Logotype (LOGO)- A graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations, and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition
- Numerous inventions and techniques have contributed to the contemporary logo...
including logographic languages, such as:
-Egyptian Hieroglyphics
-Coats of Arms
-Water marks
-The development of the printing technology
- During the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries...
-Photography and
-Lithography (an early method of printing)
contributed to the boom of an advertising industry that integrated typography and imagery together on the page...
...At the same time, typography was also undergoing a revolution of form and expression past plain (modest) serif typefaces used in books...
...The arts were expanding in purpose:
-Expression and decoration of an artistic storytelling nature
-To a differentiation of brands and products that the growing middle classes were consuming!
- By 1890, the US had 700 lithographic printing firms employing more than 8,000 people! (more consultancies and trades-groups in the commercial arts)
-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 lead to an expansion of typographic styles and methods of representing businesses
Modernism- An avant-garde artistic movement in Europe, becoming an international, commercialized movement in the US and elsewhere
-Visual simplicity and
-Conceptual clarity
forming a powerful toolset for a new generation of graphic designers
LESS IS MORE!
Modernist-inspired logos proved successful in the era of mass visual communication ushered in by TV, improvements in printing technology, and digital innovations
- Logo design is an important area of graphic design, and a difficult one to perfect!
-But this is simply because logos are meant to represent companies' brands or corporate identities and foster their immediate customer recognition
Still, LESS IS MORE!
because...
Real people in real life situations do not stare at and analyze logos, they just see it; at a quick glance must be able to quickly get the company recognized...no detailed and complex logos!
A logo needs to be simple, but have enough personality that is stands out in a crowd
LESS IS MORE!
-----
5 Principles of Effective Logo Design
-Simple: easily recognizable, but unique while not being overdrawn
-Memorable: keeping it simple yet appropriate makes it easy to remember
-Timeless: will it still be effective in 10, 20, 30 years? Trendy is good, but will it last?
-Versatile: work across a variety of media and applications, so they should be designed in vector format to ensure that they scale to any size
Still effective in...one color, B/W, reverse color, the size of a postage stamp, or the size of a billboard?
-Appropriate: how to position the logo should be appropriate for its intended audience; for example, a child-like font and the color scheme would be appropriate for a children's toy store, but not for a law firm
------
Four Color Process vs Spot Color
-Four Color Process (full color printing): technique used for printing with full color. The four colors of the spectrum when mixed in proper proportion.
C M Y K
-Spot Color: a method of specifying and printing colors in which each color is printed with its own ink. It is (cost) effective when the printed matter contains only ONE to THREE different colors, but it comes prohibitively expensive for more colors.
Pantone Matching System (PMS)- A color swatch that shows the color with its identification code in order to choose the colors to be printed
-Why to choose color wisely? Bright, eye-catching, maybe some sort of significance
**Color plays an important role in logo design. It can illicit different feelings and emotions from the audience
-Interpretation of color may vary depending on age, gender, and cultural demographics. The color selection should be based on the target audience!
-Colors tend to follow trends, so a new vibrant company may want to follow current trends, whereas a bank may choose to stay with a more conservative color palette...JUST BE CAREFUL--trends change.
**Keep the color palette two or three--too many colors will increase your cost of production and may cause a chaotic design
------
Combination mark- graphics with both text (usually the company name) and and a symbol or graphic together! LIKE A FAMILY! Choose colors that will work together! LIKE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY VOLUNTEERS!
------
Iconic/Symbolic- symbols that are uncomplicated and sometimes abstract. They are less direct than straight text, leaving more room for interpretation; they can stand alone, still.
When designing these...
-Instantaneously recognizable
-Memorable
-Clarity when reproduced
Wordmark/Lettermark- just the company name, making it interesting using typography and stuff. Like CNN, Fedex, Disney, Mossimo, etc. Utilize contrast in these so that words look help portray the company's feel. Focus must be the word itself!!
