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So, what are logos? Or what is logos?
"Aristotle defined logos as argument from reason, one of the three modes of persuasion." Today the word logo is a symbol or an emblem representing something bigger. A logo is symbolic of a meaning. We look at a picture, associate it with a company or business, and have an outlook on that company because of their little picture. They choose a picture according to what they want to represent. For instance: Snuggle laundry detergent uses a cute and "snuggly" little bear to promote their products. The bear lets us infer that the detergent will make our fabrics soft, fresh, and cozy. BP, British Petroleum, just recently updated their logo. Now it is a green and yellow sunflower shape. I think we can all guess the reason for that.
They're "going green". Lucky for them their colors were already yellow and green, so it wasn't hard to look environmentally friendly. "Wind, Solar, and Biofuels" is their new catch-phrase. Even their website looks clean and attractive.
In this quiz, you can test your knowledge of logos. How good are you? I thought I wouldn't be able to get 5, but even when I guesses, it was the right answer. It is imprinted in our unconscious mind. How do you feel about that?
Do logos cause us to associate things that would not necessarily be associated together? Is this association bad? Does it force us to have an outlook on something that we wouldn't necessarily think the same way about? Do logos cause preconceived thoughts about certain things? Is that bad or good? How does logos affect you? Are you persuaded?
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Think of something. Anything. What pops into your head? Can you associate a company with it? I'm sure the answer is yes. Company logos are everywhere. Just about anything you can think of can be associated with a logo. When you think of an apple, you think of Mac. When you think of an M you think of McDonald's. Even countries have logos- flags. So, what are logos? Or what is logos?
"Aristotle defined logos as argument from reason, one of the three modes of persuasion." Today the word logo is a symbol or an emblem representing something bigger. A logo is symbolic of a meaning. We look at a picture, associate it with a company or business, and have an outlook on that company because of their little picture. They choose a picture according to what they want to represent. For instance: Snuggle laundry detergent uses a cute and "snuggly" little bear to promote their products. The bear lets us infer that the detergent will make our fabrics soft, fresh, and cozy. BP, British Petroleum, just recently updated their logo. Now it is a green and yellow sunflower shape. I think we can all guess the reason for that.
They're "going green". Lucky for them their colors were already yellow and green, so it wasn't hard to look environmentally friendly. "Wind, Solar, and Biofuels" is their new catch-phrase. Even their website looks clean and attractive.In this quiz, you can test your knowledge of logos. How good are you? I thought I wouldn't be able to get 5, but even when I guesses, it was the right answer. It is imprinted in our unconscious mind. How do you feel about that?
Do logos cause us to associate things that would not necessarily be associated together? Is this association bad? Does it force us to have an outlook on something that we wouldn't necessarily think the same way about? Do logos cause preconceived thoughts about certain things? Is that bad or good? How does logos affect you? Are you persuaded?
11 comments:
I think that no matter what, we will always associate images with things other than that which they are intended. A company logo is just an example. If, say, you had a pet Poodle that you really, really loved and then it died, every other poodle you'd see after that (at least for a while) would make you think of your own lost pet. Everyone brings their own associations and back stories to the table when confronted with images, be they in a paper, on the internet, or a logo.
I don't think they really have a whole lot of persuasion in them any more. At least not all of them. After all, two people could easily associate two completely different things with the same image. That's why I don't think that logos are really all that persuading - perhaps they are just more of a type of identification.
Logos are simply symbols or images that help define the world around us. I really do not think that logos are bad for the society. They save us time by being able to simply look at an image and know what it means instead of writing our the name of the company through letters. As far as the question of logos persuading people goes, I do not think of it as entirely true. Words have very similar persuasion powers as logos do. Logos simply evoke the meaning of the company faster in our mind than words do because we do not have to use time to actually read the name of the company. Symbols and logos go way back in history, and if anything, i trully believe that they improve the world instead of making it worse.
Undoubtedly logos give us subconscious ideas ideas about everything. We don't see care about it because we are trying to look at the bigger picture, but the little things definitely affect our subconscious mind. We assume things about products based on logos. There is a total influence on how we think and what we do because of logos.
I think that logos are basically just company's, business's, and the media's way of getting us to buy there product, want there services or believe what they want you to. Maybe not consciously, do logos cause us to have a preconceived notion of what they are but maybe subconsciously. I'm not really sure if it's really a bad thing or not. Or if it can even be described as either good or bad. It's is more of just using your resources to make more money. I don't think that we can really fault people for trying to make money. Sometimes they do give us a new perspective on a product which I guess in some cases could be bad; such as, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. I can’t really think of any ways that logos really affect me. Just because they have a cool looking logo isn’t going to affect my decision to buy the product or whatever. I guess one thing that logos do is association. When I see a logo I am familiar with I think of the company, business... so maybe it’s just like a little reminder of what is out there I guess. I don’t know. I can’t really explain what I mean. It makes sense in my head though.
I'm kinda surprised to see so many people say logos don't affect them or persuade people very much...when I look around at class and on campus I see them and brand names everywhere...Often they are built in together like the one for Northface gear. While some companies offer better quality, the price per quality ratio doesn't seem to be all that reasonable...I often think people pay extra for a name or logo...and that happens maybe because companies are able to associate other concepts/aspects of certain lifestyles with their brand name or logo...so if you buy a Rolex they make you feel like you are not just buying a watch (made out of expensive materials) but also some prestige related to the manufacturer's name and aura.
Symbols and logos are supposed to be distinctive and eye catching. Its all advertising strategies that subconsciously pull your attention to their product. If you can look at a symbol and recognize is as a companies logo, they have succeeded in getting the attention of the consumer.
Yes, I believe that logos cause preconceived thoughts about certain things. For example, when Nike was mentioned in class, several people referred it to Jordan shoes or Tiger Woods. But then again, some people might refer to this image as the source of sweat shops over seas.
When I start thinking about various logos, sports comes to mind. Whether its due to the amount of Sportscenter I watch, or something else I am confident I could name every major professional sports team just by seeing their logo. Emotions are most definately evokes immediately upon seeing certain logos. Whenever I see a Steelers logo, an immediate gag reflex hits me and I have to hold back the urge to vomit. Upon seeing a Tampa Bay Devil Rays logo, or perhaps an LA Clippers logo I find myself full of empathy and sadness. I almost wish there was something I could do to help out these pitiful franchises. So you see, not only do logos have a major impact on the corporate world, but also in sports as well.
I don't think logos are a bad part of out society. I think logos are a necessary part of our society that are a key component of advertising. This debate brings us back to whether or not advertising is acceptable in our society. I think that logos are just another way for companies to put their stamp on the advertising market. I think that logos are so embedded in our minds that without even thinking we can identify them. I think unconsciously that's exactly what companies want you to do but it may or may not be good for us. Personally I don't pay much attention to those kinds of logos but they are embedded in our society.
I think the reason why these logos are embedded in our brains so deeply is because of the genius of marketing.Classes that I have taken that are buisness and marketing geared have shown me the importance of a logo or catch phrase. They don't simply throw together some symbol and make it world known. It takes careful thought, such as in the blog it stated that green was used as enviromental, because they know in our subconcious green=earth, grass,flowers, "GOing green".etc.. Also colors like red and white are used in KFC to potray simple, uncluttered, American, homestyle(think pinic table cloth) I think that because our culture is so media based that we might not remember the symbol or logo at first but after about 25 times you will probably know what it is. It is kind of weird, but even if you don't watch much t.v or surf the internet it is inevitiable..
Logos are a pretty neat way to change how a company actually is. I think it is natural for us to associate pictures and objects with an idea though. But when the company puts the idea into your head that when they can mess around with who they really are. Like with BP they make you associate flowers and healthy environments with their company because they gave you that view to think of when thinking about that company. When you think of it that way, it is pretty messed up.
Logos will surround us until the day we die. Sadly they are becoming more and more prevalent as time goes. Think about how much ad space was used when our parents were young it wasn't nearly as bad as it is today and imagine the future.
if anyone has seen Idiocracy you'll know what i'm talking about! ha
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