What happened to the Corporate Logo?

The really interesting classes I took in college were the ones that dealt with corporate identity. I remember that IBM, “big blue," was the benchmark that every company was measured against. It was a time when memorable marks were created to withstand the changing times. Once upon a time, the logo/mark represented the heart and soul of what the company stood for. I wonder if that is the case today?

Today, identity is often called branding, but I think in reality this term has muddied up the whole point of why you create a symbol that represents the company in the first place. A symbol or mark use to be the visual that represented the company beyond the commercials and clever sayings that changed with the seasons, economic ups and downs, and advertising fads of the time. The mark was the one symbol that represented core company values and integrity no matter what the conditions. It was what you stood for and who you were.

Now, it seems a lot of today’s marks are created for the industry they represent. Developing and cultivating a unique identity seems to be a lost art. Maybe I am being hard on these new “techie” logos, but I wonder how much staying power they will have when their symbol stands more for their industry than for their unique offerings. It seems many corporations today would rather the industry identify their personality rather than taking control and investing in developing a mark that becomes unquestionably theirs.

An example of a great mark is, Apple. They have lead the way in revolutionizing the computer world without forsaking their image or mark for the sake of their industry. Their symbol, a piece of fruit, is a simple mark that has come to represent a highly complex company, in a high tech industry. I don’t think anyone would question the integrity of their products, even if they started selling toasters. There was a time the same was said of IBM.

Time will tell, but when you look at some of the older marks for corporations, they have withstood the test of time and their identity has been firmly established. Of course, ingenious marketing played a role in developing and defining these timeless brands, but I wonder if these new marks represent a phase or if they too will hold up over time. I guess I will have to write another blog in 25 years to let you know the answer!

-Posted by John Weaver 11/2/09