The Bicentennial Council of the 13 Original States (BCTOS) was formed in 1970. It represented the official Bicentennial Commissions of the first 13 states as they prepared to celebrate the American Bicentennial of 1976. These individual celebrations would eventually turn into the larger coordinated American Revolution Bicentennial event following the formation of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) in 1973.

The 1970’s was the era of the Federal Design improvement Program (FDIP), a concerted effort to further Federal design, and develop visual identities with instant recognition. This programme included Federal agencies and initiatives such as NASA, the Federal Energy Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The creation of the symbol for BCTOS was placed in the hands of Wyman & Cannan Company of New York City, which was run by the renowned designer Lance Wyman (Mexico 68, National Zoo) and partner Bill Cannan (Channel 5 – Boston Broadcasters)

The design put forward by Wyman and Cannan, and selected by the council was composed of 13 interlinked stars that formed an unbroken ring. This was based on two designs from the Revolutionary War period. The first, a circle of 13 links from the Second New Hampshire Regimental flag, was brought to attention by Dr. J. Duane Squires of New Hampshire, and chairman of the Council. The second, was the constellation field from the flag of the original 13 states; the first version of the stars and stripes.

Although based on the historical references, Wyman and Cannan managed to bring a modern and creative flair, and the ability for the BCTOS symbol to be used in a number of situations, be that cast in concrete, cast as part of metal commemorative coins or printed throughout formal communications. As a final detail, cursive text that was composed of letters taken directly from the Declaration of Independence was added. This was then used in various configurations alongside the symbol to reinforce the historic significance of the forthcoming celebrations.

Finally, with consideration afforded to the range of applications, there was also a flexibility given to the logo, with the centre counter-space being used for other secondary and bicentennial-related iconography for specific events and places. In some examples, this included an image of a state, pictograms such as a bike, or the cursive lettering looped into a circle.

After the celebrations of 1976 the offices were relocated to Alexandria, Virginia and in 1981 became the Council of the Thirteen Original States Inc. It was no longer a governmental agency but a private organisation that was engaged in various initiatives and conferences around American history.

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Logos that feature a rotating or spiral component introduce a sense of motion to a static form. These typically rotate around a singular point, combining separate elements–offset or displaced at different angles–to create this momentum.

Logos that feature a rotating element have lent themselves well to businesses such as manufacturing, suggesting continual production or learning, alluding to continued growth. And more literally, industries such as shipping transport, water control and boat building.

Take, for example, Romek Marber’s logo for British boat engine manufacturer Ashby Marine, designed in 1960, and Robert Hagenhofer’s 1970 whirlpool-like logo for water pollution control company Hydroscience.

For Paul Brands logo for photography company Diateknik, the suggestion is more conceptual, touching on the notions of framing and seeing things from different points of view.

Want more examples of rotation used in logo design? Search ‘Rotation’ on LogoArchive.

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George Nelson Office’s were selected by the United States Information Agency (USIA) to develop a visual concept for the exhibition ‘Research and Development USA’ which a traveling showcase which intended to promote American technological achievements and private enterprise during the Cold War. During 1972, the exhibition travelled the Soviet Union, visiting Moscow, Leningrad, Tbilisi, Volgograd, Kazan, and Donetsk.

Lance Wyman’s design, which was applied to brochure covers, exhibition graphics and badges, was derived from the forms of a printed circuit board. The traces of the circuit board, created within the negative space, doubled as the stripes of the "The Stars and Stripes" flag. At the centre, a chip in blue formed the canton. At an angle, and with expanding stripes, the overall impression was a dynamic national technological pride.

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To celebrate its sixtieth year of whisky making and twentieth year of beer brewing, Japanese beverage company Suntory opened Suntory Hall in the Autumn of 1986.

The venue would be Tokyo’s first ever dedicated concert hall, and was a modern acoustic marvel, created with the goal of pursuing ‘the world’s most beautiful sound’. This had been the realisation of a dream held by Keizo Saji, the president of Suntory Ltd.

Construction began in the late 1970s and the hall opened in October 1986. To coincide with the opening, Takenobu Igarashi and his team at Igarashi Studio were commissioned to develop a logo. Taking inspiration from the past and infusing this with a conceptual dimension, Igarshi devised a striking and unusual mark that would signal a new era for the Tokyo music scene.

Suntory was founded in 1899 as a producer and seller of grape wine, later expanding out into spirits. It launched a square bottled whisky in 1937 which featured a heraldic crest in the European rather than Japanese tradition of family emblems. This featured two lions either side of a shield with a ribbon beneath.

Igarashi presented ten logos. One of these was at the mid-point between the heraldic shield and the kanji character ‘hibiki’, which means ‘resonance’. Through a process of reduction and abstraction an eventual integration was achieved between these two images, the historical and conceptual. Despite the logo’s pixel-like quality, this process was done entirely by hand.

It the logo was described as symbolising Suntory's corporate stance of “contributing to the creation of people's lives and culture through emotional resonance with all things.'' President Keizo Saji immediately liked it and the decision was made to move forward with the design.

Suntory Hall was the first concert hall in Japan to adopt ‘vineyard-style’ seating whereby the audience sat around rather than in front of the stage. The goal of this seating style was to create ‘the world’s most beautiful sound’. Perhaps it is this, or the grape wine origins of Suntory that led to the appealing grape colour used with the logo. This would be later changed to a burgundy, and used in blue for a special premium whisky launched to celebrate the opening.

After the logo was settled on, it occurred to Igarashi–who had spent time previously exploring the intersection of type and sculpture with his ‘alphabet sculptures’–to try developing a three-dimensional version. The logo was symmetrical so, if you were to connect either side with an arch, a three-dimensional shape is formed and created a ‘sort of an arch-alphabet’. This became a three-dimensional ‘sound’ sculpture that was placed at the hall's entrance. Alongside this, and channeling his experience working at the intersection of art and architecture, Igarashi devised signage that interpreted the logo in number of material ways, each with a unique sense of depth, and playing with light and shadow.

A few years later, Suntory adopted the name for their first premium blended whisky. And shortly after the logo, which had accumulated a lot of favour, was also used as the Suntory Ltd logo, from 1991-2005. However, in 2005, as Suntory continued to expand and diversify, its corporate logo was changed to the current logotype. Suntory Hall retains the logo today, with amendments only to the logotype, replacing uppercase Helvetica with a serif.

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The flat surface of the page or screen is subverted by the ‘extruded logo’. It mimics the perspectives and depth of real world objects. It’s a tension that lends an eye-catching and memorable aspect to a logo.

It is different from, but related to, the 3d logo. Here, the same footprint extends outwards, either isometrically or with perspective.

This technique is often employed by designers in the context of, for example, packaging and manufacturing, construction and architecture. Those industries working with physical space. This is often enhanced by light and dark, or positive and negative space to create a sense of light and shade created by a physical object.

The looping ribbon like planes of Soichi Saito and Katsuichi Ito’s logo for Japanese printer Hokushin Printing Co. uses extrusion to allude to the movement of thin sheets of paper around a press to cleverly form an ‘H’.

Extrusion logos have also been used by designers who are seeking to suggest notions of expansiveness or growth as the shapes grow upward and outward, or simply to create visual drama.

Want more examples of extrusion used in logo design? Search ‘Extrusion’ on LogoArchive.

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Nippon Cloth Industry Co., Ltd. was a Kyoto book binding materials specialist, founded in 1919. Over a 55 year period its products had significantly diversified, making its previous visual identity, one that was specific and traditional, a poor reflection of its growing contemporary operation.

In 1974 Landor Associates were brought in to develop a new name and visual identity system that would better reflect current times and the corporation’s growing ambition.

DYNIC, translated phonetically as “the greatest” and NIC was the commonly used shorthand derived from the initials of Nippon Cloth Industry. This became the foundation of the new name. This was paired with a modern logo constructed from simple geometric forms. In its allusion to a flying bird, the symbol sought to convey the upward and dynamic path of the business as it grew and continued to diversify.

This new logo then helped to unify over twenty subsidiaries. The use of both Japanese and English, connected by the logo and custom lettering, furthered this communicative vision, conveying an ‘international perspective’.

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The city of Spokane, Washington was the location of the 1974 Spokane World's Fair (Expo‘74), a small but grand exposition situated around the falls, rapids, and islands of the scenic Spokane River. The American city, which was undergoing a period of urban renewal and revitalisation, had decided to put itself forward as a World's Fair host in an effort to bolster the city’s reputation, economy, and tourism. As environmentalism was a popular and progressive topic, the theme of the exposition would be environmentally-minded and future-focused; “How Man Can Live, Work and Play in Harmony With His Environment”. This theme was central to the development of the Expo’s logo.

In a conscious decision to distance itself from the technology and innovation-driven expositions of the previous decade, Expo ’74 would include several high profile events where regional environmental issues would be discussed. the programme of events included a symposium on UN World Environment day. The event would be an opportunity for nations, industries, and organisations to showcase and discuss the possibilities for planet-friendly living.

The logo design for Expo‘74 was decided through a design competition, of which several Spokane designers took part. The symbol and selection committee of Expo‘74 were looking for something that could be used as a trademark; something memorable, functional and easy to reproduce in a variety of media. And, more importantly, it was essential that the logo reflect the spirit of the exposition, and in line with its environmental theme.

The committee selected the logo of Lloyd L. Carlson, a well known Spokane artist and graphic designer who had previously designed the city’s seal.

The abstract logo, unveiled in 1972, is a stylised adaptation of the Mobius strip; a three dimensional form to a flat plane. The improbable shape, first introduced by mathematician August Ferdinand Mobius in 1858, has no definable beginning nor end. As a continuous shape, Carlson’s design expresses a theme of continuity within the cycle of life as well as humankind’s perpetual relationship with the environment.

In a letter between Carlson and the organising committee chairman, the designer outlines his thinking and process behind the logo.

“By its nature,” he explains, “this symbol also suggests an ever-repeating ‘trinity’ of themes already expressed in words about the exposition’s concept of how man can live in harmony, work in harmony, play in harmony with his outdoor environment.”

In the letter, Carlson goes on to explain that the triad concept runs further through the design thinking, where “each area expresses and specifies an objective within the exposition’s three themes.” This is where the selected colours of white, blue, and green are also significant. When viewed through the context of “man’s environment”, they represent cleanliness of fresh air; purity of clean water; and unspoiled natural beauty of plants and trees, respectively. Within the context of “play in harmony”, each unit represents a form of recreation: (white) winter sports, (blue) water sports, and (green) summer outdoor recreation on land. Finally, considering the theme of “living in harmony”, the units represent keeping rivers and streams pollution free; maintaining fresh air; and finding solutions to industrial pollution problems.

As Carlson concludes, the symbol meets the Expo’s criteria, describing it as
“a simple yet powerful form, which is universal in concept yet specific in application.”

Complimenting the logo, the designers settled on the typeface ‘Harry’, selected because the designers ‘felt tired’ of Helvetica and wanted something with more individuality. However, it was later said to have not been ideal, and suffered from broken patterns in spacing and, if not tracked tightly, become difficult to read.

The fair's opening ceremony took place on May 4, 1974, and closed on the 3rd November. In the decade following Expo‘74, the city of Spokane saw a period of economic growth thanks to the national and international recognition the event provided.

Discover more Expo ‘74 brand assets and assets from hundreds of other historical and contemporary brands at Brand Archive.

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Transitional logos use a state change to play with notions such as growth, evolution and creation. This could be in stepped line thickness or differing heights, or smooth scaling.

Shozo Murase used changing heights in 1987 to allude to construction and city planning for his logo for Marumasa.

Sometimes these techniques are given a sense of dynamism through the addition of diagonal direction, or used to build concrete imagery such as trees to introduce a further conceptual layer and support distinction and memorability.

For Chungbuk Bank, Young Jae Cho & Kim Min combined differing circle sizes to create a tree, alluding to the growth of wealth.

Transitional logos often lend themselves well to companies that make and manufacture, those that distribute, educate, construct or offer wealth accumulation. For Telewest in 2001, North used line thickness and circles to suggest communication and distribution outwards.

Want more examples of transition used in logo design? Search ‘Transition’ on LogoArchive.

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Bill Cannan & Company were selected by the United States Information Agency (USIA) to develop a concept for an international traveling exhibition. The theme would be the evolution of textiles in the USA and highlight man-made materials with low environmental impact.

The studio developed an exhibition with portability and adaptability in mind. This addressed the requirement that the exhibition be installed by local labour in five countries without the need for written instruction. The exhibition elements of photos, graphics and texts conveyed the unique uses of various fabrics and were printed on to photo canvas.

As the exhibition would be presented in five languages in five different cities, Bill Cannan & Company devised a universal and striking logo to communicate the theme non-verbally.

The logo brought together three key elements using two gestures. The five pointed star unites the American exhibition with the five international hosts, while an intricate gesture of interwoven lines alluded to the theme of textiles.

Bill Cannan & Company Team: Bill Cannan, Kurt Heinz, Masahiro Ogyu and Francine Fleming.

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The following is a first-hand account of renowned Japanese designer Yusaku Kamekura’s (Fuji Bank, Expo ‘75) experience developing a design policy proposal for British oil giant Shell. Kamekura writes of his experience in Issue 44 of ‘Graphic Design’ which was published in the winter of 1971.

Shell’s red and yellow ‘Pecten’ symbol had been in use since 1900. This had been revised a number of times with subtle abstractions made along the way. Although this had become internationally recognised, and having just undergone a redesign in 1961, it was felt that the logo was perceived as dated and two versions, one for marketing and another for ‘institutional’ purposes, had added to the work required to maintain the corporate identity. Four designers were given the task of modernising Shell’s image, with the proposal put forward by French designer Raymond Loewy of C.E.I. being rolled out in 1972.

It was in 1963 or the year before that I received a letter from the main office of Shell Oil Co. in London. The letter said that Shell wished to adopt a new design policy looking ten years ahead. It asked me to participate in the international competition for the new design policy and said that designers had been selected from the United States (Raymond Lowey), Britain, Switzerland (Karl Gerstner) and Japan (Yusaku Kamekura). At that time, the British designer had not yet been selected.

I sent a letter of acceptance, and Shell Oil promptly sent me a detailed list of the requirements and conditions. First of all, the Shell mark was to be changed, but the shell had to be used. The Shell logotype was also to be replaced. With this logotype as the base, a complete Shell type alphabet, including both capital and small letters as well as numbers and symbols, was to be designed. Gasoline stands, lighted Shell poles and Shell signs had to be designed, as well as signs for high-speed highways (these had to be readable at speeds of over 120 kilometers per hour) to indicate the position of Shell gasoline stands. Designs also had to be submitted for railway gasoline tank cars, gasoline trucks and gasoline tanks with Shell letters which could be seen from 1,000 meters away on the sea. There were many other details, but in the end the instructions said that the Shell colors red and yellow must not be changed.

I was surprised at the vastness of the project. Shell Oil already had a design policy, and I felt that it was impossible to redo everything from the very basis. I worried that I could only revise the current policy. In short, the existing design policy is not a bad one at all. Was there need to go to the trouble of revising it? At that point, frankly, I was unable to understand the thinking of the Shell Oil officials who wanted to change the policy with ten years ahead in mind. However, as I started working on the project, I gradually and naturally began to understand the greatness of the Shell Oil directors who were thinking ten years into the future. Their thinking is basically different from that of Japanese business leaders. Shell Oil directors place great importance on the image of the scale of the company itself. They are vastly different from the Japanese businessmen who calculate only the immediate profits.

At any rate, I finished the project after a month and a half of very hard work. I had everything printed by the silk screen process and speedily sent it to London in time for the directors meeting. Hoping to hold an exhibition on the designs worked out for the Shell project, I contacted Shell Oil, but Shell Oil said that this was absolutely impossible since it infringed on company secrets. Eight years have passed since then, and Shell Oil has not contacted me.

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Gatopardo was a Argentinian fashion brand. In the mid-80’s designers Guillermo González Ruiz & Dora Kappel worked with the brand to develop logos for its men’s and children’s lines.

The men’s proposal depicted a leopard’s claw. This formed the negative space of a G. It offered an interpretation of the brand’s name and had an aggressive attitude.

For a new Gatopardo children’s fashion line, the men’s logo was considered too fierce, and a separate logo for this was specially designed.

A three by three grid was constructed, and a series of squares and circles were used to create a leopard’s head. This geometric approach made a connection with the parent brand and appeared more playful reducing the ferocity of the animal appropriate to the new children’s line.

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Impossible logos catch the eye in their close relationship with, but ultimate subversion of the physical world. They twist and fold into themselves, creating mystery and intrigue which aid recognition and recall.

Just like negative space logos, these logos can be traced back to artists such as MC Escher, but more specifically The Penrose Triangle, a famous optical illusion and early example of an “impossible object”.

Devised by the Swedish artist Oscar Reutersvärd in 1934, The Penrose Triangle depicts a triangular shape that appears to have three-dimensional, mutually perpendicular beams connected at right angles. However, when traced, the geometry creates a spatial paradox where the object cannot exist in ordinary three-dimensional space.

Designers in the 1950s took this idea and used it to develop distinct forms, which then proliferated, with some of the finest examples emerging in the 1960s, and catalysed by other movements such as op-art.

Want more examples of negative space used in logo design? Search ‘Impossible Forms’ on LogoArchive.

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In 1920, Premier Paper Mills Ltd. established the first paper mill in South Africa. This was located at Klip River, a few miles from the city of Johannesburg. More companies slowly entered the market in the following decades. And, during World War 2, due to low international imports, the country’s three established mills made a substantial contribution to the South African economy and had near-continuous expansion in the following two decades.

In the 1960s, an era of expansive communications development, the demand for paper grew. Great strides were also being made in packaging design, with the innovation of new paper-based materials. The paper industry in South Africa also experienced a few setbacks in the early 1960s, due to a shortage of skilled labour and limited local water supplies. Alongside this, there were high transportation costs, relying on rail networks to move the paper cross-country. Despite these hurdles, successful expansion occurred throughout the decade with South Africa-based multinational mining company Anglo American founding the Mondi Group in 1967.

A massive infrastructure program initiated by the government channeled significant investment into heavy industry, with Mondi Valley being one beneficiary and kickstarting further growth.

To further the growth of the company, a new modern corporate image was needed and Mondi looked to Unimark International and American designer John Rieben to deliver this. He and his team were invited to develop a corporate identity “that would convey a strong, bold, and modern character and deliver a sense of movement and interest.” Having always wanted to work overseas and with a large design company, Reiben had spent a year and a half setting up a Unimark office in Johannesburg. It was from here that he created Mondi’s corporate identity.

The logo design was arrived at as a result of ‘concept-driven development’. According to Rieben “the idea of paper making becomes exciting when it is defined within the context of communication.” The extent of the designer’s thinking is communicated in the company’s interim graphic standards manual.

The logo’s story starts with central dots of the logo symbolising ideas/the mind. An idea shared between two people; the assimilation of ideas. Furthermore, when positioned side-by-side, the dots would be comparable to a pair of eyes. “The means of message reception in the case of printed communication is the eye.”

Reiben then combines the concept of communication with the technical elements of paper production. “The vehicle of the message transmission is paper, stylised here by the outstanding elements in the manufacturing process - the blanket and rollers.” These would convey movement, energy, and continuous activity. Then, Rieben selectively filled in the solids to create the 3D shape of the rollers.

The “juxtaposition of roller ends create an optical illusion. The viewer cannot be sure which of the roller elements is dominant.”

Rieben’s hope was that the viewer would remain interested in the puzzling character of the logo and satisfy the “sense of movement and interest” that was laid out in the brief.

The logo was applied to signage, corporate stationery and vehicle livery and created a striking visual presence with a bright red. As the corporation grew and diversified into packaging, it became simply Mondi Plc. The logo was retired and replaced with a simple ribbon motif alluding to a single sheet of paper.

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Positive and negative space have and continue to serve an important role in art, design and architecture, creating a critical interplay between what is present and what is absent. Sometimes this is leveraged for compositional reasons or used to communicate or allude to something further.

In logo design, this relationship between positive and negative space can be especially powerful, toying with tension or harmony, the relational or oppositional to generate interest and distinction.

Artists such as M.C. Escher, known for his tessellating patterns of light and dark and differing images that appear to converge and diverge, had an effect on designers during the post war period.

Some designers took this and integrated it into their practice, often using negative space to draw more from less, resolving two images into a single unified form.

This optical play of light and dark, volume and void, immediately generates interest. It introduces a moment of visual surprise, sometimes a puzzle that can strengthen recall and recognition.

When handled well, the two images exist in both harmony and tension, with the viewer’s mind moving back and forth between them. The most common example is the intersection of letterform and concrete image, as exemplified in Harvey Appelbaum and Bill Curtis’ 1969 logo for the Manhattan School of Music that combines an ‘M’ with musical notes.

This practice not only expanded the visual language, but helped derive distinction and ownership in the creative act of combining.

Norman Moore’s logo for Filmstar Motion Pictures not only uses negative space to form a star from repeating and rotating the letter ‘F’ but in the compositional balance of the F’s own positive and negative space, calls to mind the sprockets of film reels. Genius!

Want more examples of negative space used in logo design? Search ‘Negative Space’ on LogoArchive.

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The London Borough of Camden was formed in 1965 from a merger of the metropolitan boroughs of St Pancras, Hampstead and Holborn.

To clearly define this new borough a new symbol was sought out, with Main Wolff & Partners being commissioned to design this. The final design depicts four pairs of hands locked together to form a ring.

The logo’s depiction of tessellating hands intended to symbolise aspects of governance such as voting, giving and receiving as well as the purpose and structure of local government.

Through its formal geometry the logo also represented organised community support and communal efforts direct towards common causes.

The logo was applied to annual reports, street signage and bus stops throughout the borough, initially with a burnt orange red and later green. It is this version that remains in use to this day.

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Hey, it’s Rich here with the third Community Logos newsletter. In this special e-mail, we feature the latest logos added to LogoArchive from today’s best designers.

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