Good logo, Goodwill!

The logo for Goodwill links its type and image successfully using the image of a smiling face for the image and for the “g” in “Goodwill”. Using only half of the smiling face in the top left corner creates good visual hierarchy, and incorporating the image into the type as the letter “g” is very clever and unique. The logo uses positive and negative space effectively, allowing for the viewer to see the “g” as the first letter in “goodwill” and, when observing closely, as a scaled down version of the smiling face image. I never noticed how many logos actually incorporate hidden images, but there are a ton of really cool ones!

General Electric Has a Nice Logo

The General Electric logo is excellent in the way it incorporates type into its logo. The first thing that I like about this logo is that it is very symmetric and balanced. There are for lines that are interconnected, and the letters are printed so that they seem to be almost the same, and are the same size. I also like the script typeface, which is not particularly hard to read and allows for the g and the e to be similar in size and appearance, which is a great feature of this logo. Another good feature of this logo is the color. The royal blue and the white contrast very nicely and vibrantly, which really features the lines and the letters. It greatly aids in allowing the letters to be prominently displayed, which is important since it is a script typeface. Overall this is a very clever logo and one that I think is very successful.

The Game of Domino’s

The Logo for Domino’s Pizza is a good example of visual and type linking together. 

The typeface for Domino’s pizza is futura condensed bold which is a sans-serif.  The features of the type letters are very straight and evenly lined with each other which compliments the point of the game Domino’s.  Also the use of large x height in the words makes the letters more prominent to the reader. 

 The use of Domino’s pieces for their image visually captures the title allowing the readers to put a picture with the type. The picture of the Domino’s pieces also displays a pictographic form that shows simple geometric objects like the circles and squares making it easy to recognize.  Also using the red color for the Domino’s pieces was a good choice because it could resemble food making the red pizza sauce and the Domino dots pepperoni or another topping. 

The last part that I think makes this logo a great example is how they placed the type and visual together to end with a square shape that resembles a pizza box.  Also the use of two dominant colors like blue and red on a simple white background would assist in drawing attention to their product.

My! What a Big Nose You Have!

Nosey’s logo is extremely clever. It not only ties a strong visual to the name of the company, but creates the image completely through type. The playful, sans-serif typeface was edited to create an equally playful, large nosed face.

The logo also uses some principles of gestalt, such as closure. The extension of the letters n and y help the eye to complete the face. Without the closure provided by them, it would appear to just be the word nosey written in a fun typeface. It also creates a visually pleasing and interesting placid shape.

Overall, I think this logo is very effective and creative. The visual could not be tied any closer to the text.

Crystal Clear

The Swarovski logo is simple, elegant, and memorable.  I think that they chose a very fitting and clever image.  The swan is a graceful, beautiful bird that is often connoted with whimsy, all of these elements are also very closely related to the crystal products that Swarovski produces.  Also the fact that the swan silhouette is made up of small crystal that are coming together makes one understand the precision and care that Swarovski values when it comes to their products.  The font is all upper-case serif with very clean lines and sharp serifs which portray high quality and also the simple beauty of their crystals.  All together this is a solid logo with a clever image, all of which accurately portray the company.

“Purity (and Gestalt Principles!) Guaranteed”

In a world where walking around with a water bottle is in bad taste (people look at you like you’re a communist!), Aquafina has not been discouraged– at least its graphic designers haven’t.  In fact, the company’s logo, shown below, highlights most, if not all, of the Gestalt Principles necessary to make an attractive, original and eye appealing image.

The key ingredient to Aquafina’s design success is the use of the letter A. By using all capital letters, the company’s designers were able to compliment mountain peaks (a nature symbol that they would like you to identify with purity, freshness, hydration, etc.) with cute and strategic “mountain As.” This choice provides for symmetry while the delicate angles of the mountains prevent boredom and guide the eye across the word.  The soft color palette continues to emphasize purity while creating similarity throughout and rendering the logo very attractive to its viewers. The fading gradient combined with the large typeface also adds dimension and perspective, making for a very lovely landscape image with only a few shapes and colors.

Aquafina may not be winning in the water bottle’s war against environmentalists, but its logo design is by all means ready for battle.

Chick-fil-HEY!

 

This logo works with many of the gestalt principles to create a successful logo. IT’S A FREAKIN’ CHICKEN IN A ‘C’ … what better could describe this fast food restaurant in one word.

The most noticeable thing about this logo is its shape. With elements of both a rectangle and oval, it immediately is striking in its look. It also creates the element of closure with the rigid sides while also being placid with the rounded top and bottom.

The color is a close second if not equally as distinguishing as the shape. It is bright red and demanding attention. It’s warmth and figure creates a contrast with the white space that makes the white visual pop just as much as the bright red encompassing it.

Most notably, the ‘c’ is a chicken, which I love! It definitely follows SherTay’s (Professor Taylor – yes, I do have a nickname for her!) “the best logos are the most simple.” What’s more simple than a chicken formed out of the letter ‘c?’ Well, a lot of things, but you get the point.

 

 

Quest through the Q

About Them

ProQuest is an online database that people can search to access newspapers, magazines, periodicals, and other relevant sources.  Their website explains that they provide the “most successful” means for users to “search, find, use, and share” information.  Essentially, like the name implies, this database helps researchers with their specific “quest.”

Their Logo

Given this background information, it is easy to see why the designer chose to highlight “Quest” by making it a vibrant red that would immediately catch the viewer’s eye.  The light gray “Pro” fades to the back but the “Pro” and “Quest” are linked by the arced gray underline on both sides.

In addition to bridging the type, the gray underlining also contributes to the logo’s visual.  The gray lines show the ground and the red tail of the “Q” represents the “path” that ProQuest gives researchers to help them find what they need.  I like how the end of the tail reads, “Start here.”  It uses the gray gestalt again and furthers the link between the visual to the text.

Burger King is a perfect example of a company that uses a logo that incorporates both type and visuals. Its logo incorporates it type right in the center of the visual. As for design, the logo uses the three primary colors, blue, red and yellow, so the color works extremely well for the company. It also works with a basis of a circle, being that the logo is fairly circular and the blue line of the design finished this circular path for the eye. The circle creates balance in the logo.

But back to the incorporation of type and visual, Burger King uses this idea perfectly. The company name, Burger King, is centered between the visual, or buns making the logo into a burger. Who would have thought to make Burger King’s logo a burger? Yes, it may not be the most original idea, but they way the company name was used as part of the burger visual makes the logo different than just any simple hamburger logo.

Environmentally Friendly Vet!

I thought that this logo integrated text and design really well to interest viewers. The snake on a vine is interwoven with the e in this logo. The logo follows the second gestalt principle we talked about in class today. the continuation principle, the focus of the viewers eye is led from the snake then to the letter e and the subsequent words.  This logo also has the similarity principle of gestalt we discussed in class with the green color of the vine being repeated in the leaf on top of the letter i. Overall, I think this logo is clean, interesting and successful in linking text and visuals.