History of Logos in Marketing

People perceive a brand’s name and logo differently; even if most of their thoughts are entirely subconscious, marketers know that they are what the brand intended to evoke through their carefully crafted message. That is why whether it’s playfulness, power, or trust, a wide range of emotions can be triggered with the right combinations of texts and colors. That is why companies invest a lot of money to create effective marketing campaigns expertly, and one of the fastest ways to convey a message to their consumers is by making a dynamic logo. 

What is a Logo?

For starters, a logo is a graphic symbol that is used by a brand or company so that its audience can recognize them. It is a visual representation of a company or a brand’s identity and is used to convey a message to the public instantly. A logo is one of the things that helps a company propel into success, but at the same time, it can also cause them to crash and burn by the side of the road. That is why today, more and more companies realize the importance of having a successful and effective logo when it comes to planning their marketing strategy. But when did the logo became so important in marketing?

The History of Logo in Marketing

Since the earliest days of society, people have used several symbols to decipher a social rank or identification. This can be traced back to Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. Back then, their coins were monogrammed by rulers, and Egyptians used ancient hieroglyphics to tell stories, record their history, and share their greatness with the world.

But, the modern logo that we know today can be traced back to the days of the Renaissance during the 13th century. This is when goldsmiths, potters, and stonemasons first began to press and chisel logos on their works so people will know and credit who did it. 

As society grew, shifted, and became more industrial throughout the years, the use of lithography printers spread, and the next thing they knew, there were 700 of it in the United States alone. Artists and craftsman all took their chances and branded the things that they did. But, on the other hand, people started to trust and associate these things with the artists or craftsmen that made them. 

Since then, innovation and style when it comes to logos continued to grow, and the infamous Victorian flair for fashion helped start a massive expansion of expressive typography, which is then used to represent different brands and companies.

What was the First Logo?

There was an increase in mass production during the Victorian era; that is why there was also a surge in interest in craftsmanship as companies and brands started to make their exclusive logos. The first logo was created and trademarked in 1876, and it was for the company named Bass Brewery. The stamp had a red triangle in the middle with the word “bass” beneath that was written in cursive text. 

Since then, the trend of trademarking logos has continued through the invention of the television. This was when mass communication started encouraging companies to adopt more visual means of communicating with their consumers. This eventually became the logos that we can see in branding and marketing today. 

Designing a logo to convey messages faster has indeed been around for centuries. Still, today, the internet and other technological advances have made it more prevalent and assertive to use a logo. This created some kind of competition where a brand needs to make a unique and compelling identity among a growing sea of other brands.