Field Journal 8: Graphic Design and Identity

       It is obvious that we are all bombarded by a plethora of information each day as we walk out from our houses and start our drive to school or work, and this is evidenced by the many advertisements we see on billboards and the corporate and company brands we see on buildings. All of these devices shape our world and influence our decisions as consumers. With that said, this week I decided to research how brands, logos, and corporate identity have become a part of our everyday life thanks to graphic design. As a future designer myself, I found myself most intrigued by this section in the whole book thus far because it has essentially shaped the world as we know it today. This is the section where commercial interests and art begin to blur and form visual communication. A single image now represents more than just an idea, more powerfully; it has the important function of representing a whole corporation and possibly all of its affiliates. In the mid twentieth century, the logo now has the power to influence how consumers view a particular company and the reputation they associate with the company. In this section of the reading clues are given to what makes a design effective and eternal, and this is where I will start off.


“Good design is good business”, but what makes a "good" design?


        The book mentions that The Colombia Broadcasting System (CBS) was at the “forefront of corporate identity design as a result of two vital assets: CBS president Frank Stanton who understood art and design and their potential in corporate affairs, and William Golden, CBS art director…[who] brought uncompromising visual standards and keen insight into the communications process” (400). Rather than relying on the complexities of an intriguing design, “the quality and intelligence of each successive design solution enabled CBS to establish an ongoing corporate identity” (400). I found that by looking at the CBS design, the quality and intelligence of the design is in its simplicity: a circumscribed form of an eye. I feel like this logo is one of the easiest to relate to simply because of the fact that all humans interact with eyes on a daily basis (looking at people, talking face-to-face with another person, using eyes to watch television or work with the computer). Eyes are one of the more prominent features on a person’s face, and we use it for a basic sense: sight. The implication of this eye in the logo design is also clever in that CBS, a broadcasting corporation, constantly has its eye on the public and uses it to witness world events and report them back to the viewer. November 16th 1951 marks the first debut of the CBS logo on air, and since today is the 59th anniversary here’s a little clip which documents the evolution of the CBS logo.

CBS "Eye" Logo

Link: History of CBS logo montage #2



       Most notably, the logo may have added some slight variations to itself in the form of text and graphic effects; however, the core design surprisingly remains unchanged making a testament to excellent design which has endured throughout over half a century. Moreover, the video demonstrates the fact that this design is “a varying and dynamic corporate design that can shift with company needs and evolving sensibilities” (402). This adaptability trait can be seen in the NBC logo history as the National Broadcasting Company has constantly switched between a snaking font graphic to the more noticeable peacock image we all know today.

NBC "Peacock" Logo

Link: NBC Logo History: 1944 to 1986

Paul Rand

       Paul Rand, perhaps the most genius of corporate identity creators, said that “to be functional over a long period of time, a trademark should be reduced to elementary shapes that are universal, visually unique, and stylistically timeless” (404). This fact holds true to the CBS trademark and its use of curvilinear shapes and it appears to be the same case for the NBC logo which has somewhat struggled to find its permanent identity over the years. Only be simplifying the silhouette of the peacock and its feathers and including nice colors to accent the feathers has the NBC logo become a modern and successful design which is visually unique.






To what extent do these corporate identities play a role in my life?

       Upon further investigation of what makes a trademark or logo of a corporation visually arresting, I found this very interesting and entertaining article on Gizmodo.com a while back and I find that it is very relevant to this chapter. Try and play a little game in which you try to identify logos and corporate identity simply based on minimalist forms and colors used to define the companies seen in this article:


Link: Brand Logos Simplified


Here are some more examples of “unevolved brands” for your enjoyment:


Link: Unevolved Brands


       With these images in mind, it seems that Paul Rand was correct in saying that elementary shapes used to make a visually unique trademark make that trademark functional over a long period of time. Looking at those images and being able to identify many of them made me feel an awkward sensation in which I have become victim to branding and consumerism; it is surprising how we may come across these brands in our everyday life and seem to think nothing of them on the surface; however, these brands, trademarks, logos, and corporate identities have made a lasting impression in our minds sub-consciously.


Source: Meggs, Phillip B. and Purvis, Alston W. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design 4th ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006