Target is the second largest retail company in the United States. They opened their first store in 1962 in Minnesota. Every American knows their pure red color logo and sees it everywhere. The reason it holds people’s eyes is this logo is simple, fun and graphic. The fun part of this logo is the two positive space red rings creating one more ring in negative space. Actually, a real target is more than three rings, even a dart target is a more complicated shape. People try to catch that negative space ring. And then, they recognize it as the graphic of Target. People sometimes want to throw or shoot something at it. Target is to an arrow what a company and their logo are to shoppers. And then people wonder that what kind of company logo is that?

The difficulty of logo design is creating simple symbols without obvious images. However, the Target logo created a successful symbol from a unique company name. The red and white color scheme makes the logo look more simple and brilliant. The red color represents purity and the business responsibility of the company. And the Helvetica Neue font matches well with the symbol and looks distinct. Based on their successful full logo design, they created great store exterior and interior designs and other applications of the signature red color of their brand identity. Their marketing designs are beautiful and correspond well with the logo. I think good brand identity can lead to the success of an entire marketing plan. Tell us what you think.

By Anna Kim

A good logo is unforgettable and describable. And powerful trademarks lead to marketing success. I would like to talk about one successful campaign with a great logo design. When I first saw the “I Love New York” logo in a logo design book, it was very memorable and grabbed my attention. Then, last winter when I visited New York for an interview, and I couldn’t bear not buying the PJ pants patterned with the “I Love New York” logos at the airport. This remarkable logo has been used since 1976. The graphic designer Milton Glaser created it for a pro bono project. The campaign was created to promote tourism in New York City when the economy was down during the 1973 Oil Crisis.

Beautiful and casual, the “I Love NY” logo was designed with the font American Type Writer. Actually, the American Type Writer font style is very old-fashioned. But some of the graphical elements and the designer’s trick on this logo made it modern, casual and playful. The heart shape, pop-style typography, vibrant red and impact black colors harmonize and make it remarkable and memorable. Also, the slogan “I Love New York” is very easy to understand, and you could say or hear this sentence in casual talking in your life. This logo treatment and easy slogan describe New Yorkers’ pride in themselves and city lifestyles.

I think picking the right color and making it easy and simple is the most important step for logo designs. So, remember this when you decide on designs from us or other logo designers. And let me know if you think I am right or wrong. What do you think about our logo designs?

By Anna Kim