Tag Archives: Corporate Logos

45 Rules for Creating a Logo (click picture for link to entire list)

Design is a bit like fashion, going through cycles where a particular style or ethos dominates for a time.

Check out Scott Hansen’s work as ISO50 for retro-organic, combining warmth with modernism (Hansen also records music as Tycho, which sound like the audio equivalent of his design — it’s worth a listen).

Hansen's work as ISO50.

Then there’s corporate America. Here are some logos from the 80′s and 90′s:

Notice any similarities? Do these adhere to the 45 rules?

Compare those to corporate logos of today:

Is it more important to stand out or fit in?

When it comes to rules for good design, it can helpful for guiding the process and making logo use effective and efficient (especially for the many uses of a logo in digital form). But, do rules for design kill innovation? And aren’t they fluid? 20-30 year-olds probably recognize the AT&T logo circa the 80′s and 90′s as distinct from the current one. Same goes for UPS.

AT&T and UPS: Old vs. New

Goodlogo.com is, well, a good logo site for comparing corporate design trends. Check it out. What do you think about logo design and these 45 rules (or should we say: suggestions)?