Review: Logo Modernism
Hi and welcome to Katt Creative Books & Things!
For my first review and post, I decided to write about a book that has become a must-have for graphic designers and a holy grail for logo aficionados.
Logo Modernism was written by Jens Müller and Julius Wiedemann and was published by Taschen at the tail-end of 2015. The book focuses on the period between 1940 and 1980, examining modernist ideas in graphic design through documentation of close to a whopping, 6000 logos!
An instant classic, the book quickly made its way into the hearts of most major creative studios, taking up premium real estate on their bookshelves.
After all, with its almost-florescent orange cover and standard-defying size of 25.5 x 38cm, the book is far from being a shrinking violet!
In fact, its rather peculiar size is probably the only major issue that I have with it. The size is really awkward and does not fit many standard shelves.
Weighing at approximately 3.5kg, the book is heavy already, and its strange dimensions make it feel cumbersome and therefore, heavier still.
However, all is forgiven upon opening the first pages of the book. The bulk of the interior is predominantly black and white with color used either very sparingly and or in very specific sections within the book.
What makes Logo Modernism truly great is how practical it is as a reference material. The content is split into three key parts: Geometric, Effect and Typographic. Each of these parts is then organized by sections, led by style and form-based themes, such as: dots, squares, alphabet, etc.
Apart from being an invaluable logo resource, the book also features eight case studies, detailing important projects such as the famous branding for the Mexico Olympic Games of 1968.
Featured, are also spotlights on logo designers such as the legendary, Paul Rand and Anton Stankowski, with each profile highlighting their life and work achievements. If that is not enough, the introduction of the book provides an excellent overview of the general history of logo design, as written by author, Jens Müller. To top it all off, there is also an essay on modernism and graphic design written by R. Roger Remington.
What is interesting is that the value of the book, lies in the simplicity of the logos that it features. It is astonishing to see how many identity marks have stood the test of time and are still in use today. Yet, most of the logos included in the book are nothing more than simple geometric forms, constructed out of primitive shapes like the circle, square or the triangle.
Logo Modernism seems to drive home the message that a logo need not be complicated in order to be successful and it does this with great aplomb.
For designers this is a great learning resource chock-full of logos and information on every page. One can study it, use it as inspiration for new ideas and or simply admire it for the handsome coffee table book that it is.
Logo Modernism is a book that is well structured, well researched and the logo selection inside is nicely curated. The layout is easy to navigate and the images are generously sized, but not imposing or distracting.
Overall, Logo Modernism is a rare gem of a book that deserves to be placed front-and-center on any bookshelf. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to any creative. An absolute must for all designers and creatives!
Go get it while it is still available at stores, as I suspect this will be hard to find once it goes out of print.
Book available on Amazon:
