Every famous logo that exists today survived something: a chairman, a committee, a competition, perhaps a family member or a better idea that simply came a little too early to be appreciated. Amongst the 200 stories within the LogoHistories archive are those logos that never came to be, and just too good not to share.
Paul Rand’s Ford
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In 1966 Ford asked Paul Rand to bring its identity up to date. Rand did. It was too much too soon, and instead went with a revision of the script, designed by Unimark.
Sony Concepts
In 1981 Sony invited designers from around the world to replace its logo. The entries came in and the finalists were judged. Then Sony decided the wordmark it already had was better than all of them. The competition simply proved the efficacy of what they already had.
Kamekura’s Shell
Yusaku Kamekura, the designer behind the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and Shell. He sent his proposal, and never heard back! Only years later did he feel brave enough to share it.
Noorda’s Milan Metro
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Everything but the logo. Travel the Milan Metro today and you might see Noorda’s clock design, wayfinding and colour palette, but for those looking for this beauty, you’d only find it as an image in a book, or in the LogoHistories archive.
Gerstner’s Shell
Like Kamekura and eventual winner Raymond Loewy, Swiss designer Karl Gerstner was asked to throw his hat in the ring. Same brief, slightly different results.
The paid archive of Logo Histories is where these stories live alongside hundreds of others, many illustrated with rare technical drawings and mock-ups, some with lots of previously unseen concepts. Become a paid subscriber for just $5pm and unlock the whole archive. Hundreds of stories, lots of learnings and images to surprise and delight.