- [Instructor] Mascots and logos as we came to know them
often were extracted from engraved advertising art
used even before the turn of the prior century.
The John Deere mark, the water-drenched Morton Salt girl,
and even the Quaker oat man,
better known within Quaker as Larry,
were lifted from the art used to hawk the wares.
These logos were etched and full of nostalgic charm
from when the world was more innocent,
but illustrated in this manner solely because that technique
was essential for printing.
Our continued infatuation with this style has nothing to do
with reproduction and everything to do
with reflecting on products imbued with qualities
from a prior generation.
It's a fair comment that finely engraved logos
and badges have hung around or been newly-crafted
as an artifact of another era for eons.
But this recent season of marks
has been riddled with ever greater numbers of logos
of exactly this ilk.
As I look at the diversity of this new crop,
what's occurred is a convergence of two things.
Firstly, there has been an entrepreneurial rush
over the last several years to provide curated
and/or small batch products and services
that counter the behemoths.
Secondly, there have been a number of capable illustrators
and designers cutting their teeth on gin bottles,
card decks, and chocolate boxes
generating a new enthusiasm for exactly this style.
And now they're fueled up and ready to launch.
Quality levels and styles vary
from naive to highly honed and sophisticated,
but all seem to transport the consumer
to an intangible place.
Rich detail continues to mark these logos
with lavish illustration styles
but the line qualities have shifted
much as the tools used to create them.
Digital platforms have replaced the steel or copper plate
once etched with a razor sharp burn.
Pattern may be drawn in a model line aesthetic
or it could also have been modulated to line weights,
but proper consideration has been given
these new etched marks
that invite accurate reproduction in a digital environment
and dramatically improve the scalability of these logos.
I believe it's fair to say that illustrative brands
and packaging are on the rise.
And as long as we have a pool
of madly talented artists that want to eat,
we'll probably see a continuation of this look.
Whether they're savvy enough to lift this
into a new dimension is still to be seen.
And as far as those standard bearers
we mentioned at the opening,
they've cast off that etched look
that brought them to the dance,
but each is still employed and appear to have sped up,
lost weight, and stayed on trend and style.