Taxonomy analysing

It has been established already that the martial arts’ logos sampled in this research are divided between symbols and icons. The previous chapter proved that in the design of IMA logos, symbols constitute the majority of graphic images; in EMA they are used in equal amount to the use of icons, whereas in the designers’ logos, the use of icons is noticeably more prominent.

In taxonomy classifications, icons that are pictures are classified as Figurative marks, which in turn are divided to Descriptive and Metaphoric marks. Icons that are name marks are divided to Descriptive and Metaphoric name.

Symbols that are pictures that are not related to the object are classified as Found marks, whereas abstract Symbols are classified as Non-figurative mark. Symbols that are name marks are divided to Found names, Proper names and Artificial names. Letter marks can also be classified as Abbreviations, Initial abbreviations, Acronyms, Non-acronyms initial abbreviations and Non-Initial abbreviations.

According to Per Mollerup (2008), the taxonomy codifies logo characteristics rather than logos; one logo can populate several classes (P. Mollerup, personal communication, August 25, 2008).

Below are the groups according to the appropriate taxonomy classes. As mentioned before, some logos combine more than one element; therefore this section examines elements rather than logos:

Descriptive mark and name: The largest of the classified groups. The images in this group plainly stand for what they are.

According to Mollerup, a name that explains the nature of the object it represents should be classified as Descriptive name (Mollerup, 1997, p. 113).

The researcher regards all martial arts names, regardless of the style’s popularity, as such. This group includes the iconic graphic images of human figures in posture or on motion, human hands; objects connected to the style such as weapons, uniform, helmets, and musical instruments; landscape features and nature phenomenon; and names of the martial arts.

Non-figurative mark: The second largest classified group. The images relationship to their objects is arbitrary.

This group includes symbols such as yin-yang, bagua and five-petals plum flower portrayed in a traditional way, as well as original depictions of comparable ideas. Other symbols included in the group are brush strokes, geometric shapes and Chinese characters.

Metaphoric mark and name: This group includes images and names that

“relate to their object through a shared quality” (Mollerup, 1997, p. 106). The essence of animals is a much sought after quality in martial arts in general and in logos in particular. The logo designers choose the animal for its characteristics: the tiger’s “speed, elegance of motion, dynamics and aggressiveness” (Luka Mancini), the lioness “strength and agility” (Mona MacDonald), the snake for being ”a universal symbol of suppleness and life force” (Ken Cohen) etc. A few martial arts that are named after animals for the exact same reasons, such as crane and prying mantis, naturally employ their own images as logos.

Some metaphoric marks are related to historical objects or myth; other depicts plants. Metaphorical names are either animal names or poetic names given to schools, connecting it to a philosophic quality.

Found mark and name: Found marks are arbitrary symbols chosen to represent an object. Originally, the symbol might have been chosen for a reason that was later lost or not clear to the observer.

Looking at what she classified as Found marks, the researcher found interesting phenomena; some of the symbols discussed in this section were originally created to represent other identities, such as local countries and regions, religious items or scientific concepts. And as such were already Found marks. Later, the logo designers adapted them in order to connect the logo to the location or the philosophical idea or principle they originally represent. Other logos in this section employ objects and plants. One logo, classified as both Found mark and name, depicts a word-game as its graphic image. The researcher speculates that some of the images and names in the designers’ section might also be Found marks and names, but since her information about those logos is partial, she cannot be certain that they do not hold a Descriptive meaning unknown to her.

Letter marks: In general, martial arts’ logos tend to be figurative and not rely solely on letters. However, a few of the combined designers’ logos do emphasise the letters. Four logos employed Initials, combined with the full name and other elements; Three logos employed Initial Abbreviations, one as the only graphic symbol and the other combined with other elements; and only one employed Non-acronym initial abbreviations, also combined with an image. Proper names are often combined with descriptive names. They mostly carry the same weight as the descriptive name, but sometimes they are bigger or depicted with another typeface.

To summarise this section, it appears that the lion’s share of the logos are a combination of Descriptive marks and names. They are straightforward, immediately recognized logos. The pronounced idea is simple; any existing sophistication would be expressed in the design and graphic techniques.

However, what tipped the scale in favour of the Descriptive marks were the fifty-one designers’ logos, in which such iconic logos are the majority.

Metaphorical marks, which are also icons, show a more sophisticated or humoristic approach to the design. In some cases the recognition of such logo demands a little more effort from the observer.

Non-figurative logos are a favourite with the IMA logos’ designers; the majority of whom are non-professionals, and the researcher believes that there is a connection between the facts; geometric shapes are easier to create for non-professionals than figurative images that demand skill. Non-figurative logos can be roughly divided to two groups, one that depicts well-known symbols, such as yin-yang, and therefore makes the recognition relatively simple, and the other that depicts abstract, unfamiliar symbols to which the recognition is, in Peirce’s words, “association of ideas or habitual connection” (Peirce, 1909)

Found marks are a small minority in the martial arts’ design and one that is limited to the questionnaires logo and almost entirely to non-professional designers, they are usually based on well known symbols or images and therefore help to create an instant recognition, either with a certain location or a philosophical idea or concept that the public have learned to connect to those images.

As for Name marks, it appears that they are much more emphasized in the designers’ logos as an integral part of the logo. A fact that makes sense when considering that the designers’ refer to martial arts’ logo design as no different than any other corporate design, and the name of the company, in this case the school is an inseparable part of an identity. The graphic sophistication of the typeface and letters sizes, as well as the combination of letters and image, are a proof of that. From her knowledge of the design of IMA and EMA logos, the researcher concludes that, with some exceptions, when is comes to typography, even laymen who are confident enough about their ability to design their own logo do not dare to try and be creative or simply fail to see its importance.

4.5.3. Affectivity

The issue of logos recognition is discussed in a paper written in 1998 by marketing professors Henderson and Cote, who created a list of guidelines for examining the affectivity of logos. According to them, “logo recognition occurs at two levels. First, consumers must remember seeing the logo (correct recognition). Second, logos must remind consumers of the brand or company name (recall). The former depends largely on design. Given equal exposures, a more memorable design will be recognized more easily than a less memorable one. Therefore, facilitating recall of the company logo starts with selecting a design that is recognized easily” (Henderson and Cote, 1998 p. 15) The act of recognition can be genuine or false, as in the case of subjective familiarity, in which a logo seems familiar although in fact it has never been seen before. False recognition can be the result of the logo design being similar to well known symbols. According to Henderson and Cote, a logo can only benefit from subjective familiarity, which enhances its affectivity. (pp.17-18). Quoting earlier researches, Henderson and Cote declare, “Logos should be recognizable, familiar, elicit a consensually meaning in the target market, and evoke positive affect (As cited in p.15)

As results of their research, Henderson and Cote drafted a list of recommendations regarding the desired characteristics that would increase logos’ recognition. They found out that a moderately elaborate design is more likely to “evoke positive affect” and “maintain viewer interest and liking over repeated exposures”, natural and representative logos are more meaningful, therefore more pleasing to look at. Logos that are not perfectly balanced or symmetric also improve recognition. (pp. 21-24)

Henderson and Cote recommend that logos for smaller budget companies should be more natural, with moderate levels of harmony. (p. 12) The researcher thinks this recommendation is applicable to martial arts’ schools.

However, they agree that in cases of a logo that needs to communicate more complicated identities, (and the researcher would like to add, or ideas), “it will be appropriate to select a logo whose meaning is more ambiguous” (p. 24). In

relation to Henderson and Cote’s words and this paper’s previously used terms and definitions, the researcher borrows the term ‘natural’ and applies it to ‘iconic’, whereas ‘ambiguous’ relates more, in her opinion, to symbolic.

To summarize Henderson and Cote’s recommendation, a logo should be natural or recognizable, moderately harmonious and elaborate.

Chart 10: Affectivity

Active DepthParellel Repet

ition round

Designers Questionnaire

Chart 10 shows the ration of the sampled logos as divided by the affectivity guidelines. (for a list of the affectivity guidelines please see pp.67-69)

According to the chart, the majority of the designers’ logo can be categorized as representative (34) and active (24); a great number of them are geometric (18), with moderate amount of organic (3) and depth (7); they are relatively simple.

In the questionnaires’ logos, the rate of abstract (20) and representative (18) is almost the same, with a slight advantage to the abstract. There are distinctly more geometric (14) logos than organic (7), a similar rate of natural and depth, repetition and round (11), and a relative small rate of active (9).

The questionnaire’s logos are more complex than the designers’ (10 to 6) Both groups are about the same in harmony (11-12) and balance (6).

The paper’s semiotic and taxonomy analyses have already pointed the differences between the designers and the questionnaires’ logos. Although there is not a distinct parallel between semiotic and taxonomy classifications to affectivity guidelines, it is still reasonable to assume that a representative and active logo is more likely to be an iconic, descriptive mark as well; and that an abstract, geometric logo will turn out to be a symbolic, non-figurative mark.

Professional designers are trained to consider marketing, to them, recognition is an important factor that can dictate the graphic form of the logo. Teachers and student who design their own logos, usually for internal use, consider the meaning of the logo first, and have no understanding of marketing, for them, expressing an idea is the purpose of the logo, not being recognized in the

“Yellow Pages”. The researcher believes that the double amount of geometric versus organic logos can be related to a limited graphic ability of non-professional designers, and likes to point out that creating an organic image demands higher graphic skills.

When looking back at Henderson and Cote’s recommendations, the researcher feels that some problem of false recognition can happen within martial arts logo designs, mostly in two cases - logos that are based on a yin-yang symbol in its traditional form as their main graphic image, and logos depicting a human figure in motion. However, as mentioned before, marketing-wise this is not real problem. With relation to Henderson and Cote’s other recommendations, it seems that the majority of the designers’

logos follow them by creating a recognizable, moderately harmonious and modestly elaborate logo. (Elaborate, compromised of complexity, activeness and depth, was separated to its components in the chart above). The questionnaires’ logos do not follow such a distinct path, but show a tendency to create more complex, or, in Henderson and Cote’s words, ambiguous designs.

To summarize, the guidelines for affectivity that should be taken into consideration when designing a martial arts’ logo depend on the purpose of the logo and the meaning the designer wants to communicate. It also depends on the size of the school and its target audience. In general, the researcher feels that representative; active logos are suitable for the purpose of depicting martial arts.