When I see graphics designers justify the making of a logo with A + B = C, I wonder what + what was added to make Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Access Bank, Lufthansa, Puma, Lacoste, etc logos. You have been bamboozled if you think that’s what a logo’s design justification should be. Let me repeat again, you have been bamboozled.
Let’s take the Nike logo for example. Designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971, the logo draws inspiration from the wing of the Greek Goddess of Victory who’s name is Nike. Okay! Sounds like the logo is powered by the name of the company right? So let’s talk about Adidas. The company’s name is a coinage from the founder’s name – Adolph Dassler.
The current Adidas logo is made of 3 diagonally standing lines which create a silhouette-like-cross-section of a mountain. The logo is inspired by this because it justifies the fact that athletes prepare tediously to reach the peak of their performance. In other words, the brand Adidas by its logo proves that their gear is is an athletes armour to reach that peak.
Final example; the Lufthansa logo. The logo is a stylized Crane bird in flight form. The symbolism of the Lufthansa Crane Logo is strength and stability – characteristics of the Crane bird. And true to the characteristics of the Crane Bird, the Lufthansa brand is the strongest Airline brand in the EU region. It is also a stable airline boasting of a 270+ aircraft fleet flying 200+ international destinations. It’s current brand position was intricately part of its founding vision. So you can see that the use of the Crane bird to inspire its logo is spot on.
Now this is what a logo’s design justification should be. It should be
Inspired by an overarching idea or philosophy. It should be derived from a visionary position that’s a unique point of view or selling proposition that can stand true for a long time; hence, the nature of longevity every good logo possesses. It should be the kind of logo that tells a story and not to be the A (image) + B (image) comes together equals C. Which is usually just mere combination of design elements for design sake. Be woke! Enjoy more examples on: https://dayoabiola.com/behind-the-scene/
