Icons of Identity
A 100-year history of the origins and evolution of the trademark
By the late 19th century, trademarks began to replace traditional emblems, like coats of arms, as identifying symbols for companies. At first, logos tended to be figurative, but over time they morphed into the abstract marks that we see everywhere today. Yet many iconic brands—like Rolex, BMW, Louis Vuitton, and the New York Yankees—still use logos designed 100 years ago.
Bringing together two previous volumes—Logo Beginnings and Logo Modernism—into one compendium, design expert Jens Müller (dubbed the logo detective by Wired magazine) has trawled historical trademark archives and design publications to unearth 1000s of logos from as far back as 1870, including many forgotten designs and early versions of today’s brand identifiers.
For clarity and ease of reference, both the Beginnings and Modernism sections are divided into categories (like Pictorial, Form, Effect, and Typographic) with each category further subdivided by basic design elements, like circle, line, alphabet, overlay, dots and squares. For context, in addition to the author’s essay on the history of the trademark, R.
Roger Remington writes on modernism in graphic design, plus there are profiles of eight seminal designers—including Paul Rand, Yusaku Kamekura, and Anton Stankowski. Covering everything from media outfits to retail giants, airlines to art galleries, this is an invaluable resource for graphic designers, advertisers, and branding experts. It will also delight fans of cultural and corporate history, and anyone fascinated by the persuasive power of image and form.