behind the gloss

7/28/2019 Behind the Gloss

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Behind the Gloss

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Introduction

Theres a good chance that you have alreadyencountered the logos represented in this book today.

Brands like Penguin, Volkswagen, Nike and McDonaldsare omnipresent, and their logos are embedded in outcollective memories. These logos seem to have beenaround for as long as we can remember. We grew up withthem and they became part of our culture, our designcontext. These icons offer us comforting reassurance in thisquickly changing visual world.

But where do these logos come from? What are therebackgrounds, who designed them, and have they always

looked like this? After all, why would they change in therst place? Why would companies invest so much energyand money in that transformation? Changing a majorinternational brand is a multimillion pound operation.Despite the cost, logos do evolve. People change during

the course of their lives, and so do companies, as well astheir brands and logos. From humble beginnings, ambitions

soar sky high. In early years, companies might easilyfollow fashion styles to attain the image they desire, but

they will settle down eventually. They engage in newrelationships and want to look their best on the happiestday of their lives. The result is a burgeoning family ofcompanies and brands. Companies, their brands andtheir logos will always be ne tuning their appearance tostay relevant. They cannot afford not to, because there arealways others waiting to take their positions in the spotlight.

The objective of this book was to collect an interestingmixture of logo histories of well-known international

companies and brands to gain a better understandingof the reasons why logos look the way they do. Thelogos have then been reproduced as part of the DesignMuseum exhibition entitled Behind the Gloss. The processof reproducing thirteen of the twenty six logos has been

documented in the following book produced to accompanythe exhibition and compliment the work on show.


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Behind the Gloss

The famous 3-Stripes mark was created by founder Adi

Dassler and rst used on footwear in 1949. It represented

comfort, durability and toughness, and made his footwearinstantly recognisable when used in athletic competition.The brand logo consisted of a three-striped track andeld shoe held up by two ds as centrepiece of the logo.When adidas expanded into the apparel sector in thelate 60s, it needed a new brand logo. Inspired by the

3-Stripes, the 1971 Trefoil logo (chosen from more than100 proposals) was introduced at the 1972 SummerOlympics in Munich. The three leaves and their tripleintersection symbolise the Olympic spirit, as well as thediversity of the brand.The 1990 3 bars logo was developed for the equipmentrange of performance products. It is inspired by the threestripes as they appear on footwear. The sloping bars

represent a mountain, indicating the challenges tobe faced.

7-Eleven was founded as the Southland Ice companyin 1927. In that pre-refrigeration era, the companys ice

houses pioneered the convenience store concept. Theysold large chunks of ice for home use, but also offered milk,bread and eggs. Those stores stayed open when normalgrocery stores were closed, increasing sales as well ascustomer satisfaction.The rst outlet were known as Totem stores, sincecustomers toted away their purchases. In 1946, anadvertiser had the idea of naming the stores 7-Eleven toreect the stores new, extended hours - 7 a.m. until 11p.m., seven days a week.The current 7-Eleven logo was introduced in 1969, featuringa two-toned 7 and rounded tapering shape, enclosed ina square. The use of a lowercase n in otherwise all-capseleven is to maximize the boldness and readability of the

condensed typeface. The storefront logo uses varible-widthstriping to brand the entire storefront.

7-Eleven Adidas

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Behind the Gloss

Rob Janoffs, Rainbow Apple logo was introduced with

the Apple II in 1977. In a later interview, Rob Janoff said

there was no real brief. Steve Jobs only told him to make ittoo cute. Ironically, the logo was designed by hand, usingpencil and strips of paper.The colours represented the monitors ability to reproducecolours, a unique selling point at the time. Its bright colourswere intended to be appealing to young people. The bitewas added so that people would still recognise it as an

apple rather than a cherry. According to Janoff, it doesnot represent the computing term byte, nor is there andbiblical reference. Also the bite t snugly around the rstletter of the brand name in Motter Tektura, a typefaceconsidered cutting-edge at the time.In 1984, with the introduction of the Apple Macintosh, thecurves of the original logo were rened. The brand namewas dropped at that point, since the apple alone proved tobe an iconic symbol for the company.

Apple

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Founded in 1945, Mattel would be known for the mostfamous and successful doll ever created. Ruth Handler,

her husband Elliot, and their close friend Harold Mattsonformed the company, deriving the name from Matt forMattson and el for Elliot.It was Ruth Handler who envisioned the Barbie doll, namedafter her daughter Barbara. Barbie was introduced at theNew York Toy Show in March 1959, after a patent had beenobtained in the previous year.

Two years later, in 1961, Barbies boyfriend Ken would benamed after Ruth and Elliots son Ken. Barbies rst logowas a cheerful, jumping script with a pig-tailed capital B.In the fashion of the time, a heavy crop shadow was addedaround 1970.When Barbie celebrated her 50th anniversary in 2009, therst Barbie logo was reinstalled in signature pink (PMS 291)and accompanied by a roundel depicting Barbies ponytailed silhouette.

Barbie


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Behind the Gloss

An employee from the purchasing department, AR

Saunders, won an in-house competition to design the rst

real BP logo. He came up with the angular, serifed BPwith double quotation marks set in an outlined shield.The shield was restyled in 1947, when the quotation markswere dropped and a black crop shadow was added to thelettering. After re-naming the company from Anglo-IranianOil Company (1935) to British Petroleum Company in 1954,it was Raymond Loewy who simplied the logo four yearslater, losing the shields outline and BPs drop shadow. Healso made the letters rounder, which resulted in a cleanerand friendlier look.In 2000, the BP logo had a complete makeover. 80 yearsafter its introduction, the shield was replaced by the owersunburst or helios, named after the Greek sun god. TheHelios symbolised innovation, constant improvement,

performance, vitality and environmental responsibility inan era when alternative energy sources are becomingincreasingly important.

BP

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Burts Ice Cream Shop and Snobird Ice Cream, owned bybrothers-in-law Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, started at the

advice of Irvs father. It wasnt until 1953 that the ice creamchain dropped the separate identities and became BaskinRobbins. They soon became very well known for their31 avours slogan - although when the very rst BaskinRobbins store opened, it only offered 21 avours.The 31 avours concept, one for every day of the month,came from Carson Roberts advertising agency (whichlater became Ogilvy & Mather). 31 therefore became animportant element of the logo.In 2005, a brand new identity was established as part ofthe companys 60th anniversary celebration. The logo wasintended to capture the fun and energy of Baskin Robbins.Offering a wide range of ice creams, drinks, and cakes, thefocus was shifted to the brand name itself. Without loosing

its roots, 31 was cleverly hidden away in the BR initials ofthe sharp-edged dancing font.

Baskin Robbins


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Behind the Gloss

Dr. Oetker

The German branded food company was founded by

pharmacist Dr. August Oetker in 1891. He developed

Germanys rst storable and tasteless baking powder.Backin revolutionised baking thanks to its guaranteeof perfect results and its high quality. When Dr. Oetkeracquired the Aschoff Pharmacy in Bielefeld, he also tookover its trademark with the goblet and foamingmineral water.Dr. Oetker was unhappy with the pharmacys original logo.

He came up with the concept of Ein heller Kopf (whichtranslates as a clear head, but also means a bright mind)and decided to visualise the slogan. As he put it, In afortuitous moment, i had the idea of using the slogan Einheller kopf in my ads, visualised as a white silhouette of awomans head against a dark background.

He therefore held a contest in 1899, which was won byTheodor Kind. Kind used his daughter Johanna and herfashionably large hair knot to model for theproled silhouette.

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The rst factory-produced lollipop was initially called theChups, as suggested by an ad agency hired by founder

Enric Bernat. The same agency also came up with a catchyradio jingle to market the Chups.Spanish customers singing along with the jingle chupachupa chupa un Chups (lick, lick, lick a Chups) startedto call the lollipop Chupa Chups. Inspired by its popularity,Enric Bernat decided to change the name to Chupa Chups.The logo evolved with the name, but the playful informal

style stayed the same.As Chupa Chups became successful all over the world, amore creative design was warranted. Enric Bernat visitedrenowned surrealist artist Salvador Dali, who sketched thedaisy shape on a paper napkin in less than an hour. Thisnew design t perfectly on the crown of the wrapper. Upuntil then, the logo had been placed on the side of the

lollipop, where it was difcult to read.The words Chupa and Chups now share the same swirlyfont, and multiple colours have been added to the daisy.

Chupa Chups


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Google

Best known for its popular search engine, Google was

founded by Stanford University students Larry Page and

Sergey Brin in 1998. The name of the company is derivedfrom the word googol, a mathematical term for thenumber that is represented by the numeral one followedby 100 zeros. It reected the seemingly innite amount ofinformation on the web.Several primitive logos were created before the company

was founded. Co-founder Sergery Brin created the rstofcial Google logo in 1998 using GIMP, a graphics editingprogramme. An exclamation mark was added a few monthslater, inspired by the Yahoo! logo. A new, more mature logo

based on Gustav Jaegers Catull typeface was introducedin 1999. The exclamation mark was removed.From 1998, Google has included what are known asGoogle Doodle logos, decorate variations on the Google

logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives offamous artists and scientists.

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Fujiflm

Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. was founded on a government

plan to establish a domestic photographic lm

manufacturing industry. Its rst logo depicted Mount Fujiand exotic curly lettering enclosed in a circle, symbolisingJapans rising sun.As the brand shifted to a more international focus, the logowas changed. What may well be the most famous Fuji logoappeared in 1980. The letters were cleverly assembledto form a red chip that looks three-dimensional. This logo

would serve the company until 2006. However, from 1985it was accompanied by the full brand name: Fuji Film. Firstwritten as two separate words, it became one word

after 1992.In October 2006, the Fujilm Group shifted to a new groupmanagement structure as FUJIFILM Holding Corporation.This called for a new logo. The red element (the dot onthe i) in the centre of the logo is meant to symbolise thecompanys commitment to cutting-edge technology.


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Behind the Gloss

IBM

Now a leading computer technology company, IBM was

founded in 1911 when Charles Ranlett Flint merged three

companies. International Business Machines Corporationwas abbreviated to IBM in 1947 and Benton Bold font gavethe logo a clear, strong and reassuring look.In 1956, when Tom Watson Jr. took position as the newCEO after his father died, he personally hired Paul Rand toredesign the logo. Paul Rand gave the logo a more solidand balanced look by using the City Medium font with its

prominent slab serifs.The classic eight-bar logo for the Big Blue, as thecompany came to be nicknamed, was introduced in

1972, again designed by Paul Rand. The horizontal linessuggested dynamism, speed and innovation.Rand has said he made this version simply because stripesget noticed, not to suggest scan lines on a monitor, as

many people seemed to think. The stripes proved to bea perfect brand asset; IBM successfully used them in avariety of publications and advertising materials.

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HP

Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded the technology

company in 1939 in a small garage. It is said that they

decided on the order of the names with a coin toss.The hp customised lowercase initials appeared in 1941.The logo was simplied in 1946 to improve legibility andmake it easier to engrave on products. That basic formwould stand for over 20 years.In 1967, shortly after the introduction of the rst HPcomputer, the logo was restyled to look more contemporary.

However this logo did not t most products very well, and amodied logo was developed for that specic purpose.After 1999, the logo no longer contained the full company

name. The tag line invent was added, capturing a corevalue of invention though innovation.The latest version brings HP back to the circle, masking thetwo initials. It follows the trend of turning logos into shiny

buttons, but there is also a 2D solid-colour version forcorporate documents.


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Behind the Gloss

Levis

The rst logo from the 1890s, which still appears on thejeans, depicts a pair of jeans being pulled by two horses

going in opposite directions. They are encouraged bytwo men with whips, putting heavy strain on the material.The picture expressed the heavy-duty quality of thenew product. Several slightly different variations of theillustration were used over the years. As the original logowas a complex picture, a simpler logo was needed for

branding purposes. In 1969, the distinctive red-and-whitebatwing was developed to be placed on back pockets.The red shield resembled the pockets stitch patternand incorporated the Levis lettering in a clever mix of

uppercase and lowercase letters.Originally introduced in 1936 to make it easier to recognisea pair of Levis from a distance, the red tab label became

a signicant brand element and was used alongsidethe slightly restyled batwing from 2000 on. A seeminglyunbranded version was introduced recently as a logo forLevis Curve ID product line.

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Kodak

With the slogan you press the button, we do the rest.

Kodaks founder George Eastman introduced his photo

cameras and photo lms in 1888.The word Kodak, invented Eastman himself, was rstregistered as a trademark in 1888. He explained: I divisedthe name myself. The letter K had been a favourite withme. It seems a strong, incisive sort of letter. It became aquestion of trying out a great number of combinations of

letters that made words starting and ending with K. Theword Kodak is the result. It is easy to spell and pronouncein any language.Kodaks yellow and red trade colours, introduced in the

1930s and selected by Eastman himself, became one ofthe companys most valued assets.In 1971, the famous yellow box and graphic K elementappeared. The distinctive K element would be Kodaksidentier for the coming 25 years. In the digital age, the bigK started to disappear, leaving the logotype, which wasupdated in 1987, to stand on its own.


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Behind the Gloss

Michelin

The Michelin man (Bibendum) mascot was introducedin 1898 after the founders of the Michelin tyre company,

brothers Edouard and Andre Michelin, got the idea fromseeing a stack pf car tires at the Lyon Universal Exhibitionthat looked like a human. Bibendum in Latin means drinkup or cheers; the idea was that Bidendum would drink upall the obstacles on the road.The Bidendum character made the product human,appealing and emotionally accessible. This mascot took a

great number of poses and was used in all media.His style has changed over the years. Cigar andspectacles disappeared, since they no longer expressed

power and success. The many layers of narrow tires haveevolved into a smaller number of wider tires, giving Bib amuch more contemporary feel. He seems to get slimmerand younger with every generation, making him the more

friendly and trustworthy icon that he is today.A new identity was introduced in 1998 in honour ofMichelins 100th anniversary. Besides the modernisedlogotype, it depicts a strong, athletic Bidendum extendinga warm welcome to customers.

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McDonalds

In 1955, milkshake salesman Ray Kroc joined thecompany as national franchise agent and soon turned

McDonalds into the huge company it is today.Franchise restaurants were built to a standard design,featuring Dicks (Richard McDonald) idea of the GoldArches. They featured two arches, one on each side ofthe restaurant, holding the typical slanting roof. AfterRay Kroc became full owner of the company in 1961, thearches and roof were the inspiration for the 1962 logo. Theidea was to give the customers a safe refuge where theycould enjoy their break.In 1968, the logo was changed to into the iconic double-

arched M, now integrating the name McDonalds. By the1980s the company logo had become one of the best-known symbols worldwide. From 2009, the backdrop forthe logo changed from red to dark green in Europe. Withthis new appearance, we aim to clarify our responsibilityfor conservation of our natural resources. We will continueto emphasize that priority in future, Hoger Beek, vicechairman of McDonalds Germany, said in a statement.


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Nike

The sportswear and equipment company was founded in

1964 by Bill Bowerman and Phillip Knight as Blue Ribbon

Sports. Initially distributing the Japanese Onitsuka Tigershoes, the Nike brand was introduced in 1971, when BRSlaunched their own line of sports footwear. The name Nikeis taken from the Greek goddess of victory, expressingambition and a strong will to win.Portland State University graphic design student CarolynDavidson created the famous Swoosh logo. Inspired by

the winged goddess, it suggested movement and speed.After rejecting various other designs and under pressure tomeet deadlines, Philip Knight chose the swoosh, saying, I

dont love it, but it will grow on me.Davidson only charged the company $35 for the design.However, after working for Nike for several more years, shewas given a diamond Swoosh ring and an undisclosed

number of Nike stocks when she left the company in 1983.After 25 years of use, the iconic Swoosh was instantlyrecognised. Starting in 1995, the brand name was removed

from the logo.

Mobil

Mobils roots (and Essos) can be found in RockefellersStandard Oil Trust, which was founded in 1870.

In Greek mythology, when Perseus cut off the head of theevil Medusa, a marvellous winged horse emerged fromthe spot where her blood soaked into the ground. Athena,the Greek goddess of wisdom, named him Pegasus andcrafted a golden bridle to tame him. As an enduring symbolof power and speed, Pegasus was a perfect icon for theSocony-Vacuum products.

In 1966, the company was renamed the Mobil OilCorporation. The logotype excelled in simplicity andclarity with the characteristic red O. Tom Geismar, who

designed a complete Mobil alphabet, wanted a memorableelement in the logo that would help people using the rightpronunciation of the brand, stressing the rst syllable. Theround O recalls the shape of the wheel as the ultimate

symbol of mobility, and was also echoed in the architectureof the service stations. Pegasus was placed in a whitecircle, used seperately from the logotype.


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Penguin books was founded by Allen Lane in 1935 as apublisher of affordable mass market paperbacks. Initially

an imprint of the Brodley Head, it became a separatecompany within a year.The design of the books was essential to the successof Penguin, using a simple, recognisable grid of threehorizontal bands for the cover. The top and bottom bandswere colour-coded (e.g. orange for general ction, greenfor crime ction, and dark blue for biographies), with awhite band in the middle for the title and author.The top band held a cartouche with the company name,initially set in Bodoni Ultra Bold and later in Gill Sans,

as were the title and author. The bottom band was thePenguins territory.The initial design was created by 21-year-old ofce juniorEdward Young, who also drew the rst penguin basedon sketches he made at the London Zoo. Allen Lanessecretary is said to have suggested using the penguin inthe logo.

In 1905, German watchmaker Hans Wilsdorf and hisbrother-in-law Alfred Davis founded Wilsdorf & Davis

in London. The forerunner of Rolex, this companymanufactured pocket watches and travel clocks. Wilsdorfcame up with the name Rolex, a made-up name that wasmemorable, easy to spell and pronounce in any language.In the early 20th Century, most wristwatches weremerely a low-quality novelty item. Wilsdorf, an inveterateperfectionist, succeeded in producing personal timepieces

of the highest quality, suitable for the most robust use.The crown symbol (or Oyster) was registered in 1925 asan expression of prestige and the unsurpassed quality,

but did not appear on the watches themselves until 1939.It was named after the source of the crown jewel frombeneath the sea, reecting founder Hans Wilsdorfs passionfor the sea. Various Rolex watches still carry marine

names, including the Sea Dweller, the Submariner and theDeepsea. Rolex is credited with creating the worlds rstwaterproof watch in 1926, also known as the Oyster.

Penguin Rolex

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Starbucks Texaco

The two-tailed mermaid or siren was based on a 16thCentury Norse woodcut, discovered by the founders in

an old shipping book while searching for an interestingsymbol for their new logo. It became the symbol forStarbucks Coffee, Tea and Spices, as the company wasoriginally named. The name Starbucks was inspired by theharpooner Starbuck in Herman Melvilles canonic novelMoby-Dick. The voluptuous, bare-breasted gure wasassociated with shipping (important for transporting thecoffee) and was suppose to be as seductive as coffee.A new logo was introduced in 2011 to celebrate thecompanys 40th anniversary. The outer ring with the words

Starbucks Coffee was removed, leaving the siren, now ingreen, to be the entire logo. Dropping coffee was logical,since the company did a lot more than just serving coffee.

Even so, removing the brand name was a bold move,putting the Starbucks logo in the premier league of brandsthat are so iconic that the brand name is implicit in the logo.

The Texas Companys rst logo from 1903 depicted theve-point star, derived from the nickname for the companys

home state Texas: The Lone Star State. This state symbolwas based on the 1836 ag of the republic of Texas. In1909, an employee named J. Romeo Miglietta added agreen letter T to the logo as a reference to the ag of Italy,his country of origin.The 1913 logo incorporated the brand name for the rsttime. An explanatory variant served as a double-faced 42-inch sign at all company-owned lling stations. Gas stationswere a fast-growing emerging market in an era of everincreasing car sales. The next major change would not be

made for another 50 years. With the introduction of the rstcodied corporate identity in 1963, the logo had a dramaticmakeover. The hexagon replaced the circle and theencircled T-star was reduced to a mere footnote in Texacos

history. In 1981, a new logo was designed again using thestar symbol as a focal point. As an iconic brand recognisedworldwide, Texaco removed its name from the logo in 2000.

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UPS Visa

Founded in 1907 as the American Messenger Company,the company changed its name to United Parcel Service in

1919. The rst logo featured a shield and an eagle carryinga package with the promise Safe, Swift, Sure on a sidelabel. The vans were painted dark brown to make a statelyimpression, but it is said that yellow actually was the rstchoice. Since that meant the vans would always look dirty,the idea was abandoned.

In 1937, the logo was simplied to a shield containing theinitials, with the message the delivery system for stores ofquality to appeal to the retail trade. The addition of since1907 gave the security of a company with experience.

In 1961 Paul Rand shortened the shield, added arectangular gift package with bow, and emphasized thelettering. The key to good design, he explained, wastaking the essence of something that is already there and

enhancing its meaning by putting into a form everyone canidentify with.

In 1958, 65,000 residents of Fresco, California received ablue, white and gold striped BankAmericard, to launch the

all-purpose credit card. The blue and gold were chosento represent the blue sky and golden-coloured hills ofCalifornia, where the roots of Bank of America canbe found.Dee Hock, BankAmericards founder, recognised thepower of one unifying global brand. He and his employeescame up with the name Visa. The three stripes stayed for

reasons of continuity. In fact the Visa logo hardly changedfor the next thirty years. In 2000, the card-based logo wasrestyled slightly.

As the bank cards business was growing into a plastic-freeindustry, the literal picture of a card was too limited. A needfor a brand framework that accommodated all payment

types and services resulted in a new logo in 2006. The Vwas given a distinctive accent by twisting the serif and thespace-consuming boarders disappeared, making the Visaname much more prominent.

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WWFs Panda logo was designed in 1961 by its founderand chairman, the naturalist and painter Sir Peter Scott.

The endangered species is a strong symbol for thefocus of WWFs work: the conservation, preservation andrestoration of natural environments around the world.The rst panda was the most realistic, with shaggy furand visible eyes. The name World Wildlife Fund, asthe organisation was called then, was not part of the

logo, but spelled out as part of the copy. In 1986, theorganisation changed its name to World Wide Fund forNature, reecting the broader scope of activities. Theoutline was removed and the panda was adapted to look

directly at the viewer, showing more emotion. This logowas more powerful and direct. To keep the brand aliveand interesting for use with new media, the panda is nowused as a window, making it possible to work with different

imagery and lm to express the breadth of WWFs workand to show more of what goes on behind the panda.

Volkswagen WWF

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The origins of the company date back to the 1930s,when the German national socialist regime decided to

motorise the nation by funding a state-sponsored peoplescar (or Volkswagen in German) that anybody should beable to afford by taking part in a savings scheme.Volkswagens rst logo was designed by engineer FranzXaver Reimspiess after an internal competition; he waspaid 50 marks for his design. His V and W combinationenclosed in a circle was submitted in a trademark

application in 1938, and then developed to include aStrahlenkranz (radiant garland) and gear wheel for displayat the 1939 Berlin Auto Show.

In 1978, the VW logo was restyled and an outline wasadded, which gave it more substance. The same logocould be used regardless of the background, unifying allbrand messages. To modernise the brand, 3D versions

of the logo were introduced. The nal version to date waslaunched in 2007.


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