Announcement ! Change in my posting frequency

Hi All,

From now on I will post once every ten days which makes it three a month. I think this change is required because of need to put in more effort in analyzing the logos thoroughly.

Thanks for reading!

-Vijay

Logolysis of Google

The Story of how Google got its colorful logo!

In just a few short years, Google's logo has become as recognizable as Nike's swoosh and NBC's peacock. Ruth Kedar, the graphic designer who developed the now-famous logo, shows the iterations that led to the instantly recognizable primary colors and Catull typeface that define the Google brand. Kedar met Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page through a mutual friend nine years ago at Stanford University, where she was an assistant professor. Page and Brin, who were having trouble coming up with a logo for their soon-to-launch search engine, asked Kedar to come up with some prototypes.

Google No. 1
Typeface: Adobe Garamond

"It was very clear from the very beginning that they wanted to go with a logotype as opposed to just a logo," Kedar says. With this first version, Kedar wanted to keep the majority of the text untouched so the legibility was still intact, while adding some playfulness by bringing primary colors and two-dimensionality to the Os. The pattern here was used to visually imply that something goes on ad infinitum. According to Kedar, "Brin and Page liked this because it looks a bit like a Chinese finger trap."

Google No. 2
Typeface: Catull

Instead of working with the two Os and creating something larger in terms of space and pattern, Kedar modified just one letter to make it multidimensional. This design ended up being part of the basis for the multiple Os at the bottom of Google's search results page. The cross hairs reference both target and precision. Brin and Page wanted to clearly differentiate Google from competing search engines and convey that the service was a search provider first and foremost, with an algorithmically complex yet simple-to-use application, Kedar says.

Google No. 3
Typeface: ITC Leawood

"I look at this now and think, 'Google has gone to the Olympics,'" Kedar says through a laugh. The interlocking rings are a metaphor for far-reaching searches that involve different cultures and different countries. "It's funky and clunky, and those were the things we were exploring at the time," she says.

Google No. 4
Typeface: Catull 

All the letters in this design are uppercase, giving it a more corporate and solid feel, but by changing the letters' sizes and adding colors, Kedar keeps the logo playful. The colors don't appear in rainbow order, so things aren't quite the way you'd expect them to be. The design's fault was that it was too busy. "They liked the magnifying glass and the cross hairs, but not all at once," Kedar says.

Google No. 5
Typeface: Catull 

This is a further iteration of the previous design, but Kedar gets rid of the cross hairs and the ability to see through the magnifying glass. She adds a smiling mouth, though, to represent "happy" results and a positive search experience. "At the beginning and end, the letters are the same color, but in between, all kinds of things happen," Kedar says, possibly referencing the different routes your search can take as a result of the gaggle of information Google returns.

Google No. 6
Typeface: ITC Leawood

This design was close to Brin's original concept, but by using the Leawood font, shadowing and shading, Kedar gets some dimensionality into the logo as the letters go through thick and thin stages. The logo floats on the search page, which they knew was going to be clean and mostly white. This iteration also started a discussion regarding how many colors Google wanted and what kind of color progression would work.

Google No. 7
Typeface: Catull

"This is where we started simplifying," Kedar explains. "The idea was, 'Can we create the sense of playfulness without having recognizable or identifiable objects that are going to end up limiting us?'" By taking out the magnifying glass, Kedar opens up the logo to signify that Google can become much more than just a search engine. By playing with the angles and colors of the letters, she tries to make clear that Google isn't a square corporation.

Final Design
Typeface: Catull

 

"There were a lot of different color iterations," Kedar says. "We ended up with the primary colors, but instead of having the pattern go in order, we put a secondary color on the L, which brought back the idea that Google doesn't follow the rules."

Google also encourages its users to create their own versions of the Google logo. Apart from these, Google comes up with holiday logos and other logos for special occasions, you can check them out at http://www.google.co.in/logos/official.html

Logolysis of McDonald's

McDonald's Logo analysis:

Likewise all businesses, it started on a small scale with a single location in Southern California. In 1937, McDonald’s was first a restaurant that sold hotdogs, orange juice, coffee and tea. Then, it was moved to San Bernardino and it was converted to a BBQ restaurant. Soon after, an investigation of sales showed that hamburgers accounted for 80% of items sold. That is how the switch was made – from a BBQ to a fast food chain. For more on McDonald’s history click here. Let’s focus on the logo :

In the begining there was the chef character named “Speedee”  ( #1 and #2. )  Then, in 1953, the arches were introduced. One of the founders, Dick McDonald sketched a pair of stylized yellow arches on both sides of the new outlet in Phoenix, Arizona. On #5 is one of the McDonald’s history museum locations. When the arches are viewed from an angle they resemble the letter M. From this reminiscence came the concept of the new logo, introduced in 1962, and designed by Jim Schindler.

The vintage cup on #3 is a McDonald’s waxed paper cup from the 1960s for milkshakes. It is part of “The All American” advertising campaign ran by McDonald’s at the time.

The logo expert Andy Payne, creative director of Interbrand, said: “The interesting thing about this logo is that it was born of architecture. The arches were a design to be used in a building and that has created the unique nature of the “M”. It does rely on colour, in that you might not recognise it as McDonald’s if it was not yellow and red.” Later on, in 1968, the name ‘McDonald’s’ was adjoined with the McDonald’s logo.

There are numerous variations of the arches as you can easily see. What is the difference you might ask? Well, to me it was fascinating to try to decipher the different advertising messages that a variation in the shape, colour tint and colour choice, orientation and size, could propose.  For example, in #12 and #14, the edges are sharper, which speaks of a more solid, business-like and  corporate character. On the contrary, #10 apparently targets a funnier, happier, and more casual audience. This ‘M’ is used mainly when advertising to children. The wider arches, the brighter yellow, and the imitation of a drawing are all elements that contribute to the attempted young-spirited vision. Another use of wider arches is when the logo is utilized as a street/road sign – the thicker arches are seen easier from the passing cars.  

My take on McDonald's Logo:“The simpler the font of the logo, the more radiant it becomes for the spectator.”

Logolysis of Nokia

This time its going to be Nokia and its a very short post!

Nokia Corporation has been in the telecommunications business since the 1960s and has become a global leader of the industry. The Nokia logo, like the company, is synonymous with mobile technology, high-tech gadgets and new ways to communicate and explore.

So when it came to designing their logo, Nokia Co. made every effort to make its logo represent the company’s mission. And thus, the infamous ‘Nokia Connecting People’ logo came into being.

Features of the Nokia Logo:
Let’s look at the features of the Nokia logo that make the brand so attractive.

What’s in a Slogan?
The Nokia logo consists of a very burly slogan that gives the brand a truly strong position in the telecommunication industry. The slogan cleverly expresses the company’s mission, which is to connect people without barrier and distance. This has made the Nokia logo stand out from the rest.

Picture Perfect!
There is a perfect image of two people almost joining hands with each other on the Nokia logo. The image has given a proper support to the logo and has brilliantly complimented the company’s mission and the slogan.

A Powerful Brand.
Undoubtedly, Nokia is a powerful player in the mobile telecommunication industry. Its mobile phones and gadgets have been infiltrated globally in mobile markets and are the customers’ favorite. Apart from being celebrated for its mobile phones, Nokia Co. also offers it’s customer other corporate functions which include multimedia devices and applications, enterprise solutions and network services. This further makes the Nokia logo a common household icon.

It will be irrevelant to discuss about the other logos of Nokia, because it existed as a company in different businesses throughout its history before entering the telecommunications space. Anyway a splash of the different logos of Nokia are shown below:

Logolysis of General Electric (GE)

A great company founded by a great inventor! Thomas Alva Edison founded the Edison Electric Light Company in 1878 to manufacture and sell his new invention - incandescent electric lamp. Later Edison combined all his businesses under Edison General Electric Company that merged with Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1892 to form the General Electric Company.

GE’s logo has changed little since inception. The original logo was designed almost 100 years ago. Actually, it was just a badge for the center of one of the first electric fans. You can see this in the first of it’s kind GE logo. The fans were lost in the history but the swirly logo remains the same although it has gone thorough minor revisions over the time.

A time-line of GE logos is displayed below:

 
Current logo was adopted in 2004 when GE also changed its corporate color to blue which represents intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. The new logo was designed by Wolff Olins. GE also adopted a new slogan, “imagination at work” replacing the longtime slogan “we bring good things to life”. GE's logo shows a subtle movement (swirly) and this is a very fine point to be noticed that represents dynamism and forward looking.

The new GE brand system was officially launched in January 2005. GE believes that in the 21st century, its image should reflect the brand’s attributes and characters such as trustworthy, leading, dependable, contemporary, global, innovative, dynamic and approachable. It also best represents GE’s focus on imagination, innovation and the determination to maintain its century-old tradition of continuously bringing high-technology products and services to the market. 

The most remarkable transformation was the change of the black and white GE logo into a variety of 14 colors. The Pantone7455 blue replaced black to be the most common color used in the logo. The new brand system clearly defines the brand architecture, logo, tag-line lock-up, typography and colors as well as providing the instructions for ads, stationary, gifts and print productions.

GE's logo will always remind us of a trustworthy, an approachable and a global company that is committed to imagination, innovation and century-old tradition of bringing quality products to the people. The classic logo will remain contemporary for the years to come by having some minor but thorough change.

GE's logo will be a stamp of trust, tradition, innovation, imagination, quality and so on...

Logolysis of Microsoft

Happy New Year to You! This is my first post of the year 2010!

This time its the giant software company Microsoft. This time its more of critic of the logo than analysis, lets see how this pans out. The present logo of Microsoft is about 22 years old. The current logo of Microsoft is supposed to be simple to satisfy both B2B and B2C markets. In my opinion the current logo is not really suitable to compete in B2C markets, for several reasons.

• Today, after the internet boom, the role of multimedia has increased.
• The aesthetics, creativity and dynamics became more important for the computer users, who seek visually attractive products.
• I believe that the current logo is inconsistent with the appealing products offered to customers like Windows 7, Xbox, MSN, or Zune which are modern and up-to-date.

According to a research conducted by a private group,

• Dimension of Name is satisfying with a good grade.
• Dimension of Aesthetic is quite satisfying, and gives indications for possible minor changes.
• Poor results in Dynamic, Shape and Color are symptoms of obsolescence of the logo.
• Dimension of Creativeness has also received bad responses.

All through the years Microsoft’s logo has been a very dull and straight forward logo. Even Steve Jobs of Apple has quoted that “Guys at Redmond don’t have taste”.

 

The first logo of Microsoft resembled neon sign fonts on motels and other road side diners. This logo had a two step layout with the Micro on top and Soft underneath it, conveying the message that it stood for Microcomputer Software.

The second logo of Microsoft was a thin font, all capital logo with just a dim-witted design for the letter “O”. The logo in itself didn’t convey much about the brand and its values.

Then there was the title cased Microsoft logo with a small hyphen between Micro and Soft. This time it was a little more formal and dead simple.

Finally the hyphen was removed and a single word logo was formed. This logo has stayed the same from 1987. The letter “O” was in pac-man style face. I feel that Microsoft has not evolved in terms of its brand identity like other technology companies for instance Cisco, Google, Apple, Adobe, Sun, Amazon, HP etc.

According to one marketing and brand consultant, the following can be subtle but powerful change in Microsoft’s logo. I also felt that MS needed this change! Tell me what you think.

 

Logolysis of IBM

Welcome once again to a new logolysis post!

This time its IBM. I know that IBM’s logo is not that great and exciting, but being in the number two spot in the 100 best global brands is no easy task for any company. IBM has had its own set of logos and even company names. It will be interesting to learn about it. So here we go:

Down through the years, IBM (and its predecessor companies) has used a series of logos on signs, stationery, vehicles, products — and even flags — to make a distinctive statement and foster immediate recognition all over the world. Here are those logos in chronological order.

1889-1914 - The International Time Recording Company (ITR) began as the Bundy Manufacturing Company in Auburn, New York. ITR's main product line were mechanical time recorders invented and patented by Willard L. Bundy in 1888. ITR was later merged into the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company — the forerunner of IBM — in 1911. ITR had a logo that was typical of those days with simple and clear fonts merging to form a sketch like pattern.

1891-1914 - In 1891, Edward Canby and Orange O. Ozias, two businessmen from Dayton, Ohio, purchased the patents for the newly invented computing scale and incorporated the Computing Scale Company for the production of commercial scales. This time the logo matured into a cursive font type with a more natural merging of the letters of the company’s name.

1911-1924 - In 1911, financier Charles R. Flint directed the merger of the International Time Recording Company, the Computing Scale Company and the Tabulating Machine Company to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR). In 1914 Thomas J. Watson, Sr., was named general manager of CTR. Watson emphasized research and engineering, and introduced into the company his famous motto "THINK." CTR’s logo was again in the form of a collage of letters with the classic font face and gave it a stamp like look to it. The sketch like pattern was still resembling their first logos.

1924-1946 - In 1924, the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company adopted the name International Business Machines Corporation. The ornate, rococo letters that formed the "CTR" logo were replaced by the words "Business Machines" in more contemporary sans-sarif type, and in a form intended to suggest a globe, girdled by the word "International." This logo helped IBM look like a global company and was already on its way to become to the largest computer company in the world in the near future.

1947-1956 - IBM borrowed on the equities in its brand image and reputation to help carry it through a difficult transition from the punched-card tabulating business to computers. It began with a change to the logotype, the first in 22 years. The new logo appeared on the masthead of the January 1, 1947 issue of Business Machines with surprisingly little fanfare. The familiar "globe" was replaced with the simple letters "IBM" in a typeface called Beton Bold. This move to a simple font based logo was because of the serious guys working at IBM during those days and even now. The logo depicted a very formal, reverent and big brotherly looking company trying to shred its way across the world.

1956-1972 - In May 1956, shortly before he died, Thomas J. Watson, Sr., presided over the official installation of his son as IBM's chief executive. Tom Watson, Jr. moved quickly, using both actions and symbols to signify a new era. The first visible expression was a relatively subtle change in the company's logotype subtle, in part, to communicate that any changes would come within an overall continuity. Created by noted graphic designer Paul Rand, the new logotype replaced the former Beton Bold typography with City Medium, as the letters "IBM" took on a more solid, grounded and balanced appearance.

1972 - Present -  In 1972, the company introduced a new version of the logotype. Designed by Paul Rand, horizontal stripes now replaced the solid letters to suggest "speed and dynamism." In the intervening quarter-century, the basic design has remained constant, one of the most recognized logotypes in the world, and a design that has been widely imitated by others. The 8 stripes logo was introduced in blue color, this is how it got its name "Big Blue". But the present logo is again in monochrome. IBM's logo has remained the same for a long time from then, except for it is used in different variations according to the need.

 

So that sums up the logolysis of IBM. IBM’s logo will stay one of the most recognized symbols because of the power and reputation this brand brings to the world.