JMC 150: Communicate with Symbols: Ideograms, Logos, Monograms

Spoken words are the symbols of mental experience, and written words are the symbols of spoken words.

– Aristotle

Quick History Lesson

For thousands of years of human pre-history, communication was only verbal. As societies became more complex, we developed means of written communication. At first crude pictures were used to represent common objects, then concepts and phonetic sounds. These early forms of written communication are known as pictograms or ideograms (Chinese characters, cuneiform and hieroglyphs). Read more about the history of writing.

The first true alphabet -- one which uses abstract symbols to represent sounds which are combined into words -- was developed in the Middle East about 4,000 years ago. Our word alphabet comes from aleph and bet, the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Adobe Suite -- InDesign (for layout) and Illustrator and Photoshop (for pictures and special typography) -- contains tools for communication. The graphic artist communicates ideas with a combination of pictures (illustrations and photos) and words (type) which combine in a layout. Simply put,

Text + Pictures = Layout

Note that not all layouts are a combination of text and pictures, some are simply one or the other. No matter what the layout, a graphic artist must combine design abilities with technical knowledge.

Pictures as a form of communication

Since we use an alphabet does it mean pictures are no longer important in communication? No, indeed. Pictures are still a very effective means of communication. We "read" pictures much as we do words, but we understand on an intuitive level and do not require common language to transmit their meaning. Consider, for instance, these international wayfinding symbols developed by AIGA in 1974 :

An ideogram or ideograph (from Greek ἰδέα idea "idea" + γράφω grafo "to write") is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept. They are also called pictograms or pictographs. They convey meaning through pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Earliest examples of pictographs include ancient or prehistoric drawings or paintings found on rock walls. Pictographs are also used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance. [1][2]

Pictography is a form of writing which uses representational, pictorial drawings. It is a basis of cuneiform and, to some extent, hieroglyphic writing, which uses drawings also as phonetic letters or determinative rhymes. [2]

Here's my monogram, HMH, in Babylonian cuneiform:

A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic (symbols/icons) or are composed of the name of the organization (a logotype or wordmark). An example of an abstract mark is the blue octagon representing Chase Bank, while an example of a representational mark is the "everyman" icon of PBS. Examples of well-known logotypes (wordmarks) are the striped IBM design, Mobil written in blue with a red "o" and CocaCola written in flowing red script. [3]

Three famous logos: an abstract mark (Chase Bank by Chermayeff & Geismar), a logotype (IBM by Paul Rand), and a pictorial mark (Girl Scouts of the USA by Saul Bass).

See more logos here: http://www.famouslogos.org/

A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos.[4]