Basel:Swiss Design?
Munich:Lesson in Identity.
Montreal:Joie de Vivre
Chicago:The Company that was.
Cleveland:From Blue to Red.
Cleveland:The Technology Revolution.
New York:The Master's Voice.
Greensboro;What's a Triad?
Seattle: Rains but Shines

Chronology Home

For information on Seattle area real estate - Seattle eastside homes, and Seattle real estate investment - visit Seattle Real Estate. © 1995-2006 and Brand Insurance™: Gerhard N Ade. Other trademarks used on this site are those of their respective owners.

First, smart people don't design logos; they develop brands. There's more money in brands than in logos.

Second, nowadays the term "logo" stands for all manner of visuals, including logotypes, symbols, signets, trademarks, icons, monograms, etc.

Third, the original meaning of the word LOGO has less to do with design than with words and thoughts. The unabridged editon of the Random House Dictionary of the English Language defines "Logo" as: an element appearing in loan words from [ancient] Greek, where it meant "word," "speech," (logography).

The same source defines the word LOGOS as:

1. the rational principle that governs and develops the universe;
2. theol.the divine word or reason incarnate in Jesus Christ. John1:1-14. (Derived from Greek: a word saying, speech, disclosure, thought, proportion, ratio, reckoning, akin to legein, to speak.

What makes for a "good" logo? Among the desired qualities of a logo concept and design are:

1. meaningful - if at all possible
2. memorable - an original design
3. "reproduce-able" (my word) - works well in any size, any medium
4. not color dependent - works equally well in black & white or grays
5. well executed - drawn to perfection

Obviously, the more exposure a logo (brand) gets and the longer it's been around the less critical the qualities "meaningful" and "memorable" are. (Nike's "swoosh," for example, has no meaning and could stand for all sorts of products. However, the Nike logo has become both meaningful and memorable through ubiquitous exposure in all walks of life around the globe.)