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Symbols have been used to show ownership, group affiliations and to signify who made a particular object. They convey direct information or can carry quiet subliminal messages. These images are edited selections from class slide lectures. this page is not a substitute for attending class.

A Primer

1. 1. 2. 3. Pictograms Rebus Ideogram

A is an image that Chinese is composed entirely of The rebus is a pictorial image that An ideogram is a or symbol represents an object. Pictograms are pictograms, a system of used by represents a spoken sound. Today the representing a complete idea useful for conveying information more than any other in the world. rebus is mostly used for amusement without expressing the pronunciation of through a common "visual " (About 1 billion Chinese speakers however it was a critical link in the a particular word or words for it. able to be understood regardless of compared to 350 million English development of the phonetic Above, an ideogram demonstrates the one's native language or degree of speakers). To be literate in Chinese starting in Egyptian perils of tipping a vending machine. . So that means that anyone in requires knowledge of several thousand hieroglyphics. (See the "Development (Image from Warning by Nicole the world familiar with a drinking of the over 80,000 Chinese pictograms of Handwriting" on this site). Recchia) fountain should recognize the — although about 3,500 are most pictogram above. commonly used. The pictogram above Shown above are two famous rebus Below is the familiar request to not is Chinese for world peace from the 20th century. First, a smoke in a specific area. The red bar is This particular pictogram is part of an Image source famous rebus for IBM by Paul Rand, an image that alone means nothing but entire system of signage symbols an American graphic designer renown when combined with a circle developed by the United States During the 2008 Olympics in China the for his corporate identity work from symbolizes the idea of "no." Department of Transportation to event signage employed pictographs 1960—1980. (See #11 below for more help manage the flow of large numbers that echoed the style of Chinese about Rand) of people through transportation hubs. language pictographs. More of the To encourage their adoption world-wide images can be seen at this link. Milton Glaser's ubiquitous rebus "I Love the symbols were made available for New York" is actually a combination of free. The American Institute of a rebus and a phonogram. A Graphic Arts played a pivotal role in phonogram is a symbol () the design and development of these that represents a spoken sound. symbols. Read more in entry #15 on For example the letter 'A' represents this page. sounds, ahh or aay, etc.

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4. 6. Trademarks | Brands 5. Printer's Devices Logotype or ? An often duplicated printer's mark During the Middle Ages European trade This semester we will also be looking at originated with the master printer guilds began using marks to identify Technically the term logotype means a printer's devices (symbols) used to Aldus Manutius, who started his the origin and content of their symbol comprised entirely of identify the printer or publisher of a famous Aldine Press in Venice in products. The term "hallmark" comes typography. The Coca-Cola symbol is book. Many early printers used the 1494. The Aldine innovations included from the identification marks that an example of a purely typographic combination of the orb and the cross, scholarly editing of content, high metal artisans stamped into metal logotype. a signifier of the earth and Christianity. quality typography and printing as well when exhibiting wares in the guild The mark on the left is a version of the as masterful woodut . Look hall in London. In the image above the Frequently the term logo is used orb and cross by Joannes de Colonia of for more about him in the book anchor refers to the town where the interchangeably with symbol. The Venice, 1481. section, entry #17. product was made, the lion signifies symbol below is from the Weiner Werstatte, or Vienna Workshops, On the right is a contemporary the type of metal (sterling silver) and Aldus's Anchor & Dolphin device, formed in Austria in 1903. The printer's mark by Paul Moxon for his the letter B refers to the year the item which embodied his motto "Make Haste workshops were a co-operative of Fameorshame press. He explains the was marked. (Image source) Slowly" is shown above. This semester artisans and artists united in their goal myriad of reasons for the mark, "The we will see this mark used by many of making products that merged pure Fameorshame mark is based on the The terms ear mark and branding printers from the Renaissance period and applied arts. Their hand orb and four, a traditional used by have their origins in the practice of until the present. It is used by pritners manufactured goods were imprinted some early printers. A related sign the farmers marking ownership on their who want to signify their attempt to with the WW symbol (left) but often orb and cross—literally the earth animals. When herds ranged freely, follow the innovation and quality of the also carried the individual marks of surmounted by the cross—is also the intermingling with others in common Aldine Press. pastures, these permanent marks were each designer and craftsman involved alchemical symbol for antimony, an imperative. Ear marks are cuts or holes in the production. By 1913 the Weiner ingredient in type metal. Long before punched into ears; branding is a scar Werkstätte symbol was officially the development of printing, the 4 had burned into the skin. registered a trademark. been a mark of merchants to identify their wares. Several authorities, including the great lettering artist Rudolph Koch also associate the 4 with Hermes, the god of scribes, trades- men, and travelers. Additionally, in The Book of Koch provides an of a 4 being represented in a medieval monogram for the Christian name Paul. Thus in the Fameorshame mark, where the components are 4, F, and M, the 4 may also be read as a reversed P, the F for Fameorshame, and the M for Moxon. M in its curvilinear form suggests a heart, a shape featured in several orb and cross marks. Quote and image source

7. Monogram 8. Coat of Arms & Family Crest If you are interested in a book that Greek for 'single line.' In early thoroughly explores symbols, their European kingdoms illiterate monarchs The origin of "a coat of arms" came origin, development, style and signed documents with custom from the symbols displayed on the classification, I highly recommend Per monograms. Today a designer's crest of a helmet or metal chest Mollerup's Marks of Excellence, The monogram can add status to an armor to help identify soldiers in battle History and Taxonomy of Symbols. The everyday object and add value to the or jousting matches. Eventually the text classifies symbols into three price. Case in point below. images were moved off of the helmet and chest plate and onto banners, categories, by history, function and dinnerware, etc. The coat of arms, motif. however, often retained the helmet (Source for #7 and 8) reference as part of the composition (see above where the goat stands). Now the coat-of-arms appears on items ranging from automobiles to 50cent's web sites, or on any application that wishes to imply regal lineage or status. .

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Symbol Pioneers

9. 10. 11. Symbols are "styled" Raymond Lowey Paul Rand 11.Paul Rand

Trademarks are designed to reflect the Both Behrens and Lowey have been It was in the area of corporate identity The role of the logo is to point, to style during which they are created. named by historians as the "Father of design that Rand achieved his highest designate—in as simple a manner as Above is the GE logo first used in the Modern Industrial Design." In addition recognition. His designs reflect the possible. A design that is complex, like late 19th century at the height of the to their dual monikers they both share style of the mid to late 20th century a fussy illustration or an arcane Art Nouveau period. It clearly reflects importance as significant contributors —simplicity, neutrality, clarity—all part abstraction, harbors a self-destruct the curvaceous motif that dominated in to . of the vocabulary of the Modernist mechanism. Simple ideas, as well as that period. period. But Rand added a blend of simple designs are, ironically, the Lowey is most well known for his playfulness and illustration that set products of circuitous mental purposes. As Art Nouveau waned logo styles simplified streamlined designs that his work apart. Rand wrote:"A Simplicity is difficult to achieve, yet became more geometric and simplified he applied to buses, cars and airplanes. trademark is not merely a device to worth the effort. The effectiveness of a as seen in the 1907 trademark for AEG He pushed the 1940's design frontier by adorn a letterhead, to stamp on a good logo depends on: (a German electrical company) application of his mantra, MAYA (Most product, or to insert at the base of an designed by Peter Behrens. This Advanced, Yet Acceptable). Raymond advertisement; nor one whose sole a. distinctiveness symbol was part of an entire design Lowey site. prerogative is to imprint itself by dint b. visibility scheme in which Behrens applied the of constant repetition on the mind of c. useability symbol to all of the print work, Lowey also streamlined his logo design. the consumer public. The trademark is d. memorability products and architecture for AEG, Above is his logo for Shell Oil, a symbol a potential illustrative feature of e. universality making it the first complete that became so recognized that the unappreciated vigor and efficacy; and f. durability corporate identity system. Read company was able to drop the name when used as such escapes its g. timelessness more about Behrens on this site entirely from the symbol without loss of customary fate of being a boring See a selection of his logo designs and here. customer recognition. Betcha' knew restatement of the identity of the the source of the Rand images and what it was without reading this. product's maker." quotes shown here.

ISOTYPE: International System of Typographic Picture Education: "Words Divide, Pictures Unite."

Visual education was always the prime motive behind Isotype. It was not intended to replace verbal language, rather it was a “helping language” accompanied by verbal elements. Neurath was deeply convinced that his "world language without words" would not only enhance education but help international understanding.

12. Otto & Marie Neurath Marie Reidmeister Neurath Gerd Arntz (1901–88) "Transformer" Graphic Artist of ISOTYPE Symbols The ISOTYPE system was born from In the 1920's Neurath was hired to M M research and theories of head the Social and Economic Museum While working at the museum Neurath An essential member of the Neurath (1882–1945), a Viennese philosopher, of Vienna. There he made displays of began his collaboration with Marie group was German artist Gerd Arntz economist and social scientist. As a social information to educate the Reidemeister. Her role was classified who joined the ISOTYPE team in 1928. child he was fascinated by the function general public about post war housing. as a transformer (graphic designer) Arntz was an activist artist who of Egyptian hieroglyphics—their forms This position afforded him an which meant that she took the embraced the same socialist ideals as and ability to communicate a story. opportunity blend his philosophical and mathematical statistics and conceptual Neurath. He was artistically and This early influence was integrated into aesthetic views into a symbol-based direction from Neurath and converted it philosophically influenced by the his life's work, the development of a language that was an alternative to into a clear visual format. She worked Expressionism and Constructivism

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movements. As part of his socialist values Arntz embraced the primitive qualities of wood block as his primary medium. The wood block medium in turn influenced the look of the ISOTYPE. Arntz drew over 4,000 ISOTYPE symbols in his own direct and clean graphic style that set the tone for future symbols in the coming decades.

When the ISOTYPE team left for England in 1940, Arntz stayed in The Hauge and applied his style to symbols for the Dutch Foundation for Statistics. Currently there is an extensive history and archive of Gerd Arntz's symbol design on line at The Gerd Arntz web archive. I highly recommend you see this informative and well designed site.

The 1970's: A Great Decade for Symbol Design

13. 14. 15. Otl Aicher, Munich Olympics, 1972 Henry Dreyfuss AIGA Transportation Symbols,1974

The pictograph style Aicher and his Another industrial designer with an It was Henry Dreyfuss who urged the team devised for the Munich "...Aicher and his team developed a interest in symbols, Henry Dreyfuss AIGA and the IDSA to join forces to Olympics and the Frankfurt Airport cohesive set of nearly 180 pictograms advocated for symbols to replace convince the US Department of have been integrated into international for sporting events as well as services words such as on-off, stop, up-down, Transportation to implement a well information styles. His Olympic through a strict orthogonal and etc, on control panels to enhance designed system of passenger and symbols set a new standard for diagonal square grid, where all visual safety and clarity. In 1972 Dreyfuss pedestrian symbol signs."This system reductionism and clarity in 1972, the elements were arranged at 90 and 45 and his staff codified and published of 50 symbol signs was designed for era of the "International Style." degrees. The sum of all the work graphic symbols from throughout the use at the crossroads of modern life: in Bibliotheque design has an extensive amounted to a very precise and world in an attempt to create a unified airports and other transportation hubs site on Aicher, his life and work and an structured identity with just the right frame of reference. The book, A and at large international events. exhibition of his designs. 72: Otto amount of warmth."(Quote From speak Symbol Sourcebook was essentially a Produced through a collaboration Aicher and the Munich Olympiad up web site) of universally used symbol between the AIGA and the U.S. Exhibition. designs organized into categories by Department of Transportation, they are basic symbols, disciplines, color, and an example of how public-minded graphic form. To make the sourcebook designers can address a universal truly universal, the of Contents communication need." was in 17 in addition to English. A committee studied and standardized dozens of symbols which were then Dreyfuss's earlier books, Designing for drawn by designers Roger Cook & People 1955, and 1960 The Measure of Don Shanosky. To ensure their Man are considered classic reference adoption the DOT offered the symbols texts. These books are in the Moore copyright free. You too can download Library if you want to see them in them for free on the AIGA web site. person. AiGA Information with a link to the Information source at the IDSA site symbol download.

Image Source The Munich Olympiad Logo, 1972, Otl Aicher Office.

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Digital Symbol Pioneers

16. 17. 18. 18. William Golden Susan Kare, Mac Icons Animated Logos How to Explain a Logo Design 101

Designing for CBS Broadcasting, The visual language of point-and-click Interbrand's new logo for xerox The Xerox/Interbrand team settled on Golden created the first symbol that computing came to life from the considers the internet and lowercase letters because they seemed was deliberately considered for how it imagination of Susan Kare, a fine arts animation..."They wanted a logo that friendlier, and on a deeper red and a would look on a screen. Golden's curator hired by Apple in 1983 to would work as well on the Internet and thicker font, to stand out better on the original inspiration came while he was design the look and feel of the on a fast-moving bike as it does in Web and on high-definition television. driving through Pennsylvania Dutch Macintosh interface. Her whimsical, print or on television. Xerox is a They chose a ball to suggest forward country. He became intrigued by hex easy-to-grok icons tempted even sponsor of the Ducati Xerox World movement and "a holistic company" symbols resembling the human eye nontechies to pick up a mouse, and her Superbike Team. Stump said. They also devised a series drawn that were painted on the Amish sleek screen fonts—with jet-set names "The Internet, sponsorships, all kinds of variously-colored "connectors" - barns to ward off evil spirits. He also like Geneva and Monaco—launched the of 3D icons —none of that existed swirled lines, reminiscent of the studied Shaker art from 1850s which first wave of elegant digital typography. when Xerox adopted its old logo," said ribbons used to connote support for contained images of the eye. These Quote Source Wired Magazine Maryann Stump, senior director of AIDS and breast cancer research - that images contributed to his concept of brand strategy for Interbrand. "And Xerox will etch on conference rooms at television's unblinking electronic Now see her work on her site you can do animation with a symbol its new headquarters in Norwalk, eye. With the help of graphic artist http://www.kare.com that you just can't do with a Connecticut, and that it will use to Kurt Weiss, the first CBS eye logo was wordmark." connect images and text in drawn. commercials & advertisements. International Herald Tribune

A Downside to Symbols : Cultural Mismatches

Mr. Yuk was developed for, and is distributed by, the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

20. 21.

Religious Interpretations Perception of Skull & Crossbones The compromise was discussed The Red Cross logo, designed in 1963, "Research indicates that the old skull during six years of negotiations cannot be used in Muslim countries due and crossbones used in the past to At the beginning of the test, each child brokered by the Swiss government. Its to its connotation of Christianity. The identify poisons had little meaning for was told that he might find bottles like adoption requires approval by red cross will soon be changed to the the children in the 20th century. Pirate these at home and was asked to two-thirds of the 192 signatories to the the red diamond, an acceptable symbol symbols have been exploited in identify any bottle he might not like to Geneva Convention. We live in a period for Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other movies, cartoons, commercial products play with. The symbol that proved to where these symbols are taking on very world religions. and amusement parks to denote be least attractive to the children was strong connotations and very divisive " The Red Crystal is a compromise happy, exciting things like pirates and Mr. Yuk. ones." designed to break a deadlock over the adventure. In a university-conducted Like the designers of euro bank notes, admission of Israel as a full member of testing program, children at daycare which feature nondescript images of From the Washington Poison Center the International Federation of Red centers were shown six symbols which bridges, arches and other monuments, Cross and Red Crescent Societies and were affixed to identical bottles of officials at the Red Cross believe that would allow countries with mixed mouthwash often found in family by selecting a symbol devoid of any populations to replace the cross or homes. The symbols included a red apparent historical reference, crescent with a more neutral symbol." stop sign, the skull and crossbones, controversy can be avoided." and four others.

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Rebranding and Anti-Branding

22. Poland— 23. 24. Rebranding How a Country Gets Rebranded Carolyn Davidson Anti-Branding

Rebranding is the process by which a Last year, Poland's Ministry of Foreign Based upon art student Carolyn's $35 The world’s first global anti-brand product or service developed with one Affairs hired DDB Corporate Profiles, a interpretation of the wings of Nike in created by Adbusters magazine. Black brand, company or product line branch of the global agency DDB, to 1971, the swoosh was once the Spot Sneaker an eco-friendly, affiliation is marketed or distributed design a logo that could be used to emblem of youth and athleticism but anti-brand sneaker —the black spot with a different identity. This may promote tourism and trade. This now has an unfortunate association replaces the corporate logo. As involve radical changes to the brand's summer, the company unveiled its with corporate greed. describe on the Adbusters web site: logo, brand name, image, marketing design: a red-and-white kite whose tail "The world's most ethical shoes" strategy, and advertising themes. is held by a dancing stick figure that Another example of logo with negative Our current historical moment is an These changes are typically aimed at doubles as the K in the word ''Polska.'' association was experienced by opportunity to redesign and rethink the repositioning of the brand or The Polska lettering is thick, red and McDonald's when their overseas how we interact with the market—to /company, usually in an attempt to curvaceous, a nod to the emblem of the restaurants were damaged by move away from hyper-inflated distance itself from certain negative Solidarity movement. The protestors who used the golden arches megabrands like Nike and go smart, go connotations of the previous branding, red-and-white design on the kite is a as a representation of American local, go indie…to change the system or to move the brand upmarket. four-square checkered pattern, capitalistic imperialism. by putting power back into the hands reminiscent of the emblem on Polish of the many. warplanes."A dancing group of people flying a kite with Poland's colors' has Visit them at the Black Spot link taken the place of protesters carrying a Price approx. $95.00 bloody flag." Source, 2002 NY Times Article

History of Graphic Design is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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