Trademark, American Broadcasting Company

A trademark is a picture. It is a symbol a sign an emblem an escutcheon . . . an image. There are good symbols . . . like the cross. There are others . . . like the swastika. Their meanings are taken from reality. Symbols are a duality. They take on meaning from causes . . . good or bad. And they give meaning to causes . . . good or bad. The flag is a symbol of a country. The cross is a symbol of a religion. The swastika was a symbol of good luck until its meaning was changed. The vitality of a …

“It reminds me of the Georgia chain gang,” quipped an IBM executive when he first eyed the striped logo. The Westinghouse insignia was greeted similarly when it was first shown in 1960: “This looks like a pawnbroker’s sign.” How many exemplary works have gone down the drain because of such pedestrian fault-finding? And how many good designs became bad designs as a consequence of mindless dabbling on the part of clients with little or no understanding of visual logic? …