First used in 1937, probably as an abbreviation of the word logogram (1840), "sign or character representing a word." From the Greek words logos, "word," and gram, "what is written."
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I've always been fascinated with the way good logos can make an impression on everyone, everywhere. It's hard to find someone in this day and age that doesn't recognize the cursive font of Coca-Cola, the checkmark of Nike, or Apple's fitting apple. They might not know who the company is or what they do, but they've probably seen it around.
To a company that just wants to get their name and product out there, being recognized is important; people are more likely to pick a brand that they feel familiar with.
However, what's more interesting is the evolution logos undergo as times change. Other than companies going for the "outdated look," logos undergo periodic, occasionally drastic, makeovers. To appeal to a growing, modern, and increasingly technological audience where less is more, identities are moving from text-heavy, complex symbols to the abstract and simple.
A good example would be Pepsi's orb of red, white, and blue:
But these changes aren't always beneficial.
Compared to its Coca-Cola-esque original design in 1898, the current logo is abstract -- nothing more than a segmented ball that screams, "America!" It looks clean, an attractive plus in the world of logos, yet the design itself is too dependent on the fact that the Pepsi-Cola company has an enormous consumer base. It doesn't contain any text to hint at the company name, nor an image that even remotely depicts its product for what it is: soda. Unlike the bottle-cap graphic of the 50s and 60s from which it evolved, the colorful circle says nothing about Pepsi or what it's for.
In fact, it looks a bit like the logo for President Obama's 2008 campaign:
"America!"
And this is a bit of a problem. To expand its popularity across growing nations that may not have been exposed to products that are commonplace in the US or other more developed countries, Pepsi will have to fill in the gaps that its competitors don't have to worry about.
So far, Pepsi is the only soda on the market to completely remove name from logo. What's left, then, to distinguish it from what seems to be nothing more than a strongly American company? Sure, people may have heard of Pepsi, but it doesn't help them ignore the blatant "Made in USA" when they don't know the Pepsi look.
In any case, the Pepsi icon does have its merits. It's not clunky. It's easily reproduced, and easily drawn. It's easily recognizable in shape, despite the inability to show its purpose. It also looks good, with smooth contours and use of negative space when placed on a white background.
I'm not saying that Pepsi is bound to fall to its doom just because of a revamped logo -- just that it could have done better. But any impending decline has plenty of time to come. For now, Pepsi-Cola has all the time it needs to come up with another, better master plan to take over the market world.
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Pepsi-Cola logo history found here. All other images found using Google Image Search.
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