Joe Hosp, Creative Director, Mammal

Living Logos

At college many designers were taught that when designing a logo, the logo should have the following qualities:

a) Communicate clearly what the company does
b) Be impactful and memorable
c) Be simple and clear
d) Look good in colour, reversed, in black and white and when photocopied

Logos and identities were seen to be strong, aesthetic marks that were functional in the sense that they had to work predominantly in a printed format such as a letterhead or brochure. Therefore from a practical point of view the logo should be a solid colour and reversible so that there would be little degradation in reproducing the logo in print.

This of course is still very much the case but recently there has been a growing trend for logos to embrace modern technology and move on from the 2 dimensional marks of yesteryear. Identities now need to work on many different media platforms and with environmental concerns about paper usage, we are more likely to experience an identity and brand digitally than on printed matter. This is not to say that a logo should lose it’s functional nature but instead, there is an opportunity for a logo to be more expressive and reflective of the brand.

The new logo for Swisscom is a good example of this. (See Swisscom logo on right) The logo is a three dimensional graphic mark that represents a constantly moving life form. As many businesses are aligned under the Swisscom brand, the identity needs to represent this community. Therefore the identity system is inclusive and flexible; the identity evolves around one central axis, as does the business. When animated the logo rotates and changes shape, thus reflecting the dynamic and evolving nature of the brand. No brand wants to be seen as static hence a brand that constantly moves is seen as dynamic and forward thinking.

When Mammal re-designed the logo for ITV STUDIOS last year the brief was to create an identity that communicated creativity on a global scale.  (See ITV STUDIOS logo on right) The logo also needed to have huge stand out and effectively represent the variety of shows ITV STUDIOS were going to produce. Our concept was to represent the emotional content of the TV shows through a series of arcs, peaks and troughs. The specific colours hint at the heritage of ITV, whilst taking that heritage forward in new ways. As an animation, the movement of the shape and the use of light and colour mirrors the creation, spread and amplification of ITV’s ideas and product globally. The effect is similar to a living entity that embodies the creative personality of ITV STUDIOS. In essence TV was the perfect environment for this identity - it still works effectively when static but really comes to life when animated and for many members of public this is the only way they will experience the identity.

As for the future of identities I recently visited the Decode exhibition at the V&A Museum, which looks at current themes in digital design. The identity for the exhibition is a specifically commissioned animation that has been created in an open-source code on the V&A website. (See Decode logo on right) Visitors to the site are then asked to rework the code and change the appearance of the exhibition’s marketing identity. For the duration of the exhibition the identity constantly changes and evolves effectively mimicking the fast moving nature of digital technologies.

Many other brands are beginning to adapt this strategy and can see the potential in creating a looser, more fluid identity that can adapt with the growth and positioning of the brand and represent many of the benefits that the brand offers. With the digital age now part of our everyday life, the animated logo becomes a living, evolving manifestation of essentially what the brand stands for. It’s only a matter of time before every logo will have to work in this way.

Joe Hosp, Creative Director Mammal

http://www.mammaldesign.com