Maxwell House Coffee Logo - Design and History
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Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. It is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennesee. The coffee was provided to the hotel beginning in 1892 by local manufacturers, Leon T. Cheek and Joel Owsley Cheek, who developed the blend. In 1901 Cheek and a partner, John Neal, established the Nashville Coffee and Manufacturing Company. The name was changed to Cheek & Neal (later Cheek-Neal) Coffee Company in 1903. |
For several years, the ads made no mention of Theodore Roosevelt as the phrase's originator. By the 1930s, however, the ads began to mention the former President's name. In modern times, Maxwell House has distanced itself from its own original claim stating that the slogan was actually written by Clifford Spiller, former president of General Foods Corporation and did not come from a Roosevelt remark overheard by Cheek-Neal. The phrase remains a registered trademark for the product and appears on its logo.
Pontiac Logo - Design and History
Pontiac is a brand of automobiles first produced in 1926, and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico by General Motors (GM), marketed as an "athletic" brand specializing in mainstream performance vehicles.
The Pontiac brand was introduced by General Motors in 1926 as the 'companion' marque to GM's Oakland Motor Car line. The Pontiac name was first used in 1906 by the Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works. The name was taken from Chief Pontiac, an American Indian chief who led an unsuccessful uprising against the British shortly after the French and Indian War. The Oakland Motor Company and Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works Company merged in November 1908 under the name of the Oakland Motor Car Company. The operations of both companies were joined together in Pontiac, Michigan (of Oakland County) to build the Cartercar. General Motors in 1909 purchased Oakland.
The original logo was that of an American Indian headdress, which was used as a logo until 1956. The American Indian headdress is obviously connected to Chief Pontiac referenced earlier. This was updated to the currently used American Indian red arrowhead design for 1957. The arrowhead logo is also known as the Dart. The logo has a distinctive Red and a silver star in the middle. I am not sure what the significance of the star is but a lot of the Native American art contains elements of nature such as the sun, moon and stars.
On April 27, 2009, amid ongoing financial problems and restructuring efforts, GM announced that it would phase out the Pontiac brand by the end of 2010 and focus on four core brands in the U.S.: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC.
Firedog Logo
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Firedog was the brand name through which Circuit City stores offer in-home, in-store & online services for computer repair, installation and support, and home theater product installation. With the demise of Circuit City in early 2009, the Firedog logo was put to rest. The firedog logo is a green, black, and white logo of a dog jumping through a hoop. The logo was designed to evoke the idea of Circuit City "doing whatever it takes to get the job right". The name "Firedog" was chosen because it evokes the kind of qualities Circuit City intends their technicians and installers to provide: helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and reliable. The dog is "Man's Best Friend" and Circuit City hopes that its consumers will think that the firedog's technician are the consumers' "Best Friend". |
Along with the logo, the following slogans will probably meet an end unless they figure out a way to revive the brand.
- Have no fear, Firedog is here." (September 2006 - Present)
- "Teaching old technology new tricks." (September 2006 - Present)
- "It takes a special breed to be a Firedog." (Hiring Slogan, September 2006 - Present)
- "We make technology's tail wag." (September 2006 - Present)
- "Make your computer obey." (September 2006 - Present)
- "Unleash your technology." (September 2006 - Present)
- "Your surround sound hound." (October 2006 - Present)
- "Discover a new breed of technology service" (October 2006 - Present)
- "Helps you turn life on" (October 2006 - Present)
- "Because your home theater doesn't come house broken" (January 2007 - Present)
- "Call and we'll come running." ( - Present)
Circuit City Logo
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| Circuit City Stores, Inc. was an American dealer and retailer in brand-name consumer electronics, personal computers, and entertainment software. In 1949, Samuel S. Wurtzel opened the first Wards Company retail store in Richmond, Virginia, at 705 West Broad Street. By 1959, Wards Company operated four television and home appliance stores in Richmond. The company continued to grow and acquired stores in other locations including Albany, New York; Mobile, Alabama; Washington, DC; and Costa Mesa, California. During the 1970s and early 1980s it also sold mail-order under the name Dixie Hifi, advertising in the hifi magazines of the day. In Richmond, Wards experimented with several retail formats including smaller mall outlets branded "Sight-n-Sound," "Circuit City," and lastly "Ward's Loading Dock," its first big-box format. The large-format store clicked with consumers, as did the Circuit City name. They were combined into the retail format of the "Circuit City Superstore," which then went national.Wards Company officially changed its name to Circuit City and became listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1984. One of the company's early slogans was "Circuit City €” Where the Streets are Paved with Bargains." |
On November 3, 2008, Circuit City announced that it would close 155
stores and lay off 17% of its workforce by the end of the year as a
result of continuing difficulties in remaining profitable.On January
10, 2009, it was announced by a company spokesman that Circuit City
needed a buyer by January 16, 2009 to keep from shutting its doors due
to an approaching deadline set by the court and creditors. Two unnamed
parties had expressed interest in purchasing the company. However, no
bidders could be found, and Circuit City was forced to liquidate its
assets and begin going-out-of-business sales. According to Circuit
City's website, the company announced on January 16, 2009 that it
intended to close all of its stores. Reportedly, over 30,000 employees
lost jobs in the liquidation.
Maybe the logo will resurface in some fashion.
Panera Bread Logo - Design and History
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Panera Bread (called St. Louis Bread Company in the St. Louis area) is a chain of bakery-café restaurants in the United States and Canada which sells breads, sandwiches, soups, bakery items, and organic foods; some locations offer dinner pizzas. Panera is considered a "fast casual" restaurant. The Panera Bread logo is an illustration of a woman with flowing hair holding a loaf of bread in her arm. This also goes with the company slogan of "A loaf of bread in every arm". The lady holding the bread is also known as "Mother Bread". The logo and the entire branding for the new company was developed by Heckler Associates and they host a very interesting case study of how they rebranded "the St. Loius Bread Company" to "Panera Bread". See their website for details. Interestingly, the process of making sourdough bread requires a small piece of the dough used to make the previous batch of bread dough. This starter piece is often called the "mother." Whenever Panera opens stores in a new region, a piece of the original starter that was created in the 1980s is lovingly carried to the new bakery to ensure that original Panera quality and character will rise again and again. |
Skoda Logo - Design and History
Skoda Auto is an automobile manufacturer in the Czech Republic. In 1991, it became a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. The origins of Skoda go back to the early 1890s where, like many long-established car manufacturers, the company started out with the manufacture of bicycles.
It was 1894, and 26-year old Václav Klement, who was a bookseller by trade in Mladá Boleslav, in today's Czech Republic, which was then part of Austria-Hungary, was unable to obtain the right spare parts to repair his German bicycle. Klement returned his bicycle to the manufacturers, Seidel and Naumann, with a letter, in Czech, asking for them to carry out repairs, only to receive a reply, in German, stating: "If you would like an answer to your inquiry, you should try writing in a language we can understand".
A disgusted Klement, despite not having any previous technical experience, then decided to start his own bicycle repair shop, which he and Václav Laurin opened in 1895 in Mladá Boleslav. Before going into business partnership with Klement, Laurin was an already established bicycle manufacturer from the nearby town of Turnov.
Pro Bowl Logos Article Count: 2
Cricket Logos Article Count: 3
Cricket is a popular sport in the Commonwealth countries and fans in countries like India are very passionate about the sport. This section of the website will attempt to document and describe the design and origins of cricket logos. If you have any additional information about cricket logos, please send me the information.
Internet Company Logos Article Count: 5
The end of the last century resulted in a lot of Internet companies (also called dot-com companies) coming up in the limelight and today are very serious business. Companies such as Amazon.com, Buy.com and EBay come to mind. This section highlights the discusses the origins of these logos. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Open Source Logos Article Count: 2
The Open Source movement has really moved along in the last decade and a lot of products, software etc are now part of our everyday life. I think there is hardly a day when I don't find myself Wikipedia. This section discusses the origin of logos of some of the Open Source tools and technologies. If you have a recommendation for a logo, please send me a note.
MLB Logos Article Count: 3
This category of the website contains the design and history of Major League Baseball (MLB) logos. MLB is the biggest baseball league in the United States. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Sports Logos Article Count: 7
This category of the site discusses the design and origins of some of the famous logos. Some of the logos are discussed in specialized categories on this site. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Political Logos Article Count: 1
Political Parties have very interesting logos and backgrounds behind them. This category of the History of Logos section discusses the history, design and origins of political logos. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Medical Logos Article Count: 2
Olympics Logos Article Count: 5
The Olympics are considered to be the greatest sports show on earth held once every 4 years. This section of the website uncovers the design and history of some of Olympic logos.
Organization Logos Article Count: 1
Basketball Logos Article Count: 2
Coffee Logos Article Count: 3
Museum Logos Article Count: 1
Corporate Logos Article Count: 1
This category contains information about the design and history of large corporations around the globe. Most of the large corporations will typically be Fortune 500 companies and whose logos did not fit into any one of the other categories defined on this site.
Consumer Brand Logos Article Count: 2
The Logo Graveyard Article Count: 2
Companies, brand and logos are born everyday but every so often, very famous logos and brands die for various reasons. In 2008 and 2009, with the global economic turmoil, many long standing companies met their end and with them died their logos. Many times, companies change their logos to re-brand their product. This category lists some of the popular logos that met their end.
Retail Logos Article Count: 3
Movie Studio Logos Article Count: 1
Technology Logos Article Count: 10
Technology is at the heart of everything we do. In today's environment, some of the emerging technologies have their own logo which typically has a deeper history and meaning behind it. This section of the website tries to discover the meaning behind these logos. If you have any information about the history of some airline logos, please contact me.
NFL Logos Article Count: 21
NFL is arguably the most popular sport in the United States. Each team has a rich history behind its logo especially some of the old teams. This section of the site tries to document the origins of the logos such as the Chicago Bears Logo, the Pittsburgh Steelers Logo and the SuperBowl Logos etc. I hope you find this category of the site useful. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Logo Parodies Article Count: 79
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Companies come up with great logos, but there is always someone out there who can make fun of it. While I love figuring out the history of these logos, I also love the logo parodies. This section of the website looks at some parodies of famous company logos. A lot of creative people have come up with parodies of some of the famous companies and this category of the site is a collection of those parody logos. I don't claim ownership of creating these logos. I just collected these from the Net and hopefully you will find this collection useful. Please let me know if you have any more such parodies and I will add them to the collection. If you think that this is your copyright, I will gladly remove it from my site or provide a reference. Enjoy! |
Worlds Best Brands and Logos Article Count: 26
What makes a brand great? There is no easy answer for it. However, companies around the world spend millions and millions of dollars every year trying to get to the top or retain their position in the branding race. Although, I do not work in advertising and marketing, I have been very fascinated by the design of corporate logos and while some are just plain and boring, some have a very long history behind the logo. This section of the website attempts to document the history of some of the world's most recognized brands. You can select from one of the categories below.
According a 2007 Business Week survey, the top 10 brands are listed below
1. Coca-Cola
2. Microsoft
3. IBM
4. General Electric (GE)
5. Nokia
6. Toyota
7. Intel
8. McDonalds
9. Disney
10. Mercedes-Benz
Please visit the main History of Logos page to see the history of over 150 logos.
Miscellaneous Logos - Design and History Article Count: 9
The logos listed here are ones that I have been unable to categorize but found them to be interesting nonetheless. Eventually these logos will get a category. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
NBA Logos - Design and History Article Count: 33
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I am big sports fan. Its not like I remember every sports stat or remember every game, but I do like to watch sports on the TV and the NBA is one of my favourite league to watch. This section of the website contains the design and history of the NBA teams such as the Lakers, Spurs, Pistons and all the NBA teams. The fabled Jerry West, otherwise known as "Mr.Clutch," is the player in profile on the official NBA logo. As his biography on NBA.com points out, "West is widely regarded as one of the greatest guards in the history of the game. Not especially gifted by height or athleticism, he was a notoriously driven player who broke his nose nine times and often had to be carried off the court. " I hope you find this section of the site entertaining. If you have some information about NBA logos you would like to share, please send the information. Some of the information and logos were used from Chris Cramer's Sport Logo page. |
Beer Logos Article Count: 1
Bere is argaubly one of teh msot poupular alocoholic bevreages on the palnet. All aruond teh wolrd, teh bgi and smlal bere manuafcturers aer competing to build the brands in the market place. This section of the website aims to describe the history and meaning behind some of the most popular beer logos in the world. I may not have the history and meaning behind all the logos, but I will be attempting to researching and adding that information in on a regular basis.
Restaurant Logos Article Count: 7
People love to eat out these days. Have you ever looked at a restaurant logo and wondered about that logos origins. If you have not, maybe its time you did. This category contains the design and history of restaurant logos. If you would like me to include a logo, please send me a note.
Bank Logos Article Count: 1
Cable and TV Logos Article Count: 1
Clothing Logos Article Count: 2
Clothing brands are a status symbol today. Most clothing companies such as Gap, Calvin Klein etc make the most of putting their logos on any clothing item that they make. Think of all the free advertising you are doing for them. This section describes the origins of some of the popular clothing logos. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Rock Band Logos Article Count: 1
India Logos Article Count: 10
Football Logos Article Count: 8
Football is by far the most popular sport in the world, except in the United States where they refer to football as Soccer. People around the world are passionate not only about their own countries, they are at times more passionate about their local clubs. Some football clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and their players are household names around the world. This category of the website lists the logos of some of the popular Football logos from various leagues around the world including the American version of Football, the NFL. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Major League Soccer - MLS
National Football League - NFL
Non Profit Organization Logos Article Count: 4
A lot of the non-profit organizations have some very interesting logos. This category of the website will examine the history, orgins and design of some of the famous non-profit organizations such as Green Peace, Austism Speaks etc. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Information Technology (IT) Logos - Design and History Article Count: 5
I work as a Software Engineer and so obviously IT logos are part of my everyday job. The history behind some of the logos is very rich and interesting like the IBM logo which has gone through changes over the years before settling down on the current logo. The design of the Sun Microsystems logo is something I find very simple, yet brilliant. This section of the websites covers the design and history of some of the most recognized logos in the IT industry. I hope you find this section useful.
Travel Logos Article Count: 42
Hotel Logos Article Count: 2
This section contains details of the design and history of some of the popular hotel logos. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Airport Logos Article Count: 1
More and more airports around the world are rebranding and positioning themselves as businesses or corporations. This section contains details of the design and history of some of the popular airport logos. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.
Online Travel Agency Logos Article Count: 1
Car Rental Company Logos Article Count: 1
Car Logos - Design and History Article Count: 28
Most people are fascinated by fast moving cars and want to own these cars. This section of the website covers the design and history of some of the most famous car logos such as the Ferrari Logo, the Lamborghini logo and the common logos such as the Toyota Logo and the Ford logo. I hope you find this section of the website informative. If you have a recommendation for a logo, please send me a note.Â
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Airline Logos Article Count: 8
There are over 1500 airlines in the world today and while its hard to list the history of each airlines, I will attempt to uncover the history and meaning of some of the most well known airlines in the world in this section of the history of logos. I do not wish to make this section into a laundry list of logos with no information. I hope to have articles here that have some real content. If you have any information about the history of some airline logos, please contact me.
Monument Logos Article Count: 1
A lot of monuments and other tourist attractions have become mini corporations and have their own logos. This category on my site aims to discuss the design of these logos. If you have any information about the history of some these logos, please contact me.