The Braun logo design was originally designed by Will Munch in 1934. It has close similarities and has a large influence of how the logo is designed today. The original design showcases its letters highlighted by its black shadow on the outward segment of each figure with its familiar “towering” A at the middle.
This evolved into a much simpler outline which they referred to as the reversed design and came about in 1939. The logo is an all black model which already removed the unnecessary highlights. The original form of how letters are sketched still reflects on this braun logo but made it more distinct with its single color effect.
When Wolgang Schmittel joined Braun as a freelancer in Aug of 1952, he gave birth to a logo which has a more methodical approach. The logo was now reduced in length but given a brawnier look. Schmittel’s logo layout is the closest on what we can actually see on Braun’s logo today.
Braun’s uncomplicated and straightforward logo design is a large contributing factor to the company’s icon. Its easy to retain the figure with an eye catching “high rise A” gives their logo a much deserved success
Braun didn’t stop from the logo that they have for the company. They continue to provide innovative products that you can depend on for years, products starting from shavers to coffee makers and they always have one thing in common, a high quality product that you can always depend on for years.
The Braun logo can now be equated to the word excellence as it has proven its worth through the years of their existence. They continue to give to consumer a product of cutting edge technology and they always have the reputation of being the first in the industry. All this started when Braun introduced themselves into a catchy, easy to remember icon 76 years ago.
The new logo for the world cup was released and shown to the public on July 8th, 2010. It’s really appealing having bright colors of green and yellow that appears to be lively and somewhat eye-catching. The logo consists of three intertwined hands with smooth flowing lines. The arms are shaped like a curved vase where it leads to the hands that reveals a ball shaped figure and the year 2014 is written below the center of the right corner. The name “Inspiration” was given to this icon that is actually based on the shape of the world cup trophy being held in a victorious glory. The Brazilian based company “Africa” gave life to this piece of simplified symbol.
The world cup will be held in Brazil and 2014 and the logo was unveiled by their president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The logo is said to represent the talents of the Brazilian, its taste for work and the colors of their country. A lot of controversy sparked on choosing the logo. A celebrated graphic designer and a known personality in Brazil even called it garbage and described it as a face being hidden behind the pair of hands because of shame. This is something utterly distasteful to say coming from a piece of ingenuity that shows true symbol of character.
A logo doesn’t necessarily need to be complicated or something that should show detailed intricacy but it needs to be simple that can send out a clear message, it should be something that can easily be retained to the minds of the people. The Iconic representation conveys a positive message. Maybe it’s just the people trying to find ways and means giving themselves more attention and thinking that they are always better. I believe choosing the “inspiration” has given justice to all of these factors and can always give pride to Brazil.
There is no better example of how a logo can capture the imagination of your target audience and even exist beyond your own communication than the I love NY campaign. You see this logo everywhere and the font, format, colors and concept have been used again and again by others on tee shirts, coffee mugs blog posts and even in fine art.
The city of London is seeking a similarly iconic branding idea for itself and the outpouring of ideas from all corners of the design community have been really fascinating. Fascinating because of the sheer volume of interest, but also because of the creative and conceptual level of the dialogue. Take a few minutes to review the entries, their ideas and the comments of others on these ideas here and here. The concepts volunteered by the bidders are excellent. Many are building from the simplicity of the ubiquitous underground logo and everyone is looking for a show stopper like the I love NY logo.
One very interesting thing emerging during this debate is wether a logo is the main goal or not. One excellent bidder emphasized their system that included a simple graphic bar, unique typeface and use suggestions instead of a simple logo concept. Use and placement are very important of course and rules of use and placement will be a part of the final design concept, but are they more important than the logo itself?
In a terrific post, David Airey gathered an excellent collection of 15 simple but memorable logo designs. Some are truly iconic such as the ones for the World Wildlife Fund, Shell, Bayer, USA Network, Underground, Mitsubishi, 3M, Apple and Penguine others may be more recognizable in the UK but are still reasonably good examples of the point – Your target market will likely take only a fleeting glimpse at your logo and a simple one may be a better choice.
Here are several factors you need to carefully consider as you develop your logo design:
COLOR
There are many studies available to help you deterimne a color or series of colors appropriate for your logo. Consult with a number of those studies first, then review and categorize your top ten (10) competitors. Do you see any patterns? Is there an obvious gap between the colors from studies, your product or message and your competition? If there is no appropriate gap, should you join your competitors instead? Do they know something you don’t?
PROPORTION
Really great logos are well balanced and generally fit in a simple box or circle. The best examples of this are the ones for the WWF, Shell, Bayer, Underground, Misubishi, 3M, Apple and Penguin. Each of these have come to mean something to virtually everyone. Each is synominous with the brand itself and need nother more to tell their message. While this is a worthy goal, no logo will get there on its own. If this is something important to you, then keep the proportions righ and back it up with constant use of the logo in everything you do and eventually you may get there.
CONTRAST
As noted in each of the examples, the best logos have deep contrast with strong light/dark divisions through color (3M) or black and white (WWF). Bold contrast is another key element.
USE
Outside of the design itself, you need to consider where, when and how often your logo will be displayed. Will the logo be used for a product, a website, your building or other medium that cannot be changed easily? A black logo will not work on black packaging and would even look strange on a tan background. Business cards and stationary can be changed easily, but other considerations may be less flexible.
COMPETITION
As noted above, you need to gather the logos of your top competitors (along with their supporting logos – see Coca-Cola for example) as well as ten or so logos from lessor competitors that you find striking. Group them by color, by message, by shape etc to see if there is a general industry standard. You will need to determine if your logo should conform to the conventions of your industry, and if not, why not? You will also want to be careful that your logo is not too similar to the others that could lead to confusion or even trademark infringement.
INSPIRATION
Like your competition, it would also be helpful to gather a number of additional logos from other firms you find inspirational. Like the logos of your competitors, you should group these inspiration logos by color, by message, by shape and other characteristics and comment on each as to why you like it and what it means relative to your own logo design concept. These logos can help you forge an iconic niche among your competition or help you justify why you will deviate from the standards of your competition.
YOU
Finally, your ideal logo should tell your story like the WWF panda bear. When that was designed there was much in the news about the plight of the Great Pandas and it made a great symbol of their cause. Are you local or international? Are you selling a product or a service? Write down your mission statement and next to it prepare a list of other characteristics that are unique to you including but not necessarily limited to your:
LOCATION
– Country
– City and/or State
– Geography
– Building
– Landmarks
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
– Your Industry
– Your Product
– Your Market
– Your Owner(s)
– Your Name
Remember, that until you get as large and as reconizable as 3M, Shell or the WWF, you can always change or modify your logo until you find the combination that delivers the best results.
