Logo design has come a long way since the start of the 20th century. It’s grown as an art and as a business science. Logo design has also grown more challenging as the marketplace expands and communication has amplified globally. Once upon a time, it didn’t matter if a local small business accidentally shared a logo with another business 100 miles away. The odds were good that the audiences for each business would never overlap. But, that’s no longer the case. The internet has obliterated distance and language barriers. Today, it’s imperative that each company have a unique brand identity, including a unique business name and logo to distinguish them from their competition. (And avoid legal repercussions…) As we wrote in our comprehensive guide on how to start a business: A strong brand identity is the most effective way your new business can gain a competitive edge in an increasingly crowded marketplace. A brand represents how people know you (or your business), and how they perceive your reputation or the reputation of your company. In today’s noisy world, a strong brand is more important than it has ever been. In our modern marketplace, it’s easy for the public to look at certain logos and dismiss them as “derivative;” much like viewers watching the Marx Brothers for the first time and saying, “I’ve seen all of this before!” And, of course, they have – but they’ve seen it before because the Marx Brothers invented it. And, just as the Marx Brothers made an indelible imprint on modern comedy, certain logos have made their mark on the world of brand design. These logos have stood the test of time, seared themselves into the public consciousness, and influenced countless other logos that came after them. And, it helps to know where you’ve been to plan where you’re going. So, let’s get started. What can you learn from the most influential logos of the 20th century? 1900 – 1909 Eastman Kodak (1907) The original Eastman Kodak logo isn’t the most impressively designed logo. But, it is one of the earliest examples of the now-standard, classic monogram-in-a-circle logo style. This logo was first revealed in 1907. But, it was replaced in 1935 with a very different design. Kodak’s logo has gone through a number of evolutions since 1907. And, today, Kodak is known by its iconic red and yellow abstract “K” logo. But, their original monogram logo within a circle is almost prescient in its modernity. The three sans-serif initials of the Eastman Kodak Company overlap to create an abstract monogram that wouldn’t look out of place today. Look around the next time you leave your house. I bet you’ll see more than a few logos in this style. Ford Motor Company (1907) The Ford Motor Company’s very first logo, which debuted in 1903, featured a beautiful art nouveau border framing their company name in a serif block typography. The art nouveau features were modern and on-trend for the time. In 1907 Ford rebranded and revealed..
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