Higher education is a business, like any other. Both colleges and universities have to do their part in selling themselves to students to stir interest in their facilities. Of course, this means branding themselves, and displaying a great logo is a huge part of that branding. The logos for colleges and universities all vary in different ways, but are all very formal. Some have slogans and some display a coat of arms representing the history of the school. You can tell a lot by the logo such as an idea of the age of the school, it’s history and you can gain a feel for their branding efforts. The variety of logo designs is extremely interesting, but they all share a very professional look along with a bold font.

Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, has multiple logos to represent their very large, well known school. It’s easy to see that the school’s logo designers have put forth a successful effort in their development. All four examples involve some form of their famous Nittany Lion and their navy blue and white school colors.

A coat of arms for a college or university is used as a common symbol to represent the school. A coat of arms is a traditional design that represents a group of people or a family. The coat of arms usually contains ancestral designs within a shield. The symbols stand for ancestry and achievement. Most colleges or universities date back over a hundred years, therefore the coat of arms contains history and meaning. The details change from school to school, but the symbols celebrate pride.

College is a great accomplishment is a graduate’s life and once all that studying and hard work is done, there exists a sense of pride in an alumnus’s heart.  A great logo for a college is important since it’s not only all over the school, but the life of the logo continues as alumni proudly display it on clothes, bumper stickers or other merchandise. School logos become traditions, therefore an effort to be the best is well worth it.

-Nora Reed

If an advertisement is done well, it draws your attention, makes you think and directs you to the company or product that the ad is aiming to sell. With so much competition in the world, creativity is a must when it comes to advertising. The same applies to logos as well, however these ads help to display the logo and the company they represent with pride.
-Nora Reed

Take notice of popular trends in our society. No one is truly original, but just copies off what they see around them. Our entire world is based on this. Each a piece of graphic design history. Once something is popular, it doesn’t take long for companies to market on it and sell products. Art is no different and once dark images became interesting, since it was something new and different; the trend spiraled and is now uncontrollable. Is the behavior of our society based on these dark concepts and images that we see all the time? What is it that draws us to these? I think there is an interest in our minds because dark or demonic concepts are something we can’t see or prove and something we fear. Our society is best for playing on our fears. The media knows this and uses it as much as pharmaceutical companies and just about everything does to sell a product. Fear is all around us and as curious beings; we have an interest in the unknown.

Tim Burton is one example that quickly comes to mind. He is widely popular for his dark imagery and it seems to be all that he knows how to do. Even his logo has a foreboding feel with the leafless tree branches and the dark silhouette of a person looming under the thin letters. Every artistic creation he has produced has some sort of dark concept behind it. Most of his work is all based on death, yet he has millions of fans who go above and beyond to prove how much they adore him.

Logo designs follow these dark trends as well. Since logos progress the way art does, there is no doubt that logos would take on a dark, ominous style. Why so dark and frightening? What ever happened to happy images full of life and color. Have we grown to a point where we need darkness and unsettling feelings in our guts to be interested in anything? Personally, it saddens me. Although I support change and progression in art and design inspiration , I wanna know why we turn to the dark side for inspiration. When did good stop overcoming evil?

Why so dark and frightening? What ever happened to happy images full of life and color. Have we grown to a point where we need darkness and unsettling feelings in our guts to be interested in anything? Personally, it saddens me. Although I support change and progression in art and design, I wanna know why we turn to the dark side for inspiration. When did good stop overcoming evil?

The Dark Knight (2008)

This one is a great example. “The Dark Knight,” already had a ton of hype so its poster needed no explanation. We all know the greatness of Superhero Logos, Batman in particular, but it was Heath Legder’s Joker alone was a huge attraction for most audiences and knowing this, Warner Brothers used the character as a promotional tool. The tagline is great and has so much meaning to it and the faded image in the background is quite unsettling. You know who it is, but it’s almost censored so that we have to wait to see the movie to see the Joker’s face. It really sets the mood for the film.

The Darker Knight
This poster is the same concept but much less effective. It appears more like something from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” then from “The Dark Knight.” I think it’s the shower door effect that throws it off so much. It says very little about the film and has nothing to do with a shower so in a way, it is quite misleading.

The Day after Tomorrow (2004)
The poster for “The Day After Tomorrow” is an excellent example of great graphic design work. I have yet to see the Photoshop tutorial that will teach me how to cover the statue of liberty in snow, but I am sure there is one out there somewhere. The image has a great wind effect and awesome cloud cover in which you just feel cold by simply gazing upon it. The use of blue also has a dark and ominous feel. The designer really set the mood in this image.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
“Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban” is nicely done graphic example. With great set up and great foreshadowing, what more could you ask for? Your three main characters engulf the center, with Harry in front of course, and the added background details include major plot points in the movie, such as Sirius’s character, a hand from a Dementor or the shrunken head from the knight bus. These references are all very strategically placed to work in the entire graphical image to cover the movie as a whole.

Filmmakers and graphic designers work hand in hand when working on projects. They are both very collaborative efforts in which a team can create a much better result than one creative mind working alone. Designing is a huge part of post-production. Great graphic designers already know computer programs and the background basics of design which helps when it comes to editing and color correcting. Their eye for details can offer some fantastic insight, so not only can a designer work on still art but since the medias are so closely related, designers can have great opportunities in moving art as well. Animation brings out even more opportunities for graphic designers. Animation is not just for kid films. It is used in live action films for special effect purposes, such as dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park,” Spiderman swinging through city streets or a destructive monster in “Cloverfield.” Graphic design is all a part of this detailed process that often just flashes before our eyes on screen. Aside from the films themselves, film studios and production companies all have logos to promote themselves. Of course, graphic designers can credit themselves for these great and well known works of art. Not only do these companies have a still logo but when introduced in the opening credits of a film, they also have an logo to represent their company. As we have seen before, Hollywood studio logos play an important role in corporate identity. Although a lot of us disregard these when in a dark theater, munching on sweet treats, we still do know those logos well and can associate them with these film companies without giving it a second thought.

The iconic tongue and lips logo, first used on the band’s “Sticky Fingers” album, is one of the world’s most recognized logos. The pop art inspired logo came about after lead singer Mick Jagger was frustrated with then label Decca’s increasingly boring designs.

After visiting Pasche’s student exhibition at the Royal College of Art, Jagger approached Pasche and commissioned him to design a more exciting, modern logo.

Pasche who later designed for The Who, Paul McCartney, and Dr. Feelgood,created rock history and The Words Greatest Rock and Roll Band was forever associated with Pasche’s creation.

Now, The Victoria and Albert Museum the world’s largest museum for decorative art and design has purchased the original artwork and will forever enshrine the pop culture icon.

Purchased for $92,500, the majority of the buy was financed through The Art Fund, an independent British charity that assists museums in obtaining works of art.

The Victoria and Albert Museum now has a piece of Rock and Roll history. What do you think about the purchase? What do you think about the logo?