While doing some information gathering about the Citi logo by Paula Scher, I stumbled onto this video that cleverly and rapidly illustrates the history of Pentagram. A familiar voice tells the tale about the company, none other than Paula Scher, partner at Pentagram. Others partners appear here and there too. A total of 16 partners run the Pentagram office with specialties in graphic design, architecture, interactive design, interior design, packaging. But they don’t have to illustrate that to clients, there is no tagline or list of services other than the reputation of Pentagram. The video also provides a look into the Pentagram office, where everyone essentially works in the same space. No corners offices, but open collaboration.

Pentagram 07 by Hillman Curtis

The Visiting Artist Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology was started in 2001 by Rocco Piscatello. An adjunct assistant professor since 1994 at the FIT and principal of Piscatello Design Centre. The goal of the Visiting Artist Program is to provide students with access to distinguished guests such as; Paula Scher, Milton Glaser, Ivan Chermayeff and many more. The event takes place once per semester and admission to the New York event is open to the public. Next designer to speak at the FIT’s visiting artist program will be Stefan Sagmeister May 12, 2010.

Piscatello Design Centre’s work is primarily typographic, enriching communications by simplifying them and distilling them to what is essential, meaningful, and most effective (simplification and meaningful design is something I strongly believe in too). The identity design for the FIT program was beautifully created and consistently incorporated among the website, posters and collateral.

Visit the FIT Visiting Artist Program website to see some more design samples and to find out more about the upcoming event.

Stefan Kanchev's logo designs work beautifully in black

Stefan Kanchev is considered one of the best identity and trademark designers of all time, up on the list with Paul Rand and Saul Bass. Born 1915 in Kalofer, Bulgaria, most of his work was designed for clients in Europe, designs unlike any I have seen that have been lost over time. Not having the opportunity to design for major worldwide corporations, Kanchev’s work stands out amongst all others with his ability to take normal objects and design them to their very most simplest form while communicating a strong message. All of his logo designs have or had the ability to become iconic marks based on their simplicity and have helped shape what identity and logo design is today. His influence on design has reached many identity designers and will continue for generations to come.

Metal Products Etropole

DDD — Pernik (Chemical products)

Balkancar (Production of forklifts)

Factory for Construction Materials

Plant “Elektroinika”

Slavyanka (Port with fishing center)

Stefan Kanchev’s work includes over 1,000 logo designs

You can find many more identity and trade marks just like these by Stefan Kanchev at the Stefan Kanchev Project site. An ongoing project that has been in the works for over 2 years by Andrian Dimitrov, Yana Simeonova, Vladimir Georgiev, Julia Zidarova, and many more contributors.

Eye Bee M by Paul Rand

9 years after completing the IBM logo re-design in 1972, Paul Rand designed this poster for IBM in 1981. The poster illustrates the letters of the IBM logo as an eye, bee and M. A design that has resonated strongly within the design community for a long time now. The simplicity and execution of Paul Rand’s designs have earned him a spot as one of the greatest designers of all time and like all works of his, they are held up on a pedestal by most designers, including myself.

His work has been admired to the point of duplication, but can designing like one of the greatest be a tribute or a ripoff?

The logo in question is Lenscrafters eye heart LC. The only source for the logo I can point out is Cutwater, a design agency out of San Francisco. First created the “What do you love” campaign, now their portfolio showcases multiple print ads depicting the eye heart LC logo on the faces of people.

Logo design for Lenscrafters current advertising campaign.

Eye heart LC takes the design layout of 3 separate elements from the Eye bee M logo and it’s concept of “I love __” from the I Heart NY logo, one of the most iconic logomarks of all time by Milton Glaser.

I love NY logo by Milton Glaser in 1977.

The most copied design aspect is obviously the eye. I have placed both eyes side by side with identical widths to determine how much of the eye has actually been copied.

A comparison of the IBM eye to Lenscrafters eye love LC.

To my surprise, the eye is a mirrored image of the IBM eye. The only difference is a 1/16″ bigger pupil on the Lenscrafters eye. When comparing the eyebrow to the eyelashes, the height is also identical. This leads me to believe that this is no tribute or even a simplified version of an eye, but a ripoff of Rand’s work. The poster was designed almost 3 decades ago, most people wont remember it and I’m sure that’s what the designers of the eye heart LC campaign thought.

Red Bull Racing Edition sized can.

Red Bull elevates the energy drink bar by introducing their over the top 19.2 oz Racing Edition can in celebration of their first Nascar win. Holding 10% of the energy drink market, Red Bull plans on increasing the margin through dedicated Nascar followers.  Estimated at 75 million, Nascar fans are 3 times more likely to purchase Nascar related merchandise than non-fans. Loyal followers are willing to purchase anything Nascar. For example In 2004 when Dale Earnhart Jr. graced a handful of collectible KFC buckets  (yes collectible).

In light of Red Bull’s new 19.2 oz sized energy drink can, I’ve decided to search for all the relevant energy drink logos I could find. Below is a list of the most relevant and popular energy drink logos.

1. Red Bull logo

2. Gatorade logo

3. Monster logo

4. Shark logo

5. Throwdown logo

6. Full Throttle logo

7. Nos logo

8. Amp logo

9. Mother logo

10. Powerade logo

11. K1X logo

12. Rockstar logo

13. Roaring Lion logo

14. Danube energy drink conceptual logo

15. Burn logo

IBM logo design by Paul Rand.

IBM‘s present day logo was designed by Paul Rand in 1972. Wrapping up one of the most iconic identity designs of all time time (by association?). But the beginnings of the lettermark were quite different. First designed in 1956 by Paul Rand, the IBM logo used a retooled version of the City Medium fontface, a 1930 design by Georg Tromp.

16 years later, 1972 and Rand is given the opportunity to redesign the IBM logo again (1967). Normally, when Paul Rand redesigned a logo, he liked to keep some part of the old logo. Maintaining some of it’s essence, but the 1972 redesign uses the same font (on a lettermark logo). Which made me think, The IBM redesign is not a redesign at all, but the final version of Rand’s initial logo design of 1956. A work in progress that lasted 16 years and finally reached it’s final version in 1972. Rand was not satisfied with the first result, saying in an interview that he ” just didn’t like it, there was something wrong with it,” which led him to create the iconic mark we see today.

Original IBM logo design by Paul Rand in 1956.

This makes me wonder, did Paul Rand contemplate over the IBM logo for that long? Or did he think about minor changes he could make from time-to-time?