No Rules! Logos

Book excerpt: No Rules! Logos is a new survey series that rounds up the most innovative, radical, and out-there graphic solutions, from around the world. In each book, dyed-in-the-wool design rules are identified, and a range of examples demonstrate how to break those rules, to great effect. Each entry is featured in a number of illustrations, analysed and assessed, and includes feedback about impact and audience reaction. No Rules! Logos tackles perhaps the most venerated discipline of graphic design, the corporate identity and its logotype. Of course, in the world of No Rules! anything goes, especially with a young generation of entrepreneurs and boutique businesses needing logos and identities to grace products as diverse as vinyl toys, home-made recordings, recycled fashion, and limited-edition products from skateboards to pet accessories. The book identifies 10 key “rules” of logo design, such as “keep it simple,” “make a mark that is constant and unchanging,” and “keep to primary colors or black and white.”