LOGO Design, Vol. 2 Book Review

Jun 11, 2009 / Erik Peterson

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The latest logo design book from TASCHEN, entitled LOGO Design, Vol. 2, just arrived at my office on Tuesday. It is a follow-up to the popular first volume entitled LOGO Design, Vol. 1. The book contains around 2000 logos and 13 case studies, in 3 languages (English, French and German), on brand identity for companies like Burton, Wrangler and MTV. The featured design firms include Stefan Sagmeister, MetaDesign, Saffron Brand Consultants, BlackbeltMonkey and others. In the foreword Uli Mayer-Johanssen, of MetaDesign, talks about Brands and Identity.

“Brands that communicate an idea, a purpose, and a clear promise together with technical and rational aspects almost always have something in common with the values and attitudes people have” - Uli Mayer-Johanssen

LOGO Design, Vol. 2

Publisher: TASCHEN America LLC (May 1, 2009)
Editor: Julius Wiedemann
Size: 6.6 x 8.9 x 1.25 in.
Page Count: 384 pages
Cover: Softcover + elastic band

I like the size of the book (kinda like a handbook) and it feels good in my hands when browsing through it. The cover is really hefty for a softcover and the pages are thick as well. There is a neat little elastic band (similar to what you would find on a Moleskine) that holds the book closed. LOGO Design, Vol. 2 is well put together and organized in a logical way, though a bit more whitespace surrounding the individual logos would have been nice. The publisher didn’t cut corners in the production of this book, its materials are top-notch.

Case Studies

There are 13 case studies in the book from various design firms, both in-house and outside agencies. While it is nice to read about the thoughts of the designers in regards to the design process, the meaning of elements and so on, I wish there was more shown from the earlier stages of the projects. I often find seeing sketches and notes from those early stages to be insightful and motivating. Nonetheless, the case studies are still thoughtful and worthwhile. I found the interview with Stefan Sagmeister on the custom logo generator for Casa Da Música to be rather interesting.
Here are a couple of photos from the Burton Outwear case study section with Dave Kinsey of Blk/Mrkt.

Logo Collection

The logo section is categorized into 9 different categories with around 2000 logos. The categories are:

• Creative Industry
• Events & Entertainment
• Fashion & Apparel
• Institutions, Government & Regional
• Media
• Music
• Retailers & Food Outlets
• Service & Business
• Miscellaneous

In this section you’ll see logos from many firms you know as well as many you don’t (Pentagram, Stereo, ImagenAB, Landor & Associates, Logoholik, FutureFarmers, Push, Hula+Hula and many more). The work is a truly an international look at logos and identity. Here are few photos from the various categories.











If you’re a designer that works on logos occasionally or quite regularly, this book would be a nice addition to your library. The book sells for about $27 and you can purchase the LOGO Design, Vol. 2 at Amazon.Related Article