The Definition of Free Cultural Works logo

A logo (from the Greek λογότυπος = logotipos) is a graphic element, symbol, or icon of a trademark or brand and together with its logotype, which is set in a unique typeface or arranged in a particular way. 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. Free content is any kind of functional work, artwork, or other creative content upon which no legal restriction has been placed that significantly interferes with peoples freedom to use, understand, redistribute, improve, and share the content. ... Look up icon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by an individual, business organization or other legal entity to uniquely identify the source of its products and/or services to consumers, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. ... A brand is a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. ... For the origin and evolution of fonts, see History of western typography. ... A brand is a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. ...

Overview

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. An emblem consists of a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept - often a concept of a moral truth or an allegory. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... It has been suggested that the section intro from the article Civil flag be merged into this article or section. ...

Distinct aspects of a complete logo:

• Logotype/Wordmark/Lettermark: text or abbreviated text
• Icon: symbol / brandmark
• 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. This article or section should include material from logo design, discuss it at Talk:Logo design A logotype, commonly known as a logo, is the graphic element of a trademark or brand, which is set in a special typeface/font, or arranged in a particular, but legible, way. ... American cultural icons. ... Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

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

// Definition of Spot Color In offset printing, a spot color is any color generated by an ink (pure or mixed) that is printed using a single run. ... Left: halftone spots. ... Space has been an interest for philosophers and scientists for much of human history. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Look up Consistency in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Clarity is the property of being clear or transparent. ...

Logos today

Red Cross and the Red Crescent logos.

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. Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 759 KB)Red Cross logos at the museum in Geneve File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 759 KB)Red Cross logos at the museum in Geneve File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The symbols of the Movement - The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems at the museum in Geneva. ... The symbols of the Movement - The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems at the museum in Geneva. ...

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. The Coca-cola logo can be identified in any language because of the standards of color and the iconic ribbon wave. For other uses, see Alphabet (disambiguation). ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the worlds largest group of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, often known simply as the Red Cross, after its original symbol. ... A brand is a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. ...

Brand slogans

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. Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. ... A brand is a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. ... Commercialism redirects here. ...

Color

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. 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.

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.

Logo design

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. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

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.

// Definition of Spot Color In offset printing, a spot color is any color generated by an ink (pure or mixed) that is printed using a single run. ... Example showing effect of vector graphics versus raster graphics. ... A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by an individual, business organization or other legal entity to uniquely identify the source of its products and/or services to consumers, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. ... Examples of computer clip arts. ...

Examples

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. Apple Inc. ... This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. ... Coca-Cola is a cola (a type of carbonated soft drink) sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines in more than 200 countries. ... Pepsi-Cola, commonly called Pepsi, is a cola soft drink produced and manufactured by PepsiCo. ... International Business Machines Corporation (known as IBM or Big Blue; NYSE: IBM) is a multinational computer technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating back to the 19th century. ...

There are some other logos that must be mentioned when evaluating what the mark means to the consumer. 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. Chevrolet (IPA: ʃɛv. ... Volkswagen AG (ISIN: DE0007664005), or VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... The world-wide recognized term, BMW, abbreviated for Bayerische Motoren Werke or in English Bavarian Motor Works, is an independent German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ... Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by: Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973) Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003) Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (2003-present) // Rolls-Royce cars Rolls-Royce Limited vehicles 1904-1906 10 hp 1905-1905 15 hp 1905-1908 20 hp 1905-1906 30 hp 1905-1906...

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. 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). Nike, Inc. ... Swoosh is the symbol of the athletic shoe and clothing manufacturer Nike. ... Adidas AG (ISIN: DE0005003404) is a major German sports apparel manufacturer, part of the Adidas Group, consisting of Reebok sportswear company, Taylormade golf company, Maxfli golf balls, and Adidas golf and is the second largest sportswear manufacturer in the world. ... Philip H. Knight (born February 24, 1938) is the co-founder and former CEO of Nike, Inc. ... Carolyn Davidson created the famous Nike swoosh as a Portland State University graphic design student for $35 in 1971. ...

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 disinctive "bunny" logo as the only identifying mark appearing where the mailing address would normally be written. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The first issue of Playboy. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ...

Corporate identities today are often developed by large firms who specialize in this type of work. 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. Paul Rand (born Peretz Rosenbaum, August 15, 1914 – November 26, 1996) was a well-known American graphic designer, best known for his corporate logo designs. ... It has been suggested that Corporate Visual Identity Management be merged into this article or section. ... United Parcel Service Inc. ... March 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → // Events March 1, 2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: The Turkish speaker of Parliament voids the vote accepting U.S. troops involved in the planned invasion of Iraq into Turkey on constitutional grounds. ... Goodwill Industries International, Inc. ... Look up Next in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

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". 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. FedEx (NYSE: FDX), properly FedEx Corporation, is a courier company offering overnight courier, ground, heavy freight, document copying and logistics services. ... A subliminal message is a signal or message designed to pass below (sub) the normal limits of perception. ...

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. The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, tone, style, and voice). ...

Logos in Subvertising

AdBusters corporate flag.

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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 439 pixel Image in higher resolution (931 × 511 pixel, file size: 70 KB, MIME type: image/png) A PNG Version of the Adbusters Flag, from Image:AdBustersFlag. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 439 pixel Image in higher resolution (931 × 511 pixel, file size: 70 KB, MIME type: image/png) A PNG Version of the Adbusters Flag, from Image:AdBustersFlag. ... Adbusters is a political magazine, founded by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz that is published in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by the Media Foundation. ... A brand is a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. ... A meme hack is any person or organization that, relevant to the study of Memetics, uses a slogan to prove an opposite point. ... A subvertisement based on the Coca-Cola logo Subvertising refers to the practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement. ... Adbusters is a political magazine, founded by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz that is published in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by the Media Foundation. ... Union Jack. ...

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. A subvertisement based on the Coca-Cola logo Subvertising refers to the practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement. ... RTMark is an activist art collective that subverts the Corporate Shield protecting US corporations. ...

See also Culture jamming, Guerrilla communication. Culture jamming is the act of transforming existing mass media to produce commentary about itself, using the original mediums communication method. ... The terms guerrilla communication and communication guerrilla refer to unconventional forms of communication and/or intervention in more conventional processes of communication. ...

See also

• Brand
• Icon
• Symbol
• Sound trademark
• Monogram, a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol.
• Logo extraction puzzles, games centered on the recognition of organizations or products based on their logo design elements

A brand is a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. ... American cultural icons. ... A sound trademark is a non-conventional trademark where sound is used to perform the trademark function of uniquely identifying the commercial origin of products or services. ... The Chi-Rho, a monogram of the first two letters in the Greek word for Christ E and L embroider for clothes and bedding, for a wife by the initials E L or L E A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or... In art, a motif is a repeated idea, pattern, image, or theme. ... In typography, a grapheme is the atomic unit in written language. ... 3rd Edition of the Retail Alphabet Game. ...

External links

• Logo at the Open Directory Project
• Brandmarker - The art group monochrom attempted to evaluate the actual power of commercial brands by making people draw famous logos from memory.
• Corporate Identity Portal – this page presents the latest corporate design and logo developments