Brand Identity - Blog Post 3

 Brand Identity is the essence of what your company stands for in the marketplace and with employees as well. - Cono Fusco. LogoMojo.com

Types of Logos - Blog Post 2

There are several types of logos.

Abstract 

The most common type of logo. Usually a shape or a image that may or may not be a recognizable object but does not directly represent the company or product. A few examples of this are the Nike Swoosh or the Pepsi globe.

 A simple yet elegant curve that suggests wind or speed or even a shoe. I think of Hermes the Messenger god from Greek Mythology withe the winged sandals. Nike doesn't sell wind or speed but the swoosh suggests that with the product you will be really good at sports or like to spend a lot on brand name clothing.

Representational
Not widely used by big corporations but common for more local businesses like plumbers or construction. One of the most famous examples is the Burger King logo which is shaped like a burger.

Sports teams use a lot of representational logos. St. Louis Cardinals use a cardinal, the Tigers use a tigers, the rams a ram, the Eagles an eagle. 

Font

Sports teams also used font based logos. The New York Giants as well as the New York Yankees use the stylistic NY which has become a symbol not just for the baseball team but for New York or New Yorkers themselves.

Iconic/symbolic

Iconic or symbolic logos are often an image that like the abstract doesn't necessarily represent the product but symbolizes how people think of the product, brand, or company. 

The apple logo that we are familiar with is an example of iconic/symbolic. When you see it you think "apple".  Apple sells computers not apples but it also symbolizes the gift of knowledge.

Logotype/Symbolic

Logotype or Word mark uses typography to create a logo. This common for television shows and movies. These are crucial to the entertainment industry because they tell you what kind of show your are watching, the tone, and what it is about. Comedies or cartoons like Seinfeld, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy or The Simpsons use a lot of bubbly or colorful titles or play with font size to convey the goofy or comical nature of the show while dramas or sci-fi will use blocky or more stylized letters that suggest blood or magic or something.  

Combination Marks

Combinations are exactly that.  A combination of both abstract and font. Or the iconic logo and the typographical logo. Nike logo can often inclue the Swoosh and the word Nike. 

Combination Marks are common in Television Stations like NBC, CBS or ABC

 and Motion Picture companies like Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and Universal. 

In our logo/letterhead project a combination is ideal because you can represent the brand with a recognizable graphic logo and  

also with an equally recognizable font based logo. 

[INSERT OSAKA TOUISM LOGO]

Why are logos important? Blog Post 1

Why are logos important?

This is a question that I asked myself today as I was driving toward my Typography class or Graphic Design.
What's today? Thurday. Typography. Doesn't really matter. I was asking myself "Self?" What. Why are logos important? Why do they even matter. And why do I have write a stupid blog about it(actually I will probably end up having a lot of fun with this).  I am going to attempt to answer these questions. The first answer I had was "I don't know". Which is an honest answer I think. But as one of my mentors once said, "If you don't know, find out for yourself."

So I went onto the internet and found a website called logomojo.com. It can be found here: http://www.logomojo.com/ looking for some samples of logos to blog about or to inspire me to create even awesomer ideas for current or upcoming CGR projects. There is also an Meet the Design Team section which is very helpful in finding out what type of people become graphic design majors and various backgrounds.

After looking through some of the designs for logos and letter heads, I found a list of blogs from designers that work for logomojo.com
http://www.logomojo.com/design-process/the-logo-design-process

I found a list of what they called "The World's Best Logos". Which includes

• Alfa Romeo
• AOL
• Apple
• Coca Cola
• eBay
• Gatorade
• Hilton Hotel
• I Love NY
• IBM
• Johnnie Walker
• Levis
• Marlboro
• Master Card
• MacDonalds
• Michael Jordan
• MTV
• Nike
• Pepsi
• Playboy
• Red Hat
• Rolex
• Shell
• Sirius
• Starbuck's
• Taco Bell
• Virgin

links to blogs about why they are effective and good examples of why logos are important. Cono Fusco, a member of the LogoMojo design team writes, "A business logo design represents a symbol of identity, a means by which customers can instantly recognize your product or service. A logo design is moe memorable than their verbal counterparts."

Logos are important for bringing people in and creating trust in the product. The Golden Arches of MacDonalds tells customers that they can find the great tasting(or obesity inducting) foods they grew up with(or threw up after a night of drinking- perhaps). The iconic logo also helped create an international chain of restaurants for world travelers who find themselves in France or Japan or somewhere and find a little piece of home in a strange place.
 
http://www.logomojo.com/best-logos/aol-company-logo-design-history

That's all I have to say about that.

A Long Time Ago - Blog Post 4

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

As far back as I can remember there is one logo that has been a constant in my life. The Star Wars movie logo. It has appeared in a variety of various variations. I think my favorite is the one above with the black background and yellow outline letters that have that unique curvature and extended bits for the "S"es and "R". Fans of all ages recognize the Star Wars logo that begins every Episode with the first blaring note of the Main Title music by John Williams. It starts large and in your face and recedes as if beckoning "come with me" into this strange galaxy of adventure, excitement, and other things that Jedi are not supposed to crave.

Osaka Tourism link

Here is a link to the Osaka tourism website which will be used for projects all semester. http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/

For our first project we will be designing a logo and letterhead.

Welcome to my Blog

This is my Design blog. I created this for my computer Graphics class. I am determined to update this everyday with design related things. It is going to be Awesome because I want an A. I'm not sure exactly what to call my blog so I'm going with BLH Design or should it be Designs? BLH being my initials. So original.

B- brilliant
L- egen- wait for it - dary  (I've been on a How I Met Your Mother marathon)
H- hip okay I need to work on what the H stands for.

that's all I have to say for now.