The use of logos as trademarks goes back to early 13th century. Goldsmiths’ marks, paper makers’ watermarks were among the first logos used in this way as trademarks. Today, trademarks provide an easy method for recognizing a particular product. Even though the word ‘logo’ comes from ancient Greek and it translates to ‘word’ or ‘speech’, other cultures – the Babylonian, Assyrian, Mayan, Chinese, Egyptian – also used pictographs to communicate words and ideas. Pictographs could be considered as early logos.
It has also been referred to as a trademark, but logo as a word seems to have entered the common parlance. While a trademark is often confused with just the name, unless it is a unique name it cannot be patented. A logo can be a piece of type, a symbol, a picture or a combination of any or all of these. A logo can usually be trademark protected.
A mascot may or may not be a part of the logo of a brand. For example Air India’s logo is ‘Air India’ in red lettering, with a slight slant. The mascot – Maharaja – is not always present with the logo. The same is true of the Amul girl. Ronald McDonald, Goody the tiger of Nerolac Paints etc. Many well known logos are combination of words and pictures.
Some logos are so powerful they become universally known as symbols of a complete profession. Any doctor’s office will turn up a host of papers and other medical items imprinted with the symbol of a snake entwined around a staff – the caduceus. The medical community uses this logo to identify itself and every layman recognizes it.
In the secular world, however, logos have grown so ubiquitously, that children in the new generation can identify popular logos even before they have learned to talk. What little child doesn’t immediately recognize the Golden Arches of McDonald’s?
Families and countries have used logos and symbols for centuries, to visually represent their names. Emperor Ashoka created a symbol, placed it a top of pillar and till date we recognize it for the glory of his empire.
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