We live in an age of celebrity fashion and active marketing. Companies are constantly carrying out re-branding and change their logo, often throwing good money after bad. Is there some magic formula for those concerned with branding?
Sacred idea — to achieve stable recognition once and for all. The ultimate goal — to make a strong logo, like Coca-Cola (coined in 1886), McDonald's (1968), or Nike, the famous stroke which was invented in 1971 and has become so recognizable.
Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Oxford, Martin Kemp, in his book «Christ to Coke. How Image Becomes Icon» considered 11 images from the sphere of art, politics, commerce, science, which have the greatest cult status. Is there some magic formula for those concerned with branding? On the example of the most successful fashion stories can learn a lot of different and challenging lessons.
What is the iconic image? The word «cult» is now used far too often. It is used against those who had a temporary fame. Meanwhile, the iconic image of experiencing space, time, and even its original purpose. The images, which says Kemp, is not just famous. They are characterized by the widespread recognition of the amazing, they take on new overtones in different cultures. The most memorable of them have become cult objects.
At the initial stage of the icons were the objects of religious worship. The Greek word Eikon (image, image) included in current use within the meaning of images of Christ and the saints in the Orthodox Christianity. The religious aspect is preserved in later periods.
Che Guevara with a stylized poster portraits of Jim Fitzpatrick over the years been transformed from a communist revolutionary to the holy martyr, who suffered for the ideals of his youth, says Kemp.
The largest companies are usually all ways try to create an authoritative way of speaking about their supreme authority and universal presence. Sometimes it works for this purpose, a symbolic analogy — for example, the regal lion, which, for example, was chosen as the movie company MGM.
Even scientific «icons» such as DNA and E = mc ², become quasi-religious dimension, as a secret language, voiced the Primates of the temple of science. More than the science itself is inaccessible to most of us, the more enhanced the status of «clergy.» Einstein perfectly plays the role of prophet.
Classification images
Kemp clearly identifies several types of iconic images. According to him, eleven of them. «Rules» for each of their own. It is clear that the characteristic design of the bottle Coca-Cola is working on their own, not as well-known photograph photographer Nick Utah, where the girl runs away from napalm in Vietnam. It is noteworthy that the photo can achieve great fame, even if no one knows the name of the author.
At the same time the famous «Mona Lisa» is unlikely to have taken its place among the religious paintings, if not the name of the author. Would Dan Brown's bestseller as popular if he called the «Michelangelo Code»? — Asks Kemp.
How many people know that the model of the famous bottle of Coca-Cola has developed a designer Earl Dean of Root Bottling Company in 1915? Thus, the general rule is possible.
Some images are concrete, like the Mona Lisa and Che Guevara, others — generalized, abstract, such as heart. Abstraction is usually gradually seep into the public consciousness. The shape of a heart came on playing cards and then became a universal symbol of love. And it took a brilliant designer, such as Milton Glaser, worn to a character with a new force has earned in the service of a particular purpose, says Kemp. We all know the iconic New York slogan I ♥ NY. However, the symbolism of the apple — New York referred to as «Big Apple» (Big Apple) — metropolis to a large extent lost to Steve Jobs.
Myths and Legends
Great images are not so much in need of myths and legends, how do they attract like magnets.
The more famous image, the more likely that our general information about him are inaccurate.
The fact that the portrait of Leonardo da Vinci depicted Gerardini Lisa, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, not enough to explain sverhizvestnosti this picture. Need secret or hidden code in order to explain its power over the audience.
While working on the book Kemp had heard that Santa Claus (Santa Claus) goes to the red and white fur coat, because as he was featured in advertising Coca-Cola artist Haddon Sundblom. But this is not true!
Sometimes legends acquire the status of some kind of truth. The tradition that the first American Stars and Stripes U.S. had made a modest seamstress Betsy Ross, so clearly embodies the idea of simplicity and democracy, which became the most important «fact» is an American legend.
Often, the important role played by the case, lucky accidents.
Speaking of pictures, here, as you know, a lot depends on the ability of the photographer being in the right place at the right time. To stand out from the billions of human resources and receive eternal glory, shot — often regardless of the opinions of the author and effort — to find your way to fame.
The same Nick Ut did not show a snapshot of the famous Vietnamese as his masterpiece, says Kemp. Associated Press photojournalist Horst Faasu had to convince the editors that, in this case, you should break the rule prohibiting post photos of naked children.
The original contour bottle ribbed Coca-Cola is an error. Three employees were sent to the library to find out how to look like fruit or cola cola leaves. The Encyclopedia Britannica, they did not find any illustrations of one or the other, instead they came across a fruit tree chocolate. So in the famous bottle was supposed to be a chocolate drink!
What forms the iconic image? There is no specific set of factors that are invariably common to all iconic images. Nevertheless, there are some trends that appear in some variations, says Kemp.
Some of them, he brings a substantive aspect.
Ease of ideas, on the one hand, clear and convincing, but at the same time allowing the many and varied associations, the ability to operate with generalized and specific values, the relationship with human values, emphasis on religion or religious component, the formation of collective identity.
You can also select specific, but not permanent visual features: a sense of some entity outside the scope of the material component, the symmetry or asymmetry of the well-balanced, evocative simplicity of the image, clarity and sharpness, and color palette of tones, even at the level of awareness of fragments, the frequency of elements, as in wallpaper prints.