Article - Logo Design - Before and After the Logo

03 Dec 2020

Brave New Business World Before and After the Logo

Once upon a time, long ago, when formal business enterprises began operating from shops, offices, factories, or other formal business premises away from home, the trademark, known today as a “logo”, did not exist. The concept had not been invented. Most enterprises identified themselves under or as the name of the owner, with or without the inclusion of “and Sons”, since the next generation was expected to follow in the footsteps of the patriarch, the founder of the concern.

Longevity – an Endorsement

“Est.” or “Established in”, followed by a specific year, might be added to the concern’s signage, because then, as now, a long-standing, well-established business indicated its longevity, on-going success, and the fact that customers and clients had faithfully supported it for that many years, subsequent to the company’s founding. Longevity seems to serve almost as an incidental endorsement.

Wearing a Badge of Honour

Those were the days when one “wore” one’s name as a proud badge of honour. Your name was accepted as perfectly suitable and good enough to serve as the identifying insignia of your enterprise, as well as the quality and integrity of your goods or services that were associated with your good name and professional, honourable reputation.

Your Name was your Logo

In other words, your name was your logo, and it was usually followed by a word or two that briefly described your profession or the nature of your business – “bookkeeper”, “tailor”, “barber”, “outfitter”, “apothecary”, “haberdashery”, and “general dealer”, to name a few fields that were typical of the times.

The only design element that was involved consisted of the size and type of font used by a sign writer to paint on the name of the concern, after the owner of the name and business had approved the signage that was to be placed on the door, above the public entrance or on a window’s glass pane.

Growing World of Business

Time went by. More and more people went into business, some as sole proprietors, while others entered partnerships and/or formed corporations. The world of business grew and expanded, particularly so - at a rate of knots - after the Second World War. Markets diversified and specialised; niche markets evolved, a trend which still prevails today.

Competition was and is fierce, which is why it’s so crucially important to distinguish your business from those of competitors, who in all probability, offer products and services that are much the same as yours. What makes your enterprise different?

What’s In It for Me?

What makes it better or preferable, from a customer’s point of view? What aspects of your brand and its carefully designed logo do customers perceive as offering benefits for them? Why should they take note of and support the brand that your logo typifies? Many, if not most potential customers have an attitude of “What’s it for me?” in their quest to find the maximum value, appeal, and advantage for themselves in a particular brand.

People will notice, look, see, and take in or ignore visual clues and pictures. Thus, the design of your logo is all-important, because it’s the frequently the first point of contact with your customers. Emblem design is a complex exercise, which may be surprising, since many renowned emblems look so simple and straightforward.

Less, as Little as Possible, is More

One Dieter Rams noted: “Good design is as little design as possible”. Some universally familiar brands’ seemingly plain, but very effective, immediately recognisable logo designs include:

• Mercedes-Benz – the circle containing three spokes
• McDonalds – double yellow arches, signifying the letter “M”
• Coca-Cola – using only the brand name in its distinctive font
• Chanel – a pair of linked “Cs”
• Nike – the simple, famous tick
• FedEx – in the actual logo, an arrow appears in negative, in the midline between the second “E” and “X”, cleverly illustrating the core of the company’s business – forwarding mail and packages
• Apple – the simple silhouette of an apple with a bite taken out of its side
• Nando’s – its cockerel is a little more complex, but full of meaning, indicating chicken, the heart of the brand, and African Bird’s Eye Chillies – in his tail and his comb.

Design Aids

Because effective logo design isn’t as easy as it looks, brand customisation solutions specialists, the XCO Group, are proud to introduce their range of four practical “Brand-in-a-Box” guides to assist you to create or refresh the design of your own brand insignia. Choose between Logo Redraw, Social Logo, Logo Guidebook and Logo Tweak, or cover all bases and get them all.