YouTube Direktvideo link

Actually this 3 minute movie can give you a lot of useful advises for logo design.  A lot :)

Bobby told it very well:

“Uniqlo has a rad new interactive game which lets you play and experience the grid system that they use. I wasn’t quite sure what to do at first (probably because I didn’t read the directions…) but after like 5 minutes you totally get it and it starts to become really fun. There really isn’t a point tot he game, it’s more like a social project where up to 50 people get to make the decisions of what the grid will look like. You can add or remove squares, rotate them, or combine them.

I was playing earlier, and usually I try to turn all of the squares the color I was assigned. But someone else decided to drag all of the squares off the grid, leaving it blank. This kind of made it fun because then I started working to actually keep something on the board. It’s a pretty fun way to kill 15 minutes or so. There are also a lot of really great sound effects that go along with the game. You could honestly just sit and watch if you wanted to.”

If you want to try it by yourself - go to : www.uniqlo.com/grid/

I bet there are a few symbols in your graphic library, which you use very often. Tribals, flags, figures, birds, pictos, etc… What about if you don’t have to import them every time, but instead - they are one key press away ? The following logo dingbat font collection will make this happen.

visit Iconian.com to download all these and many more logo fonts / dingbats. Have in mind that the quality of the vectorized images is not perfect, but just decent and useful.

In order to understand better the new 2008 Vauxhall logo you should check the design of the latest generation cars by the company. Such one is the design of the Insignia model bellow:

In my opinion the previous version of the logo (the red one from 2003 ) is better designed, but obviously the British Opel needed a new logo which should correspond more accurately to the policy of the company. The “American” look needs an American logo… Black and Silver is the answer. The very aggressive shapes and the bigger head of the griffin are also a part of this answer. Here’s what we read in Autounleashed.com:
“Today ( 09. 04 . 2008 ) , Vauxhall presented their new logo, which will debut on the upcoming Insignia. With this new logo, the British GM subsidiary wants it to inspire “modern, fresh and inspired”, just like their current cars, the redesigned Astra and Corsa, plus the upcoming Insignia.
Bill Parfitt, Vauxhall’s Managing Director, said “While the new-look Griffin pays homage to our 100 year-plus manufacturing heritage in the UK, it also encapsulates Vauxhall’s fresh design philosophy, first showcased in the current Astra, and set to continue with Insignia”.
As we said, the new Vauxhall logo will debut together with the new Insignia, at the British International Motor Show in July. After the show, all Vauxhalls cars will roll out of the factory wearing the logo.”

Hope you will enjoy this image of branded Vauxhall rally car, which I found while looking for the logo materials …

As well as this collection of other Vauxhall logos :

Here comes 2 great PDF books :

Top Symbols and Trademarks of the World - volume 1
( 130 pages - 520 logos - 8 MB )

Top Symbols and Trademarks of the World - volume 2
( 155 pages - 600 logos - 17.5 MB )

–

“Top Symbols And Trademarks Of The World” was published in 1973, written by Franco Maria Ricci & Corinna Ferrari. There are two volumes of this Italian book, which are very hard to find now. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll find them in some old bookshops. This rare pages are a part from the Typogabor.com collection. And we should all thank Iancu for getting together all the pages into these 2 pdf files.

Desbar.eu mirror - book 1
Desbar.eu mirror - book2

I’ve realized that I don’t pay much attention to the Arabic logos. That’s the reason for making this post. Here I’ve picked 16 fine samples. Hope you will like it.

1. Yin Yang logo by prof. John Langdon
2. Equestrian city logo (arabic zoomorphic calligraphy)
3. Quarterly Periodical of the Iranian Academy of the Arts logo
4. Kuwait Fund for Arab & Economic Development - KFAED
5. Alwan for the Arts logo
6. Arab thought forum
7. The official EMIRATES logo
8. Rasmala logo
9. Al Arabiya News Network
10. Arab fund for arts and culture
11. Cheikh Faye logo
12. Al-Akhbar is a daily Arabic newspaper published in Beirut
13. Muslim Answers (website)
14. Al-Ghad Newspaper is Jordan’s (AlGhad.jo)
15. A Cicak logo
16. Explorers logo

If you want to understand more about the types, the techniques and the authors of the logos, check the references and the sources.

references :

http://www.khtt.net/ - Khatt Network for Arabic Typography
http://awangpurba.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html
http://raszl.net/corporate_identity/equestrian_city
http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/4824
http://www.knowledgeview.co.uk/clients
http://www.slide.com/r/XES1n7aN4z-2ErQMBg_TPFpefiChNUlf?cy=bb&view=large - a gallery of arabic logos
http://www.graphics.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=404 - Al Arabia logotype

resouces :

29letters.wordpress.com/… /kufi-workshop-for-non-arab-participants-in-amsterdam/
Sakkal.com - Arabic Calligraphy Instruction
Sakkal.com - Muslim Calligraphers in America
Sakkal.com - Interview about modern arabic typography
Sakkal.com - The Iqra logo case
Hejleh.com/tree/names.html - writing and pronouncing of arabic names
Dartmouth.edu/… /lesson5math.html - understanding the arabic and islamic patterns

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some more Arabic logos and calligraphy ( used as a base for a lot of logotypes, could be compared with the word mark importance, I believe ):

The new logoblink poll inspired me to find logos of instant messengers and chat applications (as many as I can). Here they are - bright, shiny & smiling. I believe there are more examples and I’ll be glad if you share :)

What I like in this logo guideline of Tetrapak company is the manner things are presented. Take for example the free zone distance - it’s not presented by “x” or some lacking individuality symbol, but with the “T” from the word mark.

The contents consist of:

5 One logotype – three fixed combinations
8 Colours
10 Typography
12 Trademarks
14 Correspondence
Communication structure
21 Our message levels
22 Tone of voice
Printed matter and advertisements
24 Printed matter
25 Consistently Tetra Pak
25 The Tetra Pak brochure layout principle
28 Corporate information, layout examples
30 System information, layout examples
32 Product information, layout examples
34 Advertisements
34 Additional campaign material
Other applications
37 Presentation material
40 Signs on buildings
42 Supporting signs
44 Product and package signs
48 Exhibitions
50 Vehicles and transport
52 Clothing and gifts

so, please, download this fine 56 paged pdf graphic guideline [ 2.08 MB ]

YouTube Direktvideo link

Today is the last day for you and your school to register in the google doodle contest .  This video shows Chief Google Doodler Dennis Hwang draw a Google Doodle from start to finish. Enjoy the video and the huge Wacom tablet…