Poster design reached new heights with the London Transport of the 1930s. A keen supporter of contemporary Art and design, it would commission a number of high-profile artists to create publicity posters to inspire and educate those who used its services. It has been documented that many of the passengers looked forward to seeing these colorful works of art that would eventually be in organized exhibits due to their popularity. Lucky for us, such an exhibit exists today at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. (http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1096)
Frank Pick was behind many of the most popular designs as the managing director of the London Transport in 1933. The most enduring of all came with the commission of Edward Johnston to design the original underground "Bullseye" logo. Updated over the years with minimal changes, the logo and font structure still exists very close to its original form.
I once had a student who had a boyfriend stationed with the military overseas in London. In the middle of my lecture on the historical significance of these communication masterpieces, she felt the need to stop me. On her keychain from her visit was the London Transport logo––near 80 years old and almost completely unchanged!
Is there, anywhere, a logo or system of communication that has withstood this test of time in being unbeatable in efficiency and still remaining (relatively) unaltered?
The privilege of seeing the London Transport posters first hand at the MOMA was one that a retro design geek will always cherish. Wish I had brought an extra pair of pants––I soiled myself with enthusiasm! The exhibition will be running though January 10, 2011. If you are in the Manhattan area––go see it and bring some extra garments for the ride home.
Yes, there is logos and systems of communication that have withstood the test of time in being unbeatable in efficiency and still remain unaltered.
ReplyDeleteI believe road signs are a good example. Take the 'stop' sign for example, with a size of 75cm across opposite flats of the red octagon, with a 20mm white border, a universal sign that is used globally. Stop signs had originated in Michigan in 1915, and though they changed color since their created (the original stop signs had black lettering and yellow background), they still remain a solid, recognizable system of communication, telling the viewer to stop, before continuing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_sign
Two logos that have stood the test of time would have to be the very popular Nike 'swoosh' and McDonald's golden arches. The Nike 'swoosh' was a design created in 1971 by Carolyn Davisson, a graphic design student at Portland State University. The Nike 'swoosh' logo represents the wind in the famous stature of the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike. This logo is one of the most easily recognized brand logos in the world. The McDonald's 'golden arches' are a famous symbol o the global fast-food hamburger chain. the arches were introduced in 1953 and were incorporated into the chain's logo in 1962, the 'golden arches' resembling an "m" for McDonalds. The yellow arches, much like the Nike 'swoosh' has stood the test of time and have become brand logos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swoosh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Arches
Therefore, with road signs, and major corporations like Nike and McDonalds, these signs and logos have still remained efficient and have stood the test of time.
Liz Davis
ReplyDeleteOctober 13, 2010
Is there, anywhere, a logo or system of communication that has withstood this test of time in being unbeatable in efficiency and still remaining (relatively) unaltered?
When asked if there were any logos of the 1930s that remained relatively unchanged the first thing I did was research popular logos in that time period. One of the logos that stood out to me that was unchanged would be the famous Paramount Picture logo. Today, we still see the Paramount logo before films. In the 1930s the logo showed a rainbow of stars with the words Paramount Picture films in a cursive writing. We can see that in the background there is a large mountain with clouds floating around it. The logo today is relatively unchanged and has withstood the test of time.
Overall, the logo is still the same. One major difference is that the they have taken out the words pictures and now the logo only features the word Paramount. We can still see the background still have the mountain and clouds. When looking at this logo it is easy to see that Paramount Pictures believes in the saying “Don’t change what works”. They have realized that there is no reason to change a logo that works and gets the message across. Paramount in the twenty first century is still a major company that works in movies. It is common that you will see the Paramount logo if you were sitting in the movie theater ready to watch a movie. This logo has definitely withstood the test of time and still remains popular in the public eye.
I found a few logo's which have remained relatively unaltered since they were first created. These Logo's are Disney, abc, and Coca-Cola. They have been around for years and haven't been altered in any ways that are significant enough to be unidentifiable to us. Abc has had the same font style, the only difference may be the sphere that the logo is on, it may have been altered at times from black to a dark blue. Disney is still the same fancy and scrip-tic font, that has only changed when colors have been added or Mickey Mouse ears have been placed on the "D". Coca-Cola has maintained it's script font since it first started. It is usually written in white with a red background, or red with a white background. It is also often placed on a sphere with a coke bottle on the sphere and under the writing. All of these logo's can still be recognized today as if they had just been released at the start of each company.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of a logo that has withheld the test of time, Coca-Cola comes to mind right away. Coca-Cola's logo was invented by Frank Mason Robinson in 1885. He thought that the two C's would be eye catching and grab attention, so he came up with the 2 cursive C's and the logo has basically remained unchanged for over 120 years. 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. He used red script on a white backround to keep it simple, yet market to a younger auidence. The Coca-Cola logo will go down in history as one of the most recognized logos of all time with a brand loyalty like no other.
ReplyDeleteThe grid. Not the typographic grid, (which has existed as long as type has been applied to paper.) but the Grid System developed by Josef Muller-Brockmann and his contemporaries in post-war Switzerland. They developed an elegant, rational framework for visual solutions. Breaking pages into columns that balance each other in the composition, creating a framework for experimentation, novelty, and harmony. Its modular nature accommodated type, photography, and illustration. As much as designers have tried to break out of it, it continues to be one the foundations of modern design.
ReplyDeleteI read this, and had t ponder it for a couple of days noticing every recognizable sign and logo I saw. One that I came up with this past weekend when I was in New York City, was the NYC subway logo. Every since my parents can remember it has been the same design. I think it benefits the city and its culture to keep it the same. New York has gone through many hardships with the twin towers and familiarity around the city is always good to keep to make it feel the same safe city.
ReplyDeleteAlison Leary
ReplyDelete11/14/10
Is there, anywhere, a logo or system of communication that has withstood this test of time in being unbeatable in efficiency and still remaining (relatively) unaltered?
When I think of a logo that is unbeatable in efficiency and that is still remaining, I think of my computer a MacBook made from apple. The apple logo is a logo that has been relatively unaltered for decades. The logo was born on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs with help of Rob Janoff. The bit you see in the apple was for people not to get confused with it being a tomato. The apple logo was for computers so the word byte in computer terms also stood for the bite in the apple. In 1998 the logo is not monochrome unlike in the 70s it was the rainbow apple, for a more modern and futurist look.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww201/prichmond12/apple-logo-history-thumb.gif
Stephanie Werner
ReplyDelete11/17/10
A logo or system of communication that has withstood the test of time in being unbeatable in efficiency and still (relatively) unaltered is the way our roadways communicate to us through signs. The roadway signs in the United States have basically remained the same since they were first created. They have the same colors and symbols to communicate to us what we need to do or where we can or cannot do something. If these signs ever changed people would be very confused and wouldn’t know what to do.
Another logo or system of communication that has withstood the test of time in being unbeatable in efficiency and still (relatively) unaltered is the major network or promotional logos. These classic logos were created years ago and have been altered slightly throughout the years to keep up with the times but have relatively not been changed. Just by looking at them you know what they stand for or who the producer is. They will be around for years to come and many generations after us will know what they stand for too.
The seals of the armed forces are considered by many as the logos of the respective branches. These logos have remained unchanged for years.
ReplyDeleteThe Marine Corps received approval from President Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 22nd, 1954 and the emblem has not been changed since. Likewise the Army logo has been around for some time, originally used to show the authenticity of official documents. It was not until 1974 that the emblem was approved to be used for public recognition and has not changed.
The Air Force has used the same emblem since 1947 when President Harry S. Truman gave approval on November 1st.
The Coast Guard has displayed their emblem since 1927, after President William H. Taft passed an Executive Order in 1910 for the emblem to be added to their Ensign (flag).
The first Navy seal was adopted in 1780, though it went through many changes. In 1850 a new emblem was created and used until a new seal was created. On October 23rd, 1957 President Eisenhower gave the approval to the Executive Order, making the new seal official.
I wondered for a bit on what logos I can write about that hasnt been altered or that no one has already discussed. I stumbled across the MGM logo, MGM standing for Metro Goldwyn Mayer has been a logo in the produciton company since 1924. It is a gold film with their star mascot Leo the Lion. When I came across this logo I didn't realize that the Lion was the 'main' aspect of this design. Marcos Loew was the big guy who brought three productions into one, Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures, which is now known as MGM Hollywood Studios. This logo has held a definite and impressive logo design to demonstrate the power of the corporation. I chose this logo because I recently just realized what MGM Hollywood Studios logo really is.
ReplyDeleteJustin Block
ReplyDelete12/1/10
I thought about this for a while and even went through a logo book i have called "Marks of Excellence".
I chose the OBEY Giant logo( http://www.squidoo.com/obeygiant ). It's a logo that everyone has seen before but may not know exactly what it is. It started out as a joke by a man named Shepard Fairey in 1988. It was originally a joke between friends but after people around his home town started to take notice and question the stickers he was putting up he realized the power behind repetition and logo's without a corporate name behind him. He realized with each sticker he put up the more important it seemed to people. He soon turned it into a clothing company and the brand has taken off from there.
I love the obey giant logo. It's a in your face powerful logo which invokes question.
Scince then Shepard has also designed the famous Obama Hope Poster everyone is familiar with.
Is there, anywhere, a logo or system of communication that has withstood this test of time in being unbeatable in efficiency and still remaining (relatively) unaltered?
ReplyDeleteI thought about this for hours and couldnt think of one logo that someone didnt already post but than I thought about a system of communication and came across the greek alphabet it is 24 letters that was created in the 9th century that is still used today
When it comes to great logo design, I tend to think of images that are timeless and that can be identified with worldwide recognition. Taking into account all of these aspects, one must not overlook the logo of everyones favorite fast food restaurant, McDonald's!
ReplyDeleteCreated by Jim Schindler in 1962, the McDonald’s logo has proven itself to be an insignia of multinational business expansion. Recognized directly with the US, McDonald’s logo has been labeled as “part of Americanization and American cultural imperialism”. Elegance, significance and solid corporate character are clearly depicted by the golden arches of the McDonald’s logo.
Later in 1968, the name “McDonald’s” was adjoined with the McDonald’s logo. More recently the fast food enterprise has included its new motto "I'm Lovin' It" underneath its famous "M". These subtle alterations have remained the biggest changes in the company's logo over its lifetime, clearly showing its versatility and timeless qualities that are still relevant in today's society.