Sunday, February 18, 2018

Depth - AT&T's semi-transparent globe

Logo found in Ron van der Vlugt's Logo Life: Life Histories of 100 Famous Logos, copyright 2012, BIS Publishers, Amsterdam. The small version in the book did not render well as scanned, so this is an identical online version, from http://1000logos.net/att-logo/  



I almost used this logo in the post on symmetry a few weeks ago, but the 2005 version of AT&T's semi-transparent globe symbol fits today's topic (depth) just as well. There's a layering effect at work here, with the darker blue curves in the background giving the illusion of depth as we look through the lighter transparent blue curves on the front of the globe. The light gray shadows at the edges of the globe also tell us this is a 2-D representation of something that's three-dimensional.


                                                                                                                        


BONUS CONTENT - the following image may not be in one of our curated library volumes, so view at your own risk!  Seriously. I will not be held responsible if you look at it and your eyeballs fall out or something.



The British Museum posted this image on Facebook, in observance of the birthday of the artist (Thomas Girtin, born on Feb. 18, 1775).  I think he does a good job of creating depth through use of overlap, size variation, color, location and definition.

BTW, the artist was 18 when he created this.











Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Rhythm - in one of the world's most familiar logos


Downloaded from Brands of the World, February 13, 2018

If it's not the most famous logo on Earth, it almost certainly would make any "Top Five" list of the most recognizable trademarks in the world. And I would assert that it's an example of rhythm in design -- that is, "repetition of multiple units in a deliberate pattern."  The undulating rhythm of the lettering, as well as the bottom extension of the first capital "C" and the top extension of the second capital "C," suggests a sense of motion and a rhythmic pattern (albeit a short one).

In the late 1960s, Coca-Cola trademarked its "dynamic ribbon device" -- a simple curve that accentuates the logo, reinforces its rhythm, and even serves as a substitute for the logo sometimes:
Ron van der Vlugt, Logo Life: Life Histories of 100 Famous Logos, BIS Publishers, Amsterdam, copyright 2012.

The "dynamic ribbon device" is still in use some 50 years later -- often as a subtle reminder of the parent brand, neatly tying together its many extensions in countries all over the world:
Downloaded from Brands of the World, February 13, 2018.



Sunday, February 4, 2018

Balance - revised post


Carter, David E., The Big Book of Logos 3, HBI Publishing, New York, 2002, page 41
An example of radial symmetry, with lines and shapes mirrored both vertically and horizontally, and the center serving as a focal point. This stylized maple leaf symbolized Toronto, Ontario's unsuccessful bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics. (Not exactly a mirror image top-to-bottom, but certainly suggestive of one.)