George Lois has branded, promoted, advertised and otherwise created the visual and typographic stories that comprise a large swath of American popular culture. In Lois Logos: The Creative Punch of Big Idea Branding (BIS), the legendary advertising creative director discusses over 100 of the favorite symbols, marks and typo/image identities he’s made, which he calls “humanistic”:
“Most logos that have been designed in the world are mindless. Ultimately, the job of all advertising … is to brand, and a Big Idea logo is the heart and soul of great marketing,” he wrote.
Lois also offers commentary on a historical arc of marks and logos that have impacted the contemporary world, including Buster Brown, Mobil’s Pegasus, Ford, RCA Victor, Starbucks and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The swastika is in there too.
These seven are not all logos in the common sense of a mark, word mark or icon, but they do clearly identify their product or idea in indelible ways, and place them in time and space.
Print’s Typography & Lettering Awards – Last Call! Extended deadline closes Friday.Do you design your own typefaces? Are you passionate about type-centric design work? Have you produced an excellent handlettered project? If so, we want to see your work. All too often, typeface designs, typographic designs and handlettering get overlooked in competitions—which is why Print developed a competition that gives the artforms their full due and recognizes the best designers in each category, from both pros and students. Enter Print’s Typography & Lettering Awards before it’s too late.
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About Steven HellerSteven Heller is the co-chair of the SVA MFA Designer /Designer as Author + Entrepreneur program, writes frequently for Wired and Design Observer. He is also the author of over 170 books on design and visual culture. He received the 1999 AIGA Medal and is the 2011 recipient of the Smithsonian National Design Award.View all posts by Steven Heller →