Logo Research

I First looked at researching the use of a logo and why businesses have come to use them. Looking through a few sites I came across this web site which is about business and advice on improving or starting a business, this section has some good information on using a logo to create a more established looking company and brand.


My idea of what a logo would be used for today would be as a way of identification, to me a logo represents a company, brand and identity. Everything associated with a company becomes part of the brand and that is what people will think of when they see the logo. A lot of designer brands work on establishing an identity, their logos often put across the message of luxury, wealth and  make people think that they are buying into a certain section of society when they own a piece from that brand. This leads to value increasing, the more desirable the items are the more people will pay as the brands become linked to a certain types of person, celebrities etc. 


While looking at the history of some company's and logos I came across this post for the History of Burberry this part of the information was interesting how the recognisable pattern emerged and the idea behind the logo.

"The Burberry check we all know so well was introduced as a lining to the trench coat in the 1920’s. Burberry’s unmistakable logo shows a knight on horseback with his lance drawn. The knight is accompanied by the Latin word ‘Prorsum’ meaning forwards. The logo symbolizes the protection Burberry provides against the elements and its dedication to progress and invention"

I looked up a selection of the high end, well established brands and picked out there logos below. The common theme with them is that they are all explicit to begin with as they tend to all have the brand name as a logo, then most of them have a symbol or illustration that also represents the brand and is recognisable that can be used alone.

From looking into logos I can see how they become really recognisable and readable and we are able to identify them even if we can only see a section or a character from the name.

Nike is a good example of branding and creating a highly recognisable logo, from having the brand name within the logo to being recognised by simply the tick or 'swoosh' design it is well established and also holds recognition from the statement 'Just do it' from an advertising campaign. I found some information on the logo history on this website the Logo Blog which has quite a few well known brands and their design history

Looking through a selection of CD's I decided to take a look at the record labels logos and see how well I think they work. Below are a group of the logos that I picked out some from major labels and others from smaller not yet well established companies that I can compare and see if they differ, as large companies generally have more money to invest in and develop their brand, but that doesn't always mean they have a more effective, suitable logo.