LogoMania proper doesn't begin until page 75.

Consider everything that precedes it as foreplay.

 Digital edition: 978-1-61673-595-1

Softcover edition: 978-1-59253-252-0

© 2006 Bob Gill Library of Congress

All rights reserved. No part of this book may Cataloging-in-Publication Data
be reproduced in any form without written Gill, Bob
permission of the copyright owner. All images LogoMania: sixty-eight logo problems and
have been reproduced with the knowledge and solutions together with one logo problem solved
prior consent of the individuals concerned, and thirty one times by Bob Gill
no responsibility is accepted by the producer, p. cm.
publisher, or printer for any infringement of ISBN 1-59253-252-7
copyright or otherwise arising from the contents 1. Design-process II. Title
of this publication. Every effort has been made PN6084-D46F572006
to ensure that credits accurately comply with 745-4-dc22
information supplied. 20040 2 5555
10987 6 543 21 CIP
First published in the United States of America
by Rockport Publishers, Inc., a member of ISBN 10: 1-59253-252-7
Quayside Publishing Group ISBN 13: 978-1-59253-252-0
33 Commercial Street
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930-5089 Cover and layout designed by Bob Gill
Telephone: 978.282.9590
Fax: 978.283.2742 Printed in China

www.rockpub.com
Many thanks

Jack Gill, for your help

in digitizing some of
the artwork.

Christine Cirker, for

seeing that the files
were perfect for the
printer.

Kristin Ellison, for her

very helpful
suggestions and for
shepherding the book
through Rockport.
Forget as much as
possible.

Whatever the subject know anything about

of the job, regardless the subject. I research
of how familiar I am it; find out as much as I
with it, I try and forget can about it so as to
•
every Image, every have as much new
fact, every idea that's material to think about
in my head about that as possible.
subject.
The information I
I assume that most collect should help me
images, most facts, think about something
most ideas in my head interesting to say.
were put there by the
culture; television, That's the most
magazines, films, etc., important thing:
and that nothing in having something
my head is original. interesting to say.

So if I am to have the Design should be in

best chance of seeing the service of the
the subject in an statement, not the
original way, in a fresh other way around.
way, I act as if I don't

5
Listening

Problem: I listen to the

a monogram for statement that the
Formation Furniture, furniture is modular. It
makers of modular tells me how the logo
seating. should look.

6
Final logo

7
Reality

The audience who will How can a graphic We must take a look
see a company's logo designer compete at the real world, and
is the same audience with this magic? in effect, say to our
who will have seen audience, "Look! Have
the latest alien film, We can't. We have to you ever noticed this
and the hottest music go to the other before? Even though it
video, with special extreme ••• to Reality! was right under your
effects that are nose?"
dazzling.

For example:
a very ordinary scale of miles on most maps

0.05 0 0.05 0.1 Miles

becomes the logo of a map-making company.

CommunityCartography
0.05 o 0.05 0.1 Miles

8
 or a folded bit of
cardboard

becomes a logo for a

company which
organizes conferences.

9
The problem is the
problem.

If we, as graphic Original problem:

designers, are to design an interesting
arrive at interesting, arrangement of an A, a
original solutions that G, and an M to be used
also communicate on their stationery,
exactly what the client their delivery vans,
requires, we have to and on the side of
start by being critical their building.
of the problem.
Problem made more
The more interesting interesting:
the problem, the more design an A, G, and M
likely the solution will which communicates
be interesting. that the company
makes very small
Here's an example: models, and at the
same time, is large
AGM, a company enough so it can be
which makes very easily seen on the side
small industrial of their vehicles and on
models, wanted a their building.
monogram as their
logo. (A conventional,
boring problem.)

10
11
Problem: York, their guides are
logo for Rent a New genuine New Yorkers.
Yorker, a company
which supplies guides Question:
to tourists. Eventually, I how can a logo
decided that the most communicate that they
interesting thing I employ genuine New
could say was that, Yorkers?
unlike other tour guide
companies who hire Answer:
actors who know next give the name of the
to nothing about New company a New York
accent.

I suggested changing their name from

A
to

12
Having settled on the I wanted them to read
idea of spelling the the statement.
name with a New York
accent, I was ready to I chose a very
design. ordinary, legible type,
Helvetica Narrow
I didn't want the Bold, printed in black.
audience to be
distracted either by
color or typeface.

13
Don't be afraid to exaggerate!!!

A company that gives cast-off

computers to schools and
charities has as its logo:

is a terrible
When they asked me to use it
in an ad, I suggested it should
be in quotes. I thought it
would make the statement
more important.
(.(.

is a terrible
14
 And then, as long as it was
used as a quotation, I thought
it might as well be attributed
to the greatest quotation
generator of them all.

is a terrible
William Shakespeare

15
Problem:
APF for American
Physicians Fellowship,
an organization of
American and Israeli
doctors.

I make the problem

more interesting: a
monogram with
English and Hebrew
letterforms.

16
Don't always do as I
say.

I arrived at th is logo
for Van Nostrand
Reinhold, publishers,
for no reason other
than I liked the way
the three letterforms
fit together.

17
Almost all of the time, Problem: However, I was
I have found that the Cooking TV, a series of reluctant to give it up,
best way of arriving at programs featuring a because it said
an interesting solution chef demonstrating exactly what the show
• •
is by beginning with various recipes. was about.
an interesting
statement. Another The most obvious Problem:
possibility, however, is image is a chef in a how can the most
to begin with the most television screen. obvious image become
obvious statement. Very boring. a surprising one?

--------~---------------"
c.~o K\Y\g IV

18
Cooking TV

19
Shaw's play, Major Barbara,
pits the Salvation Army
against capitalism.

20
 Logo for a drinks
manufacturer.

More problems. More solutions.

21
The Drawing
Breakthrough Book.
I thought if I rendered
this silly idea in a silly
way, it would be okay.

22
The Writing Code, a
series of films for
public television on the
invention and history of
writing.

23
A series of films for I commissioned an
television with engraver to carve a
contemporary plots stone with the series
related to the Ten title so that I could
Commandments. make a rubbing.

' .

.
'r · ,.
•

24
A series of radio The photographs, from
programs about the museum on Ellis
immigration at the Island, are portraits of
beginning of the last immigrants who
century. arrived between 1900
and 1910.

25
Two logos for Blob, a
horror film. The first
exaggerates the vertical
axis of the photograph.

26
The second exaggerates
the horizontaL axis.

Both distortions via

Photoshop.

27
A play with a rather
bleak plot.

Winter

28
The Learning Annex
needed a logo to
represent the price of
their catalog, which
lists their adult
education courses.

29
Alan Fletcher, Colin Not much of an idea
Forbes, and I started here. We simply tried
the Design and Art to get the letterforms
Directors' Association as close together as
in London and also possible.
designed their logo.

30
George Hoy, a A bit of luck. I zoomed
typographer and in on an alphabet, and
letterer. George's initials were
right in the center.

31
When a friend asked But it was also
me to design a logo illegible.
for his personal
stationery, I So I added "subtitles."
immediately thought
of his signature as the
most personal image.

Gene Sea rch i nger

32
Although Robert
Rabinowitz, consultant,
is the name of his
com pany, I suggested
he use Maven (Yiddish
for expert) as h is logo.

33
A six-step design
workshop I
occasionally give.

Problem:
make it difficult to tell
which finger was
added.

34
A musical set in the
depression of the
1930S inspired this
• ••
ironiC Image.

35
A national chain of
optometrists.
Problem:
logo for a paper
products chain.

Solution:
gives the name the
character of curved
paper.

37
A line of romantic
greeting cards.
Logo for Street Talk, a The collage of poster
book which documents fragments which have
the decline of the seen better days also
poster as an important became the image on
advertising medium. the book jacket.

-
39
The design studio of a They said some were
large printer wanted a modern, some were
logo which would traditional, and some
appeal to all of their were eccentric.
clients.
I suggested they
always use three
versions of their name.

Kynock Graphic Design

or Kynock Graphic Design
OR ~YHOC~ GMP~~C »~S~GH

40
 An "Event Producing"
company.

Their letterhead,
business card and
envelope list different
events. Some serious.
Some not so serious.

Concerts
eenactments

41
How "avant garde"
can you get?

Problem: Solution:
logo for Steve Bourn semaphore signal
Productions. flags. I found the flag
positions for the
Baum wanted to company's initials,
project a state-of-the- and they became the
art image for his logo.
company.

As I felt that the hotter

the image, the faster it
would date, I went to
the other extreme.

5 B p

42
 David Cammell, Hugh
Hudson, and Robert
Brownjohn, three
swinging-sixties
filmmakers started
CHB, a production
company.

The golfers came from

a 1923 British type
book. So did the
initials.

c H B

43
Rainmakers, an After a heated
umbrella company, discussion, we
wanted a new logo. I compromised.
questioned their
name. I said that it They agreed to
didn't make sense for consider a new name.
an umbrella company
to call themselves I agreed that if they
Rainmakers. didn't like it, I would
design a new logo for
They said they had Rainmakers.
been in business for
many years, and they Eventually, I proposed
were very successful, that their receptionist
and renaming the answer their phone
company was out of with, "Hello, it's
the question, and raining."
would I please
design a new logo for The reception ist agreed,
Rainmakers. and they accepted my
logo.

44
It's Raining!

-
•••
I
I
I
•
J
•
,I
•
•
I•
I
•
I

••
I,
••

They even allowed

some variations in their
catalogs and ads •••
• •
J I
• •
I I
•• ••
• •
J J
• •
••
I
••
I
•
••
 ·
I, ••
•
•
•• I
•
,• I
•
I ;
I
•
I
•
I
••
•
I•
I
•
I
••
I
•
••

47
I bought these A good exam ple of a
numbers at a local "found object" as the
hardware store. right image for a friend's
letterhead.
 The logo for this film
didn't need much more
decoration than the
typeface, Cooper Hilite.

I in the shade

49
Face Off is a series of
controversial debates
held in various cities.
I decided the shape of
the space between the
speakers was more
graphic than the shape
of the speakers
themselves.

50
 The World Goes Round,
a zany comedy. See
page 61 for another
•
version.
\§ -

51
Blond Educational is The "B" with its exponent
a subsidiary of "e" represents the
Anthony Blond Ltd., relationship between
publishers. Blond and Blond
Educational.

52
The Environmental
Consortium, a think
tan k, wanted a logo
to communicate the
fragility of our planet.

53
Problem:
logo for a company
whose name is also its
web address. The
company markets the
tapes of two
comedians.

ra .CO

54
 A series of programs
for public television
about the struggle of
journalists around the
world to report the
truth, despite political
stonewalling.
DE-
MOC-
RA-
CY-
IN-
TER-
RUP-
TED.
55
Louis Malle's India, a
very personal
documentary film by
the great French
director.

56
 I used a conventional
image to represent
The Blue Collar
Theatre Company,
rendered in an
unconventional way•

.... ..'..-., •

.Z....··:·.,.')-:
• .JIt • •

.........,.-. -"---......
..~...
,.
• •
.. ,.,
II'
.
..
•
.
'." .......
~'.'-
."
. .. ,.
•
.... .
....

,-,,
..•

... .... , -.... .--..

)..
,. • ,
--'~"'~
.... ~.~~~.--
,
,.. f · "

.
----~
•

57
I tried to give a sense
of the size of the
vehicle used in location
filming by substituting
wheels for O's in the
company logo.

George Hoy did the

drawing.

58
When I was asked to a vicuna overcoat
do a logo for Wylton casually thrown over
Dickson, an aspiring the shoulders, and a
film producer, I Corona Corona, the
couldn't resist biggest, most
• •
thinking of the two expensive cigar.
Hollywood producer
cliches: Eventually, I decided
to go with a Corona
Corona, as it fit, same
size, across his
letterhead.

59
The High Rollers,
a jazz musical.

60
The World Goes 'Round.
See page 51 as well.
An anti-smoking
campaign needed a
logo to put people off
the habit.

62
A computer program,
The Daily Drill, lists
various sport and
entertainment events
for each subscriber's
locality.
An ironic logo for the dinner honoring the
a very prestigious latest inductees into the
gathering of art New York Art Directors
directors and Club Hall of Fame.
designers:
The logo was
suggested by a clause
in the contracts of Llza
Minnelli and Chita
Rivera, the two stars
of the Broadway
musical, The Rink,
which guaranteed
them equal billing.

65
The problem of
representing the very
"soft" profession of
public relations is a
difficult, interesting
one.

Here's my version of
getting the PR
message out.

66
"Clip art" for Alex
Parker, a real estate
mogul.
The Nussbaum family
wanted an N which
didn't look commercial,
to put at the top of
their stationery.

This is my idea of an
informal N.

68
The "H" for Harlech
Television, a Welsh
company, was
inspired by the lines
running through
tv images.
Auntie Marne, a
comedy about a
character who is very
easily embarrassed.

70
I was asked to do a
logo for a perfume that
had n't yet been named.
I assumed it would be
called L'amour, or
some other romantic
cliche. In the end, the
client abandoned the
project.

71
A simplified grill for
The Grill Room, a
steak house.

72
 Ingo Finkey has an
interesting frame shop.
The solution: a frame
with a twist.

~
I'"

~ ~

73
Floodgate, a satirical play
by Larry Gelbart about the
Bush Administration's
inept handling of the
hurricane that devastated
New Orleans.

---
\
•I
\ .
!

' II I ,
11 1' 1 \.

74
begins here.
A few years ago, Typically, the staff of
Applied Minds, a very engineers, designers,
sophisticated computer programmers,
think-tank, asked me model-makers, etc., of
to design its logo. the company might be
working on a robotic
While some problem, an advanced
companies make one method of recording
widget, in one color, in sound, alternative energy
one size, Applied possibilities, new
Minds represents the navigation systems, a
other extreme. cure for cancer, and
dozens of other
problems involving
various disciplines.

And all of this activity

takes place with i n an
unorthodox company
culture that, although
on the cutting edge of
technology, doesn't
take itself too seriously.

77
My first thought, after and innovative, they
spending some time would have invented
with the client, was the wheel.
that if they were
around thousands of I presented two
•
years ago, because versions.
they are so smart

78
79
After my presentation
was rejected, I came
across a stock sign in
a hardware store,
which hotels and
other institutions use
to show the location
of their stairwells.

80
I thought steps with
some modification
would make a
handsome logo for a
company reaching for
something just beyond
what's possible.

I tried some variations.

81
82
In the end, I decided that less is more.
My second Although, as I said, I
presentation, opposite, avoid ambiguity,
was accepted. ambiguous images are
not necessarily always
Of all the logos that I inferior to those which
have designed, this communicate the
was the most same message to all.
ambiguous. In fact, it They can stimulate the
is the only am biguous imagination.
one that I have ever
designed. Or they can be
confusing.
I had great trepidation
before presenting the In the end, what makes
steps. If the client communication-and
said, "How can I be logo designing in
sure that everyone particular-so
who sees this logo fascinating, is that
would get the same even with focus
message?" I would groups, market
have had to concede research, and state-of-
that everyone would the-art branding
not get the same specialists, hitting a
message. bull's-eye is still an
art, not a science.
But, fortunately, the
question didn't arise.
applied minds, inc.

85
The steps are cut out
of the upper left-hand
corner of the letterhead.

applied minds, inc.

86
 The steps are also It was impractical to
die-cut on the business do this on the envelope.
card.

applied minds, inc.

applied minds, inc.

1209 Grand Central Ave.

Glendale, CA 91 201
t: 818 .545.14011
f: 818.244.0204
[email protected]

Bran Ferren , Co-chairman

& Chief Creative Officer
For years, I've been for them and they get
telling my students rid of me-I have never
and anyone else who had a chance to test my
would listen that no unlimited solutions to
matter how many every problem theory.
times your amazing,
absolutely brilliant That's why I decided to
work is rejected by design the Applied
the client, for Minds logo again, and
whatever arbitrary, again, and again.
frivolous, dopey
reason, there is Thirty-one solutions are
always another not quite unlimited
brilliant and amazing solutions, but I trust my
solution possible. point will have been
made.
Sometimes, it's even
better.

As my experience with
Applied Minds was
typical-in that clients Note:
always accept my first There are no captions
or second solution, or on any of the new logos
they decide I'm the that follow. If you can't
the wrong designer understand why I chose
a particular image, you'll
find my reasons on
pages 120 to 125.
90
91
92
93
94
95
 3.
2. 5. 6. 9.

20.
• •
15. 7. ·12.

21.
• .19.

1.
23.
•
22.
•18. 4. 17. • • • • •
16. 14. 13. 11. 10.

97
 We're still
trying to
decide what
to use
as a logo.

99
100
101
102
103
 •
!e In 5

104
• •
Ie In sssss

105
106
Finish

Start

107
108
I\ffl\ £0
~\NOS

109
110
1U
112
113
 Applied .. . ...... . . s Inc.

114
115
116
117
118
Notes on Applied Mind's logos, etc.

119
 The company as
a serious problem
solver.

My first ideas were to

represent Applied Minds
as being in the "idea"
business. I prefer this version
with the lightbulb. I
like the contrast between
the nineteenth century
engraving and the
contempory bulb.

120
 3.

21. 19.

1
••
22. 18. 4.
• •
A "connecting-the-
dots" reference
in the shape of an A.

The A and M, when A conventionaL bit of

joined, and modified, office imagery made
form a simpLe eccentric.
memorabLe mark. The
typeface: Futura Light.
121
We're still
trying to
decide what
to use
as a logo.
Imagine! Such a smart
think-tank, and they can't
make up their minds. A company that
doesn't go by the book.

EUREKA~

A company that can do

the impossible: purple
Two versions of a
+ green = orange.
company in the "big
idea" business.
Applied Minds
Applied Mindsss
Slight changes in the
spelling of the company
name adds excitement.
Everyone in the
company does the
crossword in ink.

The company will get

you there in the most
expedient way.

Two images of
business, which add
electricity.
The company is the
"Swiss Army Kn ife" of
think-tanks.

Another version of a
company that can do
the impossible. The company that1s
always reaching for
something just beyond
what's known. Two
•
versions.

124
Applied · · 5

Applied Minds or
Applied Brains. I prefer
Applied Brains. It's so
much more aggressive.

My favorite. As in the
case of the step ladder, I
like the idea of
representing such a
sophisticated company
with such a low-tech logo.

The com pany is very

wise. So is the owl.

The company thinks

outside of the box.

12 5
Clients

AGM, ltd. 11
American Physicians Fellowship 16*
Applied Minds, Inc. 75-117
Auntie Marne: Indiana Repertory Theatre 70
Baum Productions (computers) 14/15
Baum Productions (semaphores) 42
Big Deal: Jules Fisher 35
Blond Educational 52
The Blue Collar Theatre Company 57
BobandRay.com: The Radio Foundation 54
Cammel/Hudson/Brownjohn, ltd. 43
Cigarette pack: Bruce Crocker, Assoc. 62
Columbia Pictures: 92 in the Shade 49
Columbia Pictures: The Blob 26/27*
Columbia Pictures: Louis Malle's India 56
CommunityCartography 8
Conference Bureau 9
CookingTV 18/19*
D&AD 30
The Daily Drill 63
Democracy Interrupted: Lumiere Prods. 55*
Design Workshop: Bob Gill 34
Wylton Dickson Productions, ltd. 59
Drawing Breakthrough: 3 Lines Publishing 22
Drink Manufacturer: (Client requests annonimity)
Environmental Consortium 53
EyeCareUS 36
Face Off: Bernard Stone 50
Ingo Finkey, Frames 73
Floodgate: Larry Gelbart 74
Formation Furniture 6/7
SFree.: The Learning Annex 29
The Grill Room 72
Harlech Television 69
High Rollers: Nappi/Eliran Advertising 60
George Hoy 31
It's Raining 44 - 47
Key: Alex Parker 67
Kynock Graphic Design 40
L'amour: Alex Parker 71
Roberta Lawrence 66*
Location Studios, ltd. 58
Lyrics: Joel Schenker Productions 38
Major Barbara: Indiana Repertory Theatre
Maven: Robert Rabinowitz 33
New York Art Director's Club Hall of Fame 64
Nussbaum Family 68
Only in America: The Radio Foundation 25
Papermania 37
Renta Noo Yawka 12/13
The Rink: Jules Fisher 65
Gene Searchinger 32
Six fingers: Bob Gill 34
Sixty: Bill lanker 48
Street Talk: Image Publishing 39
The Ten Commandments: Lumiere Films 24
Van Nostrand Reinhold 17*
Winter Lies: Serendipity Productions 28
The World Goes 'Round 51 & 61*
The Writing Code: Equinox Films 23
Nast & lalben Productions 41
Bill lanker: Sixty 48
*Rejected
Bob Gill is a designer, an illustrator, a filmmaker,
a copywriter, and a teacher.

After freelancing in New York, he went to London

on a whim in 1960, and stayed 15 years. He started
Fletcher/Forbes/Gill, a design office with the two
brightest designers in England.

F/ F/ G began with two assistants and a secretary.

Today, it's called Pentagram, with offices all over,
except Tibet.

Gill resigned in 1967 to work independently in

London. He returned to New York in 1975 to write
and design Beatlemania, a live and multimedia
history of the sixties for Broadway, with the
painter, Robert Rabinowitz.

Gill is still working independently, and still

teaching. He's had one-man shows in Europe,
South America, and the u.S.

He was elected into the New York Art Directors Hall

of Fame, and the Design and Art Directors
Association of London presented him with its
Lifetime Achievement Award.

He's now living in New York with his wife, Public

Radio's Sara Fishko, their son, Jack, and their
daughter, Kate.
 · ....... , ...... " . . . . . . . . . . . ... .... . ~ ..... .
•
•
•
..
,•
..
.
•
•
•
•
•

.
•
.
.. "
e
~."

........
" .
..
•
•
•
•
•
.
•
•
•

· . . .. . . . .... . . . . . . . .. . ... . . .. ..... :

• • • • • • • • .. . . . . •

•
• •
•
•

,
•