Brands Through Time

ith abstraction still in its infant stages within corporate design, the Brands of the Past were at the mercy of the literal. A characteristic lack of synthesis made them oversaturated and ornamental, more items of exclusivity resembling the clan crests of yore than actual pieces of communicatio

Coca-Cola is the world’s most popular soft drink. The Coca-Cola logo, like the product it-

self, is rated among the most recognized logos and brands in the world. The first Coca-Cola

logo was created by John Pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, in

1885. Thinking that the two Cs would look well in advertising, it was Robinson who

came up with the name and chose the logo’s distinctive cursive script. The typeface used,

known as Spencerian script, was developed in the mid 19th century and was the dominant

form of formal handwriting in the United States during that period. The red and white col-

ored scheme in the Coca-Cola logo was kept simple and distinctive to lure young minds.

Coca-Cola is a flagship example of a Brand of the Past that, through uniqueness and popularity, has gained a timeless quality.

Down through the years, IBM (and its predecessors) has used a series of logos to make a distinctive statement and foster immediate recognition worlwide. The International Time Recording Company (ITR). It’s main product line were mainly mechanical time recorders invented and patented by Willard L. Bundy in 1888. In 1891, Edward Canby and Orange O. Ozias, two businessmen from Dayton, Ohio, purchased the patents for the newly invented computing scale and incor-porated the Computing Scale Company

for commercial scales. ITR, the main company, was later on merged into the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. in 1911. In 1924, the Computing-Tabu-lating-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.”

1888 1891 1911 1924

IBM borrowed on the equities in its repu-tation to help carry it through a difficult transition from the punched-card tabulat-ing to computers. It began with a change of logotype, the first in 22 years. The new logo first appeared on the masthead of the 1947, January 1 issue of Business Machines. The

“globe” was replaced with the simple letters IBM in a typeface called Beton Bold. In May 1956, Tom Watson, Jr. moved quickly, using symbols to signify a new era. The first visible expression was a relatively subtle change in the company’s logotype subtle, to communicate

that any changes would come within an overall continuity. Created by noted designer Paul Rand, the new logotype replaced the former typeface with City Medium, giving a more solid and balanced appearance to

“IBM.” In 1972, the company introduced a new version of the logotype. Designed by Paul Rand, horizontal stripes now replaced the solid letters of “IBM” to suggest speed and dynamism. Since then the design has remained constant, one of the most recog-nized logotypes in the world, and a design that has been widely imitated by others.

1947 1956 1972

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The Brands of the Present are modern. Contemporary

perspectives have led them to, like life forms in evolution,

shed their unnecessary appendices and become more

efficient. Nevertheless some vestiges of the past remain,

although, when kept as echoes of past character, they give

modern marks an element of exclusivity that the excess of

abstraction might steal away.

The Science Channel, one of the chan-

nels from Discovery Communications LLC,

unveiled a new identity that positions it on

par with popular sister channel TLC, that

has a unique identity, by stripping the

parent company’s endorsing globe and

letting the eight-year-old channel stand on

its own. The new logo is less subtle with

the clear reference to the periodic table.

It makes for a great logo on TV, as it will

be recognizable when rendered small.

The logo is set in Avant Garde with some

surgery done to the n’s, giving it an un-

necessary added layer of trendines. The s

is condensed making it feel out of place,

specially in contrast to other characters.

The new identity feels fresh and lively.

Above the simple logo redesign. Left:

the old version.

Redesigns have become quite popular.

With the world more connected every day

by the media, brands have been forced

to consolidate their images, a process

which tends to start by reinventing the

mark. Although some redesigns are not

quite revolutionary, like the Delta example,

they have merit. The font is now sans serif

all caps creating stability and the symbol’s

colors now have an adjacent harmony.

With UPS, Apple and Peugeot we can

see a movement towards futuristic looks.

From top left to bottom right: Delta Airlines, United Postal Service, Apple Computers and Peugeot Vehicles. The examples depict the contemporary trend of adding visual tridimen-sionality to simplified marks.

The Nike “Swoosh” was designed in

1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic

design student at Portland State Univer-

sity. She met Phil Knight while he was

teaching accounting classes and she

started doing some freelance work for

his company, Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS).

BRS needed a new brand for a new line

of athletic footwear it was preparing to

introduce in 1972. Knight approached

Davidson for design ideas, and she

agreed to provide them, charging a rate

of $2 per hour. In June 1971, Davidson

presented a number of design options to

Knight and other BRS executives, and

they ultimately selected the mark now

known globally as the Swoosh. David-

son submitted a bill for $35 for her work.

The solid corporate logo design check

was registered as a trademark in 1995.

The Nike logo design is an abstract wing

-referring to the Greek Goddess-, ap-

propriate and meaningful symbol for a

company that marketed running shoes.

In 1983, Knight gave Davidson a gold

Swoosh ring and an envelope with Nike

stock to express his gratitude.

The great level of abstraction of the Nike logo has granted it universal recognition. Thanks to that it can appear as a symbol alone or even as a deformed image -like the example above- and still be identified. The opposite page shows it being used as a discrete signature after it has been shown in unison with the product.

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Throughout MTV’s early days, the channel’s main logo was a large “M” with the letters “TV,”

but unlike most networks’ logos, the MTV logo constantly morphed and adapted with different colors, patterns, and images filling in the

large block letter. The very first moments of MTV after the “moon

landing,” as well as the top of every hour until at least the mid-1980s,

featured a rapidly changing station ID logo that changed its appear-ance several times per second.

The only constant aspects of MTV’s logo at the time were its general shape and proportions; everything else was dynamic. The channel’s most popular image and branding campaign,

“I want my MTV!,” was launched in 1983 and featured known artists and celebrities interacting with the MTV logo on-air, encouraging viewers to call their cable providers and request that MTV be added to their local channel lineups.

Once MTV’s

original

morphing logo had run

its course, the channel

began to use a solid white

logo, otherwise the same

as the original. During the

late 1990s MTV updated its

on-air appearance at the

beginning of every year and

each summer. MTV then

introduced a static, single-

color graphic during all of its

other programming.

MTV’s morphing mark was a step towards the future of inconsistent but effective brand recognition.

The current official Google pop logo was designed by Ruth Kedar.

It is a wordmark based on the Catull typeface. The company also includes vari-

ous modifications and/or humorous features, such as cartoon modifications, of

their logo for use on holidays, birthdays of famous people, and major events,

such as the Olympics. These special logos, some designed by Dennis Hwang,

have become known as Google Doodles. As of 21 March 2010, Google’s own

gallery features 770 logos. In 1998 Sergey Brin created a computerized version

of the Google letters using the free graphics program GIMP after learning how

to use it. The exclamation mark was added, mimicking the Yahoo! logo. “There

were a lot of different color iterations,” says Ruth Kedar, the graphic designer

who developed the now-famous logo. “We ended up with the primary colors,

but instead of having the pattern go in order, we put a secondary color on the O,

which brought back the idea that Google doesn’t follow the rules.”

The Google apps (left) are a great example of expansion by the brands of the future. Google maintains its image by sticking to a strict chromatic array. In some cases gradation and light effects make the colors vary but the essence of the hue stays the same.Inconsistency is present though when it comes to the typeface choice and treatment.

The Google logo variations (below) display the mark’s ability to be boldly modified and still retain consistency. The motifs vary from historical figures’ birthdays to holidays. This open attitude towards brand deformity makes the logo, which by itself is nothing special, quite extraordinary.

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