Branding elements can also create a positive image of the brand and contribute to its identification by consumers. These elements are becoming especially important attributes of the service brand and the B2B ( business-to-business ) sector : shops, eateries, restaurants, airlines, travel companies, hotels, banks, mobile operators, express delivery.

Distinguish between the graphic part of the corporate identity (brand name) and the brand name in a certain style (logo). To fulfill its function as a brand attribute, branding must meet the following basic requirements:

• - promote brand identification;
• - differ from branded elements of competitors;
• - convey content or associations consistent with the brand identity;
• - be expressive, simple, easy to remember;
• - be well recognizable.

In addition, the logo should be laconic and, as experience shows, the best logos consist of two or three elements (Fig. 4.59).

Logo (in Greek "word imprint") - the term appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, denoting small printing forms containing two or more frequently used letters, created to speed up typing. Later, this began to be called addresses, names or trade marks, cast in the form of a printing plate in a single piece.

Figure: 4.59. Some car brands logos [1]

The logo is as important as the slogan and company name. It should be clearly linked to all components of the brand and be associated with the activities of the company, its product or service. There are many examples of an unsuccessful logo: a dog peeps out of the Porsche Baby washing machine , which obviously cannot be washed in a typewriter.

At the moment, the following trends in logo parameters can be distinguished :

• 1) structure - laconicism is gradually being replaced by intensive visualization: the number of elements increases, and the connections between them become more complicated;
• 2) size - trademarks also increase in size;
• 3) space - the plane is replaced by the volumetric-spatial effect of applied graphics;
• 4) texture - there is a transition from one-textured to textured expressiveness both inside the trademark and when using it (for example, placing it in a shimmering environment);
• 5) variability - recently the principle of immutability of a trademark has been replaced by its constant insignificant transformation;
• 6) attitude to the subject - from ignoring the object to which the trademark belonged, we moved on to its adaptation;
• 7) tradition and innovation - the use of traditional forms in a new interpretation;
• 8) the degree of unification - there is a tendency towards a decrease in universality, the individual character of a trademark is increasing;
• 9) perception - modern trademarks require a kind of "slow reading", they are designed more for a long study, their appearance has a meaning "in itself".

Quite often the logo is formed on the basis of stylization according to the given properties. The image of real objects (buildings, animals, plants, any other objects or their parts) is taken as a basis. The main, most expressive quality of the object is highlighted, then the object forms are simplified and stylized. The final version must meet all the requirements for signs: individuality, brevity, compact composition. The ultimate generalization of objective forms gives the image the character of an abstract sign, while the connection with the prototype (real object) is preserved.

When creating a logo, you need to choose the form of a graphic image so as to convey the semantic content and get rid of the initial information redundancy. The reworking of the original object can be so significant that the connection between it and the resulting stylized image will be very conditional, for example, the image of a lizard can be conveyed with curved lines that simulate a brush stroke.

Violation of the requirements of subject recognizability translates the pictorial sign into the class of index signs. At the same time, it is necessary to avoid too detailed semantic content, which will lead to the loss of significance.

When developing pictorial signs, the main attention should be paid to the embodiment of the semantic content and the proportionality of the figurative and logical principles. In other words, the meaning should be seen in the form of a graphical construction. The graphic structure of the logo should correspond as much as possible to its semantic content.

The logo should be built on the following principles:

• • simplicity (the logo should not be overloaded);
• • attractiveness (the logo should draw attention to itself, evoke emotions);
• • readability (the logo should not force consumers to decipher information);
• • memorability (the logo should help the consumer to identify the trade mark);
• • versatility (the logo should use universal design techniques and tools);
• • originality (the logo must be different from others);
• • associativity (the logo should cause the desired associative range);
• • functionality (it is recommended to make a logo in vector format);
• • uniqueness (the logo must have a unique combination of all components);
• • creativity (the logo should have a certain flavor, hidden meaning or message).

In practice, logos are often combined: text and graphic. This technique provides better memorability.

Stages of creating a trademark:

• 1) image search;
• 2) composition of the mark;
• 3) building analogs;
• 4) development of the mark itself;
• 5) creating a black and white version;
• 6) color matching. It should be remembered that in print reproduction the color can be washed out, and at a small scale, colors can merge if you use weakly saturated colors and complex shades.

The following trademarks are distinguished.

A. A pictorial trademark or its individual elements contributes to the emergence of certain associations among consumers when it is found on advertising posters and in other places. They usually represent:

• 1) specific images, for example, animals, birds, people, inanimate objects. When developing a pictorial trademark, the characteristics of the product or service for which the mark will be created are often used. For example, the logo of the Mikhailovsky Broiler company, the largest producer of poultry meat in the Far East region of Russia, is an image of roosters with the name of the company inscribed (Fig. 4.60);
• 2) symbols, for example, a circle is a symbol of the sun, a triangle is a mountain, etc. It is not always possible to express a logo with a specific example. And, therefore, in this case it is necessary to refer to the symbolism, which evokes certain associations. For example, the logo of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea contains one graphic symbol depicting mountains, sun and sea (Fig. 4.61).

The logo of the Udmurt Pension Bank symbolizes the sun, a coin and an eight-pointed solar sign, which is one of the most recognizable national symbols in Udmurtia (Fig. 4.62);

3) abstract images, for example, lines, shapes. Often, trademarks are based on architectural and historical motives. The basis of such signs is formed by conventional images of characteristic buildings, historical

Figure: 4.60. Mikhailovsky Broiler company logo

Figure: 4.61. Republic of Crimea logo

Figure: 4.62. Udmurt Pension Bank logo

nicknames, etc. For example, the logo of the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus represents the historical roots from which a tree-building grows. The roots form an ornamental structure that adds an ethnic touch. The building is also a structure - a characteristic architectural motif of the facade. The rows of windows are as follows - lower rectangular, upper arched (Fig. 4.63);

4) compositions of an ornamental nature. National motives make it possible to expand the possibility of creating original trademarks. The EURO-2012 trademark uses the motifs of vytynanka - traditional patterns for Poland and Ukraine cut from paper. The vytynanka, symbolizing the flora and fauna of the local open spaces, pay tribute to mother nature, express respect for the harvesting land, prosperity and fertility (Fig. 4.64);