Brand – identity – success
The logo is largely associated with marketing and the power of communication, but a logo is first and foremost an identity, i.e. a personal identifier of each brand. Thanks to it, one stimulus is enough to see with the eyes of the imagination and recall the goals and slogans of many brands.
Where did the graphic logo come from? Is the logo the main ingredient that helps to reach the heights of recognition? About this, along with a pinch of the history of the logo of the world’s largest brands, in a moment.
It has been believed that the first and most famous logo was on cans of Campbell soup. We date a work belonging to the pop-art type to 1962, but this does not mean that the first logo was created only 60 years ago. It’s hard to say when and who came up with the first graphic logo, but let’s try to go back to 1885.
It was then that Frank M. Robinson, an accountant and partner of John S. Pemberton (the originator of the recipe) came up with the name of the first global brand – Coca-Cola as a combination of coca and cola fruit. Also, when the first logo of this company was created, for which, interestingly enough, no one cent was paid, the inscription appeared on a white background, and a black, business font was used to create it. It is true that the character itself has remained unchanged to this day. Of course, the colours changed from black and white to expressive, sharp red combined with white, but it had to be 75 years before this happened. Legend has it that Coca-Cola is responsible for the red and white Santa suit. This is a very strong association for everyone, because Coca-Cola’s promotional campaigns have been launched in the pre-Christmas period for a long time.
When writing about Coca-Cola, we cannot forget about the second competing brand from the same industry – Pepsi. The company, which was founded in 1898, gained its first, very clumsy and complicated logo. Numerous evolutions, changes and a serious threat of bankruptcy also left their mark on the image of the logotype. Every change in Pepsi’s marketing strategy resulted in a logo change. In total, Pepsi introduced as many as 12 changes to the graphic identification mark! The company tried to keep up with the times every time. Thus, in 1950, the cap mark was presented with three colours: white, blue, red. The white colour showed solidarity with the actions of the Allies during World War II.
Related: How to design a logo? Four steps you can’t skip.
We can easily see that today’s brand colours have not changed. However, the form of the logo has changed enormously over the years. The sign became minimalist, the shape of the waves was changed, white contours were added to it. The new logo is meant to evoke a lot of associations – the Mona Lisa smile, magnetic field, emoticons or the universe.
Nike – strength lies in simplicity
Both the Coca-Cola and Pepsi logos from the very beginning of the brands’ existence have undergone radical changes, ranging from complicated, not very aesthetic and “catchy” to images that are memorable at first sight. Almost every brand has repeatedly modified its logos, ranging from breakneck constructions to very simple signs. The exception is …. NIKE! In order to know the success of this beautiful, simple, catchy logo, we will break it down into its prime factors.
Related: How does the appearance of the logo affect the perception of the brand?
The brand name
The brand name is simply a text notation of the company name. It’s time to act on the principle of associations and deductive thinking – from general to particular. Shoes manufactured and intended for the practice of various sports should facilitate the achievement of the intended goal and thus success. What character is associated with victory? A quick look at Greek Mythology, and we’ve got it! Nike is the Greek mythological goddess of victory who took the brand to new heights, literally.
The brand mark
Usually, this is the first thing customers remember. First, because it is in the form of a graphic symbol. Analysing the Nike company and the origin of its name from the Greek, mythological goddess, we find a correlation between the graphic symbol and the name. Well, the so-called “swoosh” found its beginning in the wings of the goddess, because the Nike logo represents one of her wings. While it now seems like an incredibly brilliant idea, it didn’t impress the business owner much in the 1970s, who bought it from bored painting student Carolyn Davidson for just $35.
The strapline
The strapline is a simple but meaningful slogan, quote or motto that is embedded in a logo. It complements the name of the company, and at the same time is in line with its most important values. This is how Nike created the legendary JUST DO IT.
This slogan expresses the ease and lightness with which it will be possible to perform any activity with Nike shoes. After all, it’s so easy that you just have to do it.
Related: Professional logo design services by ProDesign Team.
