Anyone interested in this article has the right to ask: “What prompted a career officer, far from heraldry, to start creating an emblem? Why did he need it? What is this emblem supposed to symbolize?” These questions can be answered in two lines. But it is difficult to understand or accept the answer without knowing the history of creation. And the story is, in its own way, unique.
On December 27, 1987, the USSR Naval Flag was raised for the first time on the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Baku". The cruiser was the fourth in a series of ships of Project 1143. The lead ship "Kyiv" by that time already had rich traditions, a glorious history and more than one thousand nautical miles astern. “Baku” was destined for a different fate. In 2004, the ship was withdrawn from the Navy and donated to India on the condition that it would be modernized and re-equipped under Project 11430 in Severodvinsk at the FSUE PA SEVMASH. To ensure testing, transfer of the ship to the Indian side and training of the foreign customer’s personnel in In December 2006, the 12th crew of the Project 11430 ship was formed. The uniqueness of this event is that at the time of the formation of the crew the ship was no longer the property of Russian Federation, nor the property of SEVMASH.
The crew included officers and midshipmen from all over the Northern Fleet, as well as those called up from the reserves. Isolation from families, domestic instability, deterioration of financial situation (and much more) cannot be considered favorable conditions for team unity and achieving high military discipline - the basis for the successful completion of assigned tasks. To solve the problem of uniting the newly created team, a number of activities were planned, among which, in my deep conviction, the creation of symbols occupied an important place.
The very process of creating the emblem served to unite the crew. I signed an order to hold a competition among personnel for the best sketch of the emblem, in which I established the deadlines, the procedure for submitting works to the competition, and appointed a commission to select the winners. At the appointed time, about 30 works selected by the commission were numbered and hung out for public trial. As a result of secret voting, three winners were determined.
First place was taken by the sketch proposed by the head of the medical service, Lieutenant Colonel of the medical service, Vladimir Vladimirovich Pleskach. Of no small importance in determining the winner was the presence of a description of the emblem: “The heraldic shield is black. Black is a symbol of caution, wisdom, constancy in trials. In the center of the shield is a rearing sea wyvern (a mythological type of dragon with two legs and a fish tail) silver (white) facing left and symbolizing strength, wisdom, eternity. The right paw of the wyvern is extended forward and slightly upward, the left paw is lowered down. The wings are raised and spread. The silver color symbolizes nobility, purity and justice. In this context, the wyvern combines three elements - water (fish tail), air (wings) and the element of fire. At the bottom of the shield there are blue wavy lines symbolizing the sea."
V.V. Pleskach was assisted in creating the sketch by his comrade in the service submarines Andrey Dmitrievich Malyshev. In addition to special knowledge in the area of heraldry, which was unfamiliar to me, Andrei Dmitrievich also masterfully used computer graphics when creating the emblem. I began to actively collaborate with A.D. Malyshev. My participation consisted in expressing my wishes to him: “... my wishes:
- Since this is an emblem, and not a coat of arms, it should be against the background of a black circle with a yellow ring, like the Navy emblem.
- The creature should be positioned so that when worn on the right sleeve, It faces forward.
- Corona - "YES".
- The creature's color is gray with a yellow belly and red tongue. Beautiful.
- I am categorically against Shields, Swords, Arrows, etc. and so on. The crew has other tasks and goals other than defense and attack (testing the ship and training the Indians). Therefore, suggestions for options:
- In the left (upper) paw It can hold a symbol of teaching (learning), for example, a tree branch or a book. You can put the symbol of the testers (if there is one) in this paw. This is even preferable. With its right paw, It can rest on a fragment of a globe, on which the route of the ship’s passage from Severodvinsk to the Kadamba naval base in Karwar, Karnataka state is schematically and recognizable shown (highlighted). In this case, the globe fragment will occupy the lower third of the background. In this case, the tail will need to be straightened a little, opening the globe more. On the globe, the ocean is blue (blue), the continents are yellow (gray). You can “play” with the color scheme.
- The second option involves an old-style map (turned corners, torn edges) with the same route, which It holds with both paws. On the map on a white background there are yellow continents and a red transition.
- Third option: in the left paw - see Option a) (i.e. symbol), in the right paw - see option b) (i.e. - card)."
We were forced to communicate e-mail, because Andrey Dmitrievich lives in St. Petersburg. During this communication, various versions of the emblem were discussed. Here are some of them:
As a result of creative collaboration, the emblem was born, which is now worn by the officers and midshipmen of my ship. Here is its description: “On a triangular (Varangian) shield of black color there is a silver (gray) crowned sea wyvern facing left. In the right paw of the Wyvern there is a torch, in the left there is a round shield with an emblem inscribed in its center naval aviation framed in colors corresponding to the national flags of Russia and India. The wyvern's body smoothly turns into a fish tail, its wings are raised and spread. The lizard's belly is golden (yellow):
A torch is a symbol of beginning, knowledge.
Silver symbolizes nobility, frankness, as well as purity, innocence and truthfulness.
Black color is a symbol of caution, wisdom, constancy in trials.
Gold, the king of metals, symbolizes nobility, power and wealth, as well as Christian virtues: faith, justice, mercy and humility.
The color red signifies bravery, courage, love, and also the blood shed in struggle."
The choice of the Sea Wyvern as the emblem of my crew was undoubtedly influenced by the content of the coat of arms of the only one in Navy Russian Federation aircraft carrier "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union N.G. Kuznetsov", whose emblem is a griffin. Some of the officers and midshipmen serving with me on the Indian aircraft carrier previously served on the Kuznetsov, and those who came from other ships and units go to sea on it to gain shipboard practice. And the ships themselves are similar to each other. After all, both are based on the same project 1143.
What did the crew gain from creating a personal emblem? Firstly, rallying around solving a non-standard problem. Secondly, there was additional motivation to maintain military discipline, especially in the city, in full view of the civilian population. After all, now everyone sees that this is a representative not of the Navy in general, but of a specific team in particular. In the garrison, the appearance of the new emblem did not go unnoticed. And although this event did not cause a boom, it served as an example to other military groups.
The history of this logo begins with the history of the name. As you probably know, Steve Jobs I set a condition to my colleagues: “I will call the company Apple if you don’t come up with a better name in an hour!” Why apple? In the English and American languages, the word “apple” is an indispensable illustration of the first letter of the alphabet, “A”. Therefore, if an English-speaking person is asked to name any word, the first thing he will think of will be “apple”. By the way, in the Russian language there is no such association: in our country the letter “A” is illustrated with different pictures, here is a stork, a watermelon, a bus, and the word “alphabet” itself. But our ancient ancestors would have had no doubt: they would have called the word “az” - “I”, which gave the name to the first letter of our alphabet.
So, the company was called Apple. We need to develop a logo! They began to remember associations with this word. We omit Adam and Eve: clearly not a computer theme. And here Isaac Newton, for whom an apple allegedly fell on his head is another matter! Symbolizes a breakthrough in science, and is very suitable for computers! And the first Apple logo depicted Newton sitting under a tree, about to have an apple fall on his head.
This is, of course, very good and highly intelligent, but it’s unfortunate for a logo. We need something simpler to remember right away! And so Rob Yanoff creates new logo: symbolic image of an apple! “It looks like some kind of tomato!” - Steve Jobs is dissatisfied and... Rob offers the same idea: let him the apple will be bitten! So as not to be confused! However, according to another version, Rob drew great amount apples in all varieties: bitten, nibbled, and quartered. And he chose just such a picture.
The developed logo is cheerfully painted in six colored stripes: after all, Apple produces computers with color monitors - a rarity in those days! Over time, the logo changes: six colors are no longer relevant, and unnecessary associations with one cheerful organization that chose a rainbow as its symbol are also useless.
Embroidery of the Sberbank Technologies logo
Embroidered Sberbank logo
We are moving to our region and are interested in the history of the Sberbank logo. By the way. The bank itself was founded in 1841 by decree of Emperor Nicholas I himself - people usually remember about this tsar only that he sent the Decembrists into exile, but the man managed to establish and found a lot of things!
Old emblem of Sberbank was invented a long time ago and symbolized, back in imperial times, a piggy bank in which banknotes were folded. However, a few years ago the logo was made more modern: three-dimensionality and a sun flare were added, and the old banknotes now look more like “checkmarks”: apparently, they symbolize the quality of service. Like, choose Sberbank, check the box for it.
On the Internet you can find quite interesting propaganda about what the Sberbank emblem actually represents Masonic sign: the dominion of the Masonic pyramid over the globe. Happens. It seems that Comrade Freud could also have his own ideas on how to interpret the logo. Everyone sees what they want to see.
The Nike company - in Russian should be read as "Nike", not "Nike" - was named after goddess of victory Nike. The founder of the company, Phil Knight, ordered a logo from a college student with the task: “Let her depict movement!” The student brought a huge number of sketches, but Knight didn’t like any of the options. However, the deadline for selling the goods was approaching. I had to settle on something, and the now famous tick was chosen: it symbolizes the wing of the goddess Nike.
Initially, the check mark crossed out the company name, which was unfortunate, and the inscription soon moved higher. Over time, the company became so popular that the need to indicate the name disappeared. Now the Nike logo is just a wing swoosh.
The history of the Nestlé logo is one of the oldest of the modern ones. In 1866, pharmacist Henry Nestle was trying to create an analogue of mother's milk for children who, for various reasons, were deprived of breastfeeding. Nestlé marked its products with its own family coat of arms, which depicted a bird in a nest.
Later, when creating a company, Nestlé took this motif as a basis, but instead of one sitting bird, three hungry chicks appeared and a mother flew in to feed them: remember, it all started with an analogue of mother’s milk!
Order a logo from Promvyshivka
We embroider logos on any finished product, cut, fabric, leather. Order embroidery directly on our website or send it to us with your logo, its size and number of copies. We can also provide you with T-shirts, polos, baseball caps and other products from reliable suppliers.
Logos of the companies for which we embroider can be found in the Clients section. And our works are in .
Leave a comment or ask a question!
The Cadillac sign is pretty interesting logo. Over its entire 111-year history, it has changed about forty times. Rarely do emblems transform so often. Gilded flourishes, stylized coats of arms, wings, crowns, inscriptions - you name it! But today the emblem has not changed yet. Well, the topic is quite interesting (especially for the owners of these cars), and it is worth talking about.
Historical facts
First of all, I would like to tell you a little about the history that distinguishes the Cadillac sign. In this case it is of no small importance.
The Cadillac badge is one of the few automobile emblems that truly lives up to its name. What is it? de La Motte Cadillac - one of the most noble noble families. The crown directly indicates French origin, and the pearls testify to the six oldest counties of this state. The seventh was probably decided to be added for aesthetic reasons.
And the heraldic shield directly testifies to the noble origin of the above-mentioned family. The fourth and first quarters of it display the coat of arms of de La Mothe. “Merlets” (birds) are a peculiar interpretation of the swallow. Arranging in groups, the birds became a symbol of the Holy Trinity. “Merlets” were awarded to knights who distinguished themselves in the Crusades.
Color solution
Black color on a gold background is a symbol of wisdom and wealth. And it was decided to add the second and third quarters to the coat of arms after extensive possessions were added to the family.
The red field is considered a symbol of courage and valor demonstrated in battle. The stripe, made in silver, is a reflection of mercy, purity, wealth and virtue. And the blue one symbolizes knightly honor. So the Cadillac sign has a very noble origin, and the meaning of each element included in it is quite logically explained.
On occasion, between 1938 and 1939, impressive faceted wings appeared on the coat of arms. But then, finding the idea attractive, from 1940 to 1941 they began to decorate car hoods and trunks in this way. This hinted at harsh everyday life and a difficult situation.
The Cadillac badge, which adorned the “golden sixties,” “silver seventies,” and “bronze 80s and 90s,” depicted the famous coat of arms framed by laurel branches. It looks very impressive. For a long time, this was the emblem that crowned every Cadillac.
It was decided to transform the sign in 1999. Manufacturers wanted to even more effectively emphasize the concern’s desire to enter the new, upcoming millennium with improved cars. It was decided to remove the crown and bird from the Cadillac sign, the photo of which is provided above. And the wreath with the coat of arms was designed in a somewhat graphic manner.
Thus, by combining the style of Piet Mondrian (a Dutch artist working in the genre of abstraction) and the traditional emblem, it was possible to create a new symbol in which it was possible to harmoniously combine the branches of the future and the past, and combine science with art.
You probably immediately remember a car brand or a famous product. This is the power of a logo. Today, many businesses are passionate about branding, where the logo has a special place. It is unlikely that in our modern times you can find a business without a logo or trademark. By the logo you can recognize among many similar ones the right company much simpler. So how did it all start? There are different ideas and points of view regarding the actual evolution of the logo. Let's take a sneak peek into the world of logo design, including its past, present and future.
Pictograms as the earliest types of logos
Ancient pictograms. Taken from Shutterstock
Egyptian hieroglyphs. Taken from Shutterstock
The concept of “logo” first appears in Greek etymology. It is derived from the word "logos" and means "word." The Greeks were very dependent on logos because through them they could receive hidden messages from each other. In addition, ancient Roman and Greek coins were usually decorated with the monograms (called logos in modern times) of kings. If you think that only the Greeks and Romans used logos for various purposes, you are wrong. The Assyrian, Mayan, Egyptian, Chinese and Babylonian cultures also used pictograms, which can now be called ancient logos. If we talk about the 13th or 14th centuries, then there were monograms, which in modern times represent trademarks. Farmers, jewelers, and merchants used trademarks in trade. Fact - branding has been around for centuries. In those days, when a way to determine their livestock had not yet been invented, farmers who kept large cattle, marks or stamps were imprinted on each animal using a hot iron.
Logo design during the industrial revolution
When the century came in the 18th century industrial revolution, the development of logo design and branding has become even more relevant and intense. Companies gradually began to use brands as an element corporate culture. With the production of products on a large scale, merchants and entrepreneurs had to find ways to make their products distinguishable and unique from the competition. With the advent of new technologies, design has become increasingly popular. Development visual arts and lithographic processes had a positive impact on the popularization of the logo. If we think back to the 1890s, logos have found their place in corporate branding. For example, the logo of an insurance company The company Rock of Gibraltar was a huge success. Next was the logo of a dog in front of a Nipper phonograph.
The real history of logos and branding dates back to the 1950s. The Chase logo, which was created in 1960 by Chermayeff & Geismar, paved the way for modern logo design. Today designers use Newest technologies, including impeccable graphics in abundance to create exemplary logo designs that will simply take your breath away. With the growing level of competition and reaching new heights in design, logo development has become simply indispensable for business. In addition, if a business representative plans to launch a website, then the logo plays a decisive role here. Today it is simply impossible to ignore the power of a logo. Its design has become simple but extremely effective in recent years. Designers use different styles and fonts, visual effects, etc. to create incredible logo designs for businesses.
What does the future hold for us?
Looking back into history and taking into account the current meaning of the logo, it becomes clear that the logo is increasingly becoming a vital component of branding. As designers become more experienced and use new technologies, logo design becomes even more important and important part marketing strategy for business organizations. No matter what the naysayers say, logo design will continue to reach new heights in the coming years. What do you think, is this true? You are welcome to respond in the comments.
Every day we see beautiful posters, playbills, posters on television, on billboards, in public transport. We are surrounded by many names, slogans, logos. Some of them are little known, while others are known all over the world. But have you ever wondered how the logos of the most popular brands were created? famous companies in the world? Where did the bitten apple of Apple come from, why is the Nike swoosh so popular and who invented it, why are the three stripes of Adidas so simple, but at the same time so popular? Today we will tell 7 small stories, each of which will tell about the creation of logos for famous brands. We are sure that this article will be of interest to everyone who is interested in the history of the development of large corporations, because the life of a company begins with the logo.
The close connection between Chupa Chups and Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali is one of the most prominent and famous representatives of the surrealism movement. The artist, sculptor, graphic artist, director and writer made an undeniable contribution to the development modern world. And, it would seem, what does he have to do with the Chupa Chups company? Not many people know that it was Salvador who created the world famous logo for sweet lollipops.
The idea of producing sweet candies on a stick was so interesting and promising that the company’s founders did not spare a tidy sum of money to attract the then famous artist Salvador Dali to create the logo. If you look ahead, you can easily say that the money invested has more than paid off, because the Chupa Chups logo turned out to be interesting, simple, not intrusive and understandable.
| We recommend reading: |
As Dali himself said, work on the logo took no more than an hour - from developing the idea to its final completion. He based it on the colors of the Spanish flag, added rounded shapes to the letters, framed it all, and that was it. Just like that, within one hour, one of the most famous and recognizable logos in the world appeared.
Carolyn Davidson and the famous Nike swoosh
Surely, every time you see the Nike logo, you ask yourself the question: “How did this swoosh become so popular?” I don’t know about you, but this question constantly arises in my head. After all, a damn simple logo, but at the same time incredibly laconic, clear, and memorable. The creator of the Nike logo is Carolyn Davidson. While still a student at Portland State, young Carolyn took part in a competition to design a logo for a new company. Then her “tick” did not cause much enthusiasm among Nike executives. “I don’t really like this logo, but I’m sure it will help us become popular,” said one of the company’s founders.
Very interesting fact, that Carolyn received only $35 for her work. How much do you think this logo is worth now?
Frank Robinson and Coca-Cola
It would seem like this famous brand, such a recognizable logo, it was definitely developed by the team professional designers and marketers. Well, how could it be otherwise? Coca-Cola is known all over the world, and their red logo and unique font cannot be confused with anyone else. But in reality everything is much simpler. The logo for Coca-Cola was invented by the company's ordinary accountant Frank Robinson. At that time they did not yet know what the company would be called, and Frank chose the name “Coca-Cola”. I placed this name on a red background and used the standard cursive for that time. It was this “font” that was considered the standard of penmanship and the beauty of calligraphy. This is how the world saw one of the most famous logos modernity. True, time took its toll, and about once every ten years Coca-Cola changed the design of its logo. But those traditions, the red background and the special font, which were laid down in the very first years, have never changed.
Milton Glaser and the world famous "I Love NY" sign
You can often see young people on the streets wearing T-shirts with the inscription “I Love NY”. It is noteworthy that the creation of this inscription led to the emergence of a whole fashion for “love confessions”. Now in every city you can meet people with inscriptions telling how much they love their city. In Moscow you can often see “I LoveMoskov”, in London “I Love UK”. And in other big cities this is not uncommon.
| We recommend reading: |
And it all started with the fact that the young designer Milton Glaser in the mid-70s, on a voluntary basis, completely free of charge, created a simple, but at the same time incredibly popular logo. Thus, he expressed his love for one of the most beautiful cities in the United States, and supported the initiative of city authorities who sought to attract more tourists to New York. Over time, this sketch came to the liking of many citizens, who happily bought T-shirts, caps, jackets, and other things with this inscription.
An interesting fact is that Glazer sketched one of the most famous logos on a piece of paper while riding in a taxi. Now this first prototype of the “I Love NY” logo is kept in the museum contemporary art New York.
The NeXT logo was created in literally 2 weeks
Founder of the company Apple Steve Jobs also faced great difficulties in his life. If you don’t know, he was even fired from the company that he founded. But Steve never gave up, and even after leaving Apple he founded another production company computer equipment– NeXT. The symbolic name is next. Probably, in this way Jobs wanted to emphasize that he was not stopping and was ready to develop the next company with even greater fervor. But today we are not so much interested in the founding and development of NeXT as in the creation of the company logo.
The famous graphic designer Paul Rand was assigned to develop the logo. He gave Jobs a strict ultimatum: “You pay me $100,000, and I will provide one version of the logo that suits you.” As a result of this collaboration, the world saw the NeXT inscription made in the style of Jobs.
The work was accepted immediately, without any edits. The only thing Steve noticed was the need to highlight the letter “E” in yellow.
It is worth noting that Paul Rand had previously designed logos for IBM (a huge computer corporation), UPS (a worldwide goods delivery service), and a dozen other medium and small companies.
Rob Yanov and the Rainbow Apple
I am sure that each of you knows what the Apple logo looks like. And everyone knows and has heard about the company’s founder, Steve Jobs. But few people can name the name of the one who created the world-famous logo. We are sure that 9 out of 10 will say that Steve himself invented the bitten apple, but this is absolutely not true. Apple Company had an original logo that showed Newton sitting under a tree and writing something. Steve didn’t like this option, because since his youth he had gravitated towards simplicity and minimalism. As Jobs said: “Icons should be something you want to lick.” This is exactly what he demanded from Rob Yanov, the designer working on the new Apple logo. The only advice he received from Steve Jobs was: "Don't make it soppy."
| We recommend reading: |
A few weeks later, several options were presented to the court, among which were rainbow apples (bitten and not bitten). Steve chose the option that seemed more original and interesting.
Now Apple products are used by hundreds of millions of people all over the world, and their logo is one of the most famous and recognizable.
The most popular three stripes in the world
Adidas is a company that is a leader in the sportswear market. This is no longer just a brand, it is an entire industry that dictates the style of more than one generation of sports fans. For a very long time, the Adidas logo was a trefoil and three stripes. It is noteworthy that no designers or professionals were involved in creating the logo, and the concept itself was proposed by the company’s founder, Adi Dassler.
For almost 22 years, from 1972 to 1994, the logo remained unchanged. But in the early 90s, dictated by new trends in fashion, the company slightly reworked the “trefoil”, already loved by the whole world. Now the clothes featured an angular logo, which was made in the old traditions, while maintaining the theme of the three stripes. Since 2008, Adidas has been releasing a separate line of clothing and shoes called “Adidas original,” which combines 80s fashion and the original logo created by Adi Dassler.
Mercedes three-pointed star
The Mercedes company was founded in 1926. But the logo that became famous throughout the world appeared decades earlier. The official version says that the Mercedes logo means the trinity - earth, water and air. It was on land (in cars), on water (in boats and yachts), and in the air (in airplanes) that engines produced at Mercedes factories were used. There is also an unofficial version that says that the three-pointed star was first used by the founder of Mercedes-Benz, Gottlieb Daimler. He wrote a letter to his wife, and it was with this symbol, a star with three rays, that he designated the place where their new house. Gottlieb's sons slightly modernized their father's star and placed it on the company logo.
Pavel Durov and Vkontakte
And I would like to finish our review with the logo of one of the most popular social networks in the world, VKontakte. It is incredibly simple, concise, and conveys the essence of the company and its purpose. As Pavel himself said, it took no more than 10 minutes to create the logo. He took unobtrusive colors, blue and white, and made the inscription in a standard font. The result is a simple logo that is seen daily by more than 50 million visitors social network"In contact with". Over time, the logo was further simplified and just the letter “B” was left against the background of the already well-known company colors.
| We recommend reading: |
We could continue this list by adding hundreds of famous logos of the most popular companies in the world. But we tried to select the most interesting brands and unusual stories behind the creation of their logos. We are sure that the article was interesting to you, and now you know how the logos of famous companies appeared.
Loading...