The origins of logo design

Taschen publishes Logo Beginnings, a comprehensive survey of the social and cultural history of corporate identity from 1870 to 1940.

04 mar 2022 . Updated at 9:32 p.m.

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The logos They are essential in the corporate identity of a brand. These graphic signs, which may include the company name or be exempt, are often the first (visual) contact that allows a customer or partner to identify a company. And for this reason they have a high value that transcends the time in which they were created: many last for decades and others are modified or updated to adapt to new realities, businesses or mergers.

Legibility and simplicity are two of the keys to these elements, in which color also plays a fundamental role, since it must be taken into account that they can sometimes be reproduced on media that use only black and white. It is better if they do not contain too many embellishments or text, because they will usually be presented in a small format. And they should always have a visual impact that makes them easy to remember and mentally associate with the firm they represent.

Global brands such as Rolex, BMW, Louis Vuitton or the New York Yankees still use logos designed more than a hundred years ago. And this is precisely the starting point of a monograph edited by bags, Logo Beginnings, which addresses the origins of logo design. The author, Jens Müller, has delved into documentary sources on historical brands, archives of international corporations and the first design publications to show more than 6,000 logos created between 1870 and 1940.