a lot of tourists. |
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Color is important to the brand recognition, but should not
be an integral component to the logo design, which would
conflict with its functionality. Some colors are associated
with certain emotions that the designer wants to convey. |
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For instance, loud colors, such as red, that are meant to
attract the attention of drivers on freeways are appropriate
for companies that require such attention. In the United
States red, white, and blue are often used in logos for
companies that want to project patriotic feelings. Green is
often associated with health foods, and light blue or silver
is often used to reflect diet foods. For other brands, more
subdued tones and lower saturation can communicate
dependability, quality, relaxation, etc. |
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Color is also useful for linking certain types of products
with a brand. Warm colors (red, orange, yellow) are linked
to hot food and thus can be seen integrated into many fast
food logos. Conversely, cool colors (blue, purple) are
associated with lightness and weightlessness, thus many diet
products have a light blue integrated into the logo.
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Logo design is commonly believed to be one of the most
important areas in
graphic design, thus making it the most difficult to
perfect. The logo, or brand, is not just an image, it is the
embodiment of an organization. Because logos are meant to
represent companies and foster recognition by consumers it is
counterproductive to redesign logos often.
When designing (or commissioning) a logo, practices to
encourage are to
- avoid being over-the-top in an attempt to be unique
- use few colors, or try to limit colors to
spot colors (a term used in the printing industry)
- avoid gradients (smooth color transitions) as a
distinguishing feature
- produce alternatives for different contexts
- design using
vector graphics, so the logo can be resized without loss
of fidelity
- be aware of design or
trademark infringements
- include guidelines on the position on a page and white
space around the logo for consistent application across a
variety of media (a.k.a. brand standard manual)
- do not use a specific choice
clip-art as a distinguishing feature
- do not use the face of a (living) person
- do not use photography or complex imagery as it reduces
the instant recognition a logo demands
- avoid culturally sensitive imagery, such as religious
icons or national flags, unless the brand is committed to
being associated with any and all connotations such imagery
may evoke.
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A fictitious logo with a small color range and
recognizable design relating to the fictitious
company.
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Other well-known examples are:
Apple Inc.'s
apple
with a bite out of it started out as a rainbow of color, and has
been reduced to a single color without any loss of recognition.
Coca Cola's script is known the world over, but is best
associated with the color red; its main competitor,
Pepsi
has taken the color blue, although they have abandoned their
script logo.
IBM,
also known as "Big Blue" has simplified their logo
over the years, and their name.
What started as International Business Machines is
now just "IBM" and the color blue has been a
signature in their unifying campaign as they have
moved to become an IT services company. There are
some other logos that must be mentioned when
evaluating what the mark means to the consumer. |
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Automotive
brands can be summed up simply with their corporate logo- from
the
Chevrolet "Bow Tie" mark to the circle marks of
VW,
Mercedes-Benz and
BMW,
to the interlocking "RR" of
Rolls-Royce each has stood for a brand and clearly
differentiated the product line.
Other logos that are recognized globally: the
Nike "Swoosh"
and the
Adidas "Three stripes" are two well-known brands that are
defined by their corporate logo. |
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When
Phil Knight started Nike, he was hoping to find a mark as
recognizable as the Adidas stripes, which also provided
reinforcement to the shoe. He hired a young student (Carolyn
Davidson) to design his logo, paying her $35 for what has
become one of the best known marks in the world (she was
later compensated again by the company).
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Another logo of global renown is that of
Playboy Enterprises.
Playboy magazine claims it once received a letter at its
Chicago, Illinois offices with its distinctive "bunny" logo
as the only identifying mark appearing where the mailing
address would normally be written. Corporate identities
today are often developed by large firms who specialize in
this type of work.
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However,
Paul Rand is considered the father of
corporate identity and his work has been seminal in
launching this field. Some famous examples of his work were the
UPS package with a string (updated in
March 2003) IBM,
Goodwill Industries and
NeXT
Computer.
An interesting case is the refinement of the
FedEx
logo, where the brand consultants convinced the company to
shorten their corporate name and logo from "Federal Express"
to the popular abbreviation "Fed Ex". |
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Besides creating a shorter
brand name, they reduced the amount of color used on vehicles
(planes, trucks) and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in
paint costs. Also, the right pointing arrow in the new logo is a
subliminal hint of motion.
Logos can represent any organization or entity, not just
corporations. Perhaps the most recognizable (and possibly the
oldest) of these is the emblem of the
Olympic Games: the
Olympic Rings, five interlocking rings (blue, yellow, black,
green, and red) on a white field.
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The wide recognition received by the most famous logos
provides the
brand's
critics with the possibility of
meme-hacking, a process also known as
subvertising, turning the marketing message carried by the
logo (either in its pristine form, or subtly altered) into a
vehicle for an alternative message, frequently highly critical
to the brand in question. An example is the
AdBusters' corporate flag, a
U.S. flag with the stars replaced by major corporate logos.
Virtually all distinctive design elements related to brands
or logos can become subjects to
subvertising. The best-known organizations subverting
established logos and brands are
®™ark and AdBusters.
See also
Culture jamming,
Guerrilla communication. |
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| Copyright © 2006
Premium Logo Design Company, London, UK. All Rights Reserved. |
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