#124 Design Symbols

A successful brand identity is made up of a series of interlinked elements that all aim to communicate the values of the brand. Alongside the brand icon or logo, the most memorable is perhaps the strapline – also known as a tagline or slogan. (The word ‘slogan’ comes from the Gaelic sluagh-ghairm, the war cry of Scottish clans.) Made up of a few wo

The most effective symbols emerge from an organization’s or group’s shared experience, such as when employees create a T-shirt to wear in solidarity with those who are working long hours to get a product out. Torchbearers should keep a close eye out for artifacts that could become symbols and use them to amplify ideas in speeches, stories, and cere

Symbols help us make tangible that which is intangible. And the only reason symbols have meaning is because we infuse them with meaning. That meaning lives in our minds, not in the item itself. Only when the purpose, cause or belief is clear can a symbol

I think the only requirement of a symbol is that it have substance underneath: The first thing to do is to try to establish the substance. The style comes after the substance. Only then can the style help the substance, and vice versa. It’s a mutually reinforcing program.