- Our lives are filled with all kinds of symbols.
We see simple to understand icons such as a cross
or plus sign and know what they mean.
We can understand more complex symbols
such as the American flag communicating patriotism
or an apple that might be a symbol
for knowledge or New York.
And we quickly learn to recognize new symbols
that appear from current events or culture
such as the "Ghostbusters" logo.
Icons are logos that rely on symbolism.
They work when we understand what they mean
and whom they belong to.
They are incredibly powerful
and cross cultures and languages.
But there are so many icons today
that it takes a long time for one to become successful.
An icon can be literal such as a bell for Bell Telephone,
initially an illustration of a bell
surrounded by a very long name.
Saul Bass redesigned it
to present the Bell Telephone Company
as modern, unified, and confident.
Other symbols are abstract like the Nike Swoosh
that represents motion and speed.
Some are based on a character such as the Starbucks icon
that represents a siren from Greek mythology and the sea.
This refers to Starbucks' origins in Seattle, Washington.
An icon is not an illustration.
It is a symbol that will need to be reproduced in all media.
Simpler is better and it should relate to the brand message.
The Chase Manhattan icon designed by Chermayeff and Geismar
in 1961 is based on a Chinese coin.
It also suggests a bank vault, symbolizing security.
William Golden designed the CBS eye
when the Columbia Broadcasting System
expanded their business from radio to television.
It was inspired from symbols
on Shaker barns in Pennsylvania.
It represents vision and the all-seeing eye.
Golden designed it to be animated,
recognizing that it would be in motion on air.
It's been unchanged since 1951.
CBS president Frank Stanton told Golden
and the graphic team,
"Just when you're beginning to be bored
"with what you've done
"is when it's beginning to be noticed by your audience."
Overly abstract icons are frankly hard to make
and hard to remember.
It's tempting to make something complex,
colorful, and detailed,
but legibility and recognition are important goals
for a symbol.
For several years, every client seemed to want an icon
communicating coming together with innovation.
The result was too many strange shapes
merging in the center.
These may have communicated the idea abstractly
but were so ubiquitous that the audience didn't see them.
When the solution is an icon,
I suggest that the client link the name to the symbol
for at least a few years.
This gives the audience a chance to recognize it
and make the connection.
It may seem like hammering someone
with the same idea over and over.
You and your clients see the same icon all day long,
but the audience might see it for a few seconds
and not again for a week.
Icons that have succeeded took years of repeated exposure
before they could stand on their own.
The Apple logo was connected to the Apple name
for two decades before the icon was recognizable enough
to drop the wordmark.
In those 20 years, the mark was reproduced
on millions of items and had become a household brand.
Branding is about communicating the message.
That takes time and typically repeated exposure.
It's like what your grade school teacher taught you
when giving a speech.
Tell the audience what the information is
that you're going to tell them,
tell them the information,
and then tell them what you just told them.