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LOGOS 4: INITIALS
Abbreviating your company name to something snappier became so popular at the end of the 20th Century that brands are running out of unclaimed initials. The brands that own URLs (unique resource locators) for wesbite names aren’t always the ones you’d expect to see there. It’s not fashionable at the moment to give yourself a brand name and logo that are made up of your initials. The trend at the moment is to unfurl your initials back into the original brand name. If you are better known as the abbreviation than the full name, stick with the short version; no-one would expect the BBC to change back to the British Broadcasting Corporation, or BMW back to Bayerische Motoren Werke or even Bavarian Motor Works.
The idea One of the most sought after (and most counterfeited) luxury brands is Louis Vuitton, whose logo is made up of a crossed L and V. The company keeps the full brand name, but uses its initials as its logo. Monsieur Vuitton, manufacturer of luggage for the better off Parisian in the 19th Century, was tired of having his elegant striped design copied, so he added his initials to show that his trunks were the real thing and that others were mere imitations. Little did he know, his LV logo is now the badge of those who can afford to spend a great deal of money on a canvas bag, and are happy for everyone to know it. 198 • 100 GREAT BRANDING IDEAS
100 Great Branding Ideas 14dec.indd 198
12/14/11 11:14 AM
