The History Of Logo Design

Jan 29 2014

In our previous article, we mentioned why branding is more than just logo design, but do you know where logo design originated?

Humans have used logos and graphic iconography for thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians first used their hieroglyphics to brand and identify their belongings. Then, in medieval times, graphic imagery like coats of arms were used to identify the status of different houses and nobility. These were essentially logos. These images were used to help recognize and distinguish, similar to how logos are used today.

Fast forward to the 20^th century, where the commercial world was growing exponentially. The introduction of color printing and the advertising industry pushed logos to become essential for companies if they wanted to become memorable to potential customers. However, back then, there wasn’t a concept of targeted marketing and designers tended to use the same imagery for multiple products.

Over the last century, logos have seen a huge boost in popularity – due to a vast number of businesses and industries we now have. Businesses found that they needed more than a simple mark to distinguish themselves from their competition, they needed something unique and memorable.

With the help of designers, logos helped shape brands into the iconic, household names that we all know and love today. For example, where would McDonald’s be with out their signature golden arches? You don’t even need to see the word “McDonalds” to recognize their brand. It’s interesting to see the evolution of their logo, and how they have come to this point.

Design-wise, logos have seen a great shift from complexity to simplicity. As our lifestyles became more complex, we experienced visual overload. Everyday, when we watch TV, flip through a magazine, or even drive down the highway, we experience a huge number of images, each trying to capture our attention and gain our business. For this reason, logos now revert from complexity and have taken on the “Less is More” design concept. The simpler the logo, the easier and faster it becomes recognizable in the modern world.

It’s safe to say that no matter how much logos change from generation to generation, they’re here to stay in the branding world.