Marks of Excellence

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Art Book
Review: I basicly see this book as an art book. Enjoy the design of old and contemporary trademarks and their functions. The text though, is very technical - as in other areas of marketing, the science of trademarks and branding is overacademized for nothing.

Rating:
Summary: A beautifully illustrated look at trademarks
Review: Per Mollerup's Marks of Excellence is an interesting and beautifully illustrated look at trademarks. The most interesting part for me are the little anecdotes which occur here and there about particular trademarks. For example the Guinness harp is based on the O'Neill clan harp, when the Irish State was formed in 1922 they had to reverse the harp because Guinness owned the copyright.
The look and feel of the book is similar to any of the Graphis range. The book begins with a brief look at the precursors of trademarks such as heraldry, monograms and brands for animals and goods. It then examines the design process looking at the type of corporate identities that can be created and their application. The bulk of the book though is the taxonomy of trademarks breaking them down into classes, such as birds, botanical, buildings etc.There is a brief look at the background to the trademark accompanied by the name of company which uses the trademark and the designers behind it.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best logo design books EVER
Review: This is a beatifully designed book that is very complete. There are hundreds of examples of good design, and enough text to satisfy those who need detailed explanations. Quite simply, I have seen nearly all the books available on logo design, and this one of the best I have ever seen.