Monday, March 23, 2015


One of the most recognizable logos ever created, the Apple logo has undergone some changes since its first variation.  The first Apple logo was created by Ronald Wayne.  The logo went from a highly detailed and somewhat old fashioned design to the far more simplified version which is more familiar to you and I.  This new and colorful logo was created by Rob Janoff and the bands of color were meant to represent the use of colors in information technology.  Finally the logo was altered to the variation that we see nowadays.  The logo has gone through a few changes but with the exception of the first logo, the design has remained fairly consistent.  I like that the new design has a slight 3D look to it, and while I am usually a fan of things that are very colorful, I actually like the more monochromatic variation.

Information from  http://famouslogos.net/apple-logo/
 

A fashion company that specializes in making sportswear, Converse was created in 1908.   In 1917 the company started making shoes specifically for basketball players.  The first player to endorse the brand was Charles "Chuck" Taylor, who added his signature to the brand in 1920.  There are a few variations of the logo that are used for different departments of the company but the designer Jim Labadini can take credit for the design of the "chevron and star" logo.   The brand is still very popular, and my dad who grew up in the 50's and 60's still talks about the pair of Chuck Taylor sneakers that he used to have when he was a boy.  The brand has been kept consistent which has most likely helped with the recognition of the brand. I tend to like things that are retro and while the brand may have been refurbished it still reminds me of something from a different generation.

Information from  http://famouslogos.net/converse-logo/

Monday, March 16, 2015

Coca-Cola Logococa cola old logo evolution history  The Coca Cola is a brand that is distributed all over the world and the logo that represents it is both popular and recognizable.  The Red that is used for the logo seems to be iconic and recognizable as well. The Oldest version of the logo was created by Frank Mason Robinson in 1885. The logo has remained consistent in font and color for the time the beverage has been available to the public. The brand has most likely helped the product gain recognition and popularity. There is something very nostalgic and memorable about the design, simply because of the antiques, posters and magazines that have been designed to help its popularity grow.
Ford Logo Evolution Old HistoryThe Ford logo is simple in design and font choice but it is one of the most recognizable car logos.  I don't know who designed the logo but Henry Ford founded the company in 1903.  The first Logo had a blockier font with a highly stylized border.  I like the first logo design, but from an efficiency standpoint it may have been difficult to put on the front of hundreds of cars.  The design went from one extreme to the other and by 1909 the logo had lost its stylized border and had become a simple cursive font inside quotes. The font would finally be put back inside a circle and the classic blue and white colors would be incorporated.  The final logo from 1976 has a modern 3D look to it, and it even looks shiny to the viewer.  The Logo has changed quite a bit over the years but it is still remained consistent enough for recognition to remain among the public.
Angry Birds LogoThe Angry Birds logo is one of my favorite logos because of its creative and colorful design. The design was most likely designed to market towards children but the game is also very popular among adults.  The game was created by a Finnish computer game company called Rovio Entertainment Unlimited, and I while I am unsure who designed the logo, a designer or designers in the company may have created the logo.  More than three colors was definitely used in the design which isn't really a bad thing in this case since the design is meant to be appealing to a younger generation.  The font is very creative and bold.  I like that it looks almost like the font is the birds nest.  If the logo is kept the same it will help with recognition, but it is doubtful that people will forget the funny looking birds in the logo.
The Chanel logo is most likely one of the most recognizable logos in the world of fashion.  The company was started by Coco Chanel in 1909 and she also created the logo herself.  The design is simple yet iconic and it has not changed at all since it was created which has help with recognition for the design.  The black in the logo is meant to represents elegance.  The Sans Serif font is a custom typeface and the two intertwined C's are extremely popular for anyone who can afford to wear the logo.  I like the design because it is simple and can be incorporated into clothing, jewelry, shoes, letterheads, business cards, etc. with little difficulty.   While black and white are the general colors I have seen it changed according to the product on which it is being placed.

(information from Famouslogos.net) 

Cartoon Network LogoCartoon Network Old Logo EvolutionThe Cartoon Network Logo is one that most 90's kids will recognize without a problem.  The network and logo were introduced in 1992.  The current logo is pictured in the far left corner and was created by an Australian digital visual effects company called Animal Logic.  The font is a custom typeface that is San Serif.  The logo is very recognizable but I'm not sure how I feel about the original logo.  Each letter of the title is in a box and the entire logo has a stroke around it.  The font is a bold san serif font that stands out and makes an impression on the viewer.  
Burger King LogoThe Burger King logo is unique in that it has an illustration of the food that the company serves, and usually restaurant logos don't have this characteristic.  The branding hasn't changed much over the years but the original logo looked even more like a burger than the one that is pictured here.  Despite these changes the colors have remained predominately the same.  It is nice that the designers chose the three primary colors for their logo because the three go very well together. This also helps with recognition, so much so that it would be difficult for any other business to use these same colors in a completely different logo, simply because people would think of Burger King when they saw it. The font is a custom typeface that is bold and San Serif.
Baskin Robbins LogoBaskin Robbins Logo Old History EvolutionThe Baskin Robbins logo is creative, innovative and colorful, and the design is perfect for a business that sells ice cream. The newest logo which is on the far left was introduced in 2007 after the company decided to redo some of their branding. The company is well known for having 31 different flavors of ice cream and in the older logos the 31 stands out on its own.  I love that the designers found a creative new way to incorporate the 31 into the design without it standing out like a sore thumb.  The colors have remained similar through the years to help with logo recognition.  The current logo is to the point but still fun to look at, and the color choices work very well together as well.  While I am not usually a fan of putting font inside boxes or circles this is one case in which it works and still stays true to the original design.  
Aerosmith LogoFor a classic rock fan, the Aerosmith logo is very recognizable, and perhaps even those who don't care for classic rock still would be interested in this particular logo and its design.  The logo was designed by Raymond Tabano who played in the band for a little while before being replaced by Brad Whitford in 1971.  The logo has a stylized A in the background and the font that the work Aerosmith is comprised of looks vaguely like smoke.  The design is perfect for a rock band because it is edgy and exciting.  It is also interesting because it resembles a lot of different things such as smoke, pinstripes, and tattoos.  The movement of the design  gives the logo character and the colors that are used help add  movement. I also like how the designer put light colors on a black background because this make the design look almost like it is glowing.  The design hasn't changed much from when it was created in the 1970's and this is most likely the reason that the logo is so recognizable.   

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Logo of HollisterLogo of Hollister Co.The Hollister logo is another logo that was designed for a clothing brand.  The logo was designed by Abercrombie and Fitch co. and has remained consistent in design since the brand was released. The color of the logo is usually maroon which represents happiness bravery and power.  The logo on the left is very similar to the design of the American Eagle Outfitters logo, with the bird at the top followed by the large text and smaller text below.  The designers shouldn't have put the large heavy font on top of the smaller font, and they probably should have used a similar san serif font for the font below the larger font. A lot of clothing stores have similar branding methods and the similarities between AEO and Hollister are quite evident.  
Logo of American Eagle OutfittersThe American Eagle Outfitters logo is simple and to the point, representing the company with the trademark symbol of an eagle. I was unable to find out who designed the logo.  The logo is very recognizable and the color and design of the logo has remained consistent through the time that the company has been selling merchandise.  The font is a simple serif font that has an air of importance.  I imagine that it was the goal of the designer to make it look as if the eagle is trying to land of the type.  While this may be the case, there are some variations where the eagle sits off to the side of the logo.  The Eagle is often embroidered into the clothing that the company sells. The font is also seen separated from the eagle on a fairly regular basis and is often used in the tags and small metal plates that are used in the clothing and jewelry.  While all the font may not be used on the metal plates the initials of the brand are used instead. 
Pacsun is one of my favorite clothing stores.  However, this does not mean that their logo is as good looking as some of their clothes.  Something that is very popular right now is the destructed font.  Fonts that look edgy and broken.  The font used for the Pacsun logo is the perfect example of this. I like the font just fine and it definitely represents the company and their edgy fashions.  The logo looks fine by itself but unfortunately the designers decided to put the logo inside an oval.  A lot of there marketing focuses on a young group of people and the advertising usually gives a representation of freedom and youth, so why would they trap their logo inside a stroked circle if this was the image that their marketing team was trying to convey? The font doesn't need to seem trapped and perhaps the designers wanted the lines to represent a wave or a surf board.  It would make a lot of sense and look better if the circle was in the shape of a surf board.  Changing the grey to a different color might also make the design better.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

   I wasn't able to find out who designed the Disney Channel Logo but it is unlikely that any of its forms were created by just one designer.  The first disney channel Logo (1983-1986) is uninteresting and dull, especially as a logo for a kids station, and its counterpart is only slightly better, with a similar setup and a font that was altered to contain the Disney Logo.  After 1997 the logos began to get better.  The Logo that was used from 1997 to 2002 had a creative feel to it with paint splotches for a head and ears but in 2002 the logo's design changed drastically.  The new design was simple with a modern flair.  When the logo was in use, It would usually be shown in the lower left hand corner of the screen and through special effects a disney channel actor would act as though they were applying the logo to the screen with a magic wand. The Logo didn't change very much for a few years, but in 2014 the designers at disney decided to do a new take on their logo.  The new design puts more focus on the name of the company instead of the mascot.  The gradient in the background helps to give the design some depth.  I personally like the logo that was used from 2002-2014, but this is most likely because I grew up watching the disney channel during these years.  

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Barbie Logo Old History Evolution
While I was unable to find out who created the Barbie Logo I did find that the creators of the actual doll were a couple named Ruth and Elliot Handler.  The toy itself has gained incredible popularity since it was first released to the public, but this is probably also due the to Logo and marketing of those selling the toy.  Despite changes through the years, the Barbie Logo has remained consisted in in design and color.  The Logo is usually seen in a font that looks very cursive, but it went through some alterations between 1975 and 1999 that were a bit thicker and boxier.  The logo is so recognizable that designers can rarely use these particular shades of pink in their designs because the viewer would most likely think of Barbie even if the logo itself has nothing to do with the doll.  Because of the consistency of font and design, the logo is easy to remember which is probably one of the reasons for Barbie's popularity among buyers. 
7logoLogo of My Little PonyLogo of My Little Pony
The My Little Pony Logo is one that has undergone quite of few changes since the Brand was created by designers in the Hasbro company and launched in 1983. The Logo is most likely recognizable among those who had My Little Ponies as a child.  It has undergone so many design and color changes that Logo recognition hasn't been the franchises strongest point.  The original font for the logo was a simple serif font with a drop shadow for a 3D effect.  In later years the logo's font would change to a highly stylized san serif font with a gradient, and this is the logo that I recognize from my childhood.  I like the logo for personal reasons but from a design standpoint it has more colors than are usually desired in a logo but since it is a brand that is marketed towards young girls this probably isn't a problem.  The current logo has four colors and a new stylized font.  I like the logo that I relate to, and that is the problem with the franchises inconsistency to create a familiar and recognizable logo.  Each time the logo has been changed it has been changed so drastically that each generation has a different logo to relate to, which  won't help with marketing.
Logo of BatmanLogo of BatmanA logo that is highly recognizable, the Batman Logo can be found not only in the comics but on clothing, toys and many other objects. The super hero was created by a man named Bob Kane, but I am unsure as to whether or not Kane created the first Batman logo.  The Logo has undergone many changes over the years since the superhero first became popular, and while some of the changes haven't been the best, the logo has still remained recognizable.  The yellow and black logo is a bit more classic and I see it quite often on T-shirts.  One of the things I have noticed about the batman logo, is that different versions of the logo are used very often in marketing.  It is one of the few Logo's I know of, that doesn't have font but is still so well known. I like the simplicity and element of excitement in the design of the many batman logos, and though the shape of the logo has changed through the years, thankfully the designers has kept with the general color scheme to help with branding and recognition.  
For any movie lover, the DreamWorks logo is very recognizable even without the font.  This is the simple 2D version but DreamWorks designers have a knack for getting really creative with the logo when they put it in movies.  The Logo was an idea of Steven Spielburg's who commissioned a man named Robert hunt to create the logo.  Hunt's Son was used as a model for the boy sitting on the moon.  The DreamWorks Logo is one of my favorite logos because the design is creative and detailed.  The color that was chosen for this version of the logo works well because it is a little like the color of the night sky.  As the company has grown the logo has gone through a few changes. Usually it is seen with clouds surrounding it and even the font color has changed.  While all the changes may not help with logo recognition, this is doubtful due to the popularity of DreamWorks Studios.   
This logo is so simple but it still does a great job of showing the purpose of the business which it represents. Using a golf club as a bird was a great idea on the part of the designer. While the concept and design idea is very good, the typographical aspect fell by the wayside.  The font is just a simple San Serif font and while it may do the job, it could be better.  The larger, heavier font is sitting on top of the smaller font which also may take away from the design.  The logo might be made better if the font was placed differently.  The colors in this logo aren't very appealing, and while it is good that the designer only used two, he/she could have picked something slightly brighter and more welcoming. Despite the font and color choices, the logo is good and there are many different ways it could be broken up and used in advertising.