Marks of Excellence: The History and Taxonomy of Trademarks

Marks of Excellence (first published in 1997) offers a rigorous exploration of the trademark: its history, development, style, classification and relevance in today's world. The book includes extensive discussion of its origins in heraldry, monograms, owner's marks and certificates of origins, and also contains a comprehensive taxonomy of trademarks and an alphabetical index of trademark themes.

The text covers every aspect of the trademark, its history, development, style, classification and relevance in today's world. A brief history is given of the origins of the trademark in heraldry, monograms, owner's marks and certificates of origin. The proceeding chapters explore corporate identity and communication design with an emphasis on sign theory. The core of the book is a comprehensive classification of trademarks covering name marks, abbreviations and all kinds of picture marks. This is followed by an alphabetical index of trademark themes from animals to word puzzles. The index is illustrated by a selection of the world's best trademarks - the marks of excellence from which this book takes its name. The final section of the book covers the development of trademarks over time and across the boundaries of language and space.

An invaluable reference tool for design students and graphic designers, the original book is packed with nearly 600 illustrations of both rare and instantly recognizable trademarks, logos, signs, advertisements, and the images that inspired them. This revised and expanded edition will include at least 500 new images and 80 pages of new material, bringing this successful title right up to date.

Whilst keeping much in common with the original book, this edition will, in appearance and substance add so much that it will appeal to content owners of the old book. A monumental volume with respect to the sphere of graphic design, this book is just as absorbing for anyone interested in any aspect of visual communication.