Project 2: Reading Response

Logos permeate our lives, whether we realize it or not. I think that statement is both accurate and somewhat terrifying. Corporate design has such an influence over culture and society–it’s what we wear, what we choose to eat, drink, etc. It works to meet our everyday needs, but most importantly, it drives us to want and consume. It has become ingrained into to who we are as people and a culture. Because logo design is recognized by everyone (not just designers), it has become something bigger than just simply a design element.

That being said, the nature of a logo design is extremely touche. People become attached to these symbols of consumption and when a logo is changed (even for the better), the world erupts in a frenzy, which only proves that people have become tied to corporate logos. The fact of the matter, however, is that logo design is always changing. In fact, logo design has changed significantly over the last 50 years. Logos now are perhaps less literal and more abstract. However, now today more than ever a logo must work in a variety of different ways. Today’s technology and the pervasiveness of branding has forced designers to think of design in several different mediums to get the message about their brand out into the world. This becomes a challenge. To make a logo work in one place and to work in another is a difficult balancing act, while also trying to stay true to the brand itself.  

As such, a logo is not the only necessary component that must work for a brand. There are several other elements that must be carried along in order to create a successfully working brand. When these elements come together, they form a visual language in which the brand thrives on. This visual language in some aspects, never changes with time. The reading went into detail about several different brand identities, including Coco-Cola, which has remained true to it’s original brand. Utilizing the same Spencerian hand lettering and colors, the brand has maybe only slightly changed as a reaction to the changing culture and time, but has otherwise maintained it’s original identity. Therefore, good branding, in a sense, can be timeless.

Branding can also be anything. From a soft drink to a church, everything in our consumer driven culture has a brand because everything has a message and wants to clearly state that message with a visual language.