Monogram—Dutch East India Company carved above the entrance to Cape Town Castle or Castle of Good Hope, circa 1680. The “VOC” (“Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie” in Dutch) was possibly the first globally recognized corporate logo.
A Monogram is a very particular style of typographic symbol. It most closely resembles a logo mark but typically serves a different purpose. It makes specific use of how letterforms interact with one another or combine visually. This visual interaction might be primarily because of overlapping or interlacing elements of the letters. Whatever that visual arrangement is it’s strength lies in the designer’s ability to closely examine how the details of letterform impact the overall design. A particular arrangement of letters from one typeface may be highly successful whereas the exact same arrangement may be quite disappointing when completed by using a different typeface that has different letterform characteristics. Knowing how the details of distinguishing letterform characteristics can greatly contribute to a unified composition/lockup is one consideration. A second important design consideration is how those same details can influence meaning or content. In other words, how can those letterform details enhance feelings such as power, elegance, tradition, or stability would be some examples of meaning or content.
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Assignment:
Create a Monogram for one of the following:
- a family
- a company
- an organization
At one level, this is an assignment that asks you to choose a specific typeface because of its distinctive letterform details/characteristics and match it to the characteristics of either a family, a company, or an organization. This requires you to first analyze letterform from a variety of possible choices of typefaces and determine which one has the personality that best suits the personality of the family, company or organization. You may then elaborate further by building on those distinguishing characteristics of the original letterform. You can’t simply add or alter the letterforms if those alterations/changes have nothing to do with the style or original characteristics of the letterform. Below is an example of elaborating on the distinguishing characteristics of the original letterform to create unity in the overall monogram design.
On another level, the assignment is about composition. How you combine, or arrange, letterforms in a way that can make the best of their personality. As in any composition, you must consider the figure/ground relationship—the internal white space and how visually active it is.
And finally, you must think of the monogram as a visual symbol that represents. You get to decide what your monogram symbolizes or represents. You will need to submit a short paragraph describing this connection along with your final design.
A Monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a cypher (e.g. a royal cypher) and is not a monogram.
An individual’s monogram may appear in stylized form on stationery, luggage, clothing, or other personalized items. These monograms may have two or three letters.
A basic 3-letter monogram has the initial of the individual’s last name (surname) set larger, or with some special treatment in the center, while the first name initial appears to the left of it and the middle name initial appears to the right of it. There is a difference in how this is written for men and women. For example, if the individual’s name is Mary Ann Jones, and Jones is the surname, then the arrangement of letters would be thus: MJA, with the surname initial set larger in the center, the M for Mary to the left and the A for Ann to the right.[5] Traditionally, individual monograms for men[6] are based on the order of the name. The name Kyle George Martin would be written (KGM).
Some personal monograms have become famous symbols in their own right and instantly recognizable to many, such as J.R.R. Tolkien‘s monogram.
Some companies and organizations adopt a monogram for a logo. For example, The San Francisco Giants and NY Yankees both use a monogram as their ball cap insignia.
The Consolidated Edison logo, with a rounded “E” nested inside a “C,” has been described as a “classic emblem.” However, since the letterforms do not overlap one another, it is technically not a monogram.
Many fashion companies have a monogram for a logo, including Louis Vuitton and Fendi. The connected “CC” company logo, created by Coco Chanel, is one of the most recognizable monograms internationally.
Automobile Manufactures such as Rolls Royce
