VISC 314 Reading 01

Key terms:
- Message - The point or information the designer is trying to convey
- Transmission - The method of conveying the info. The medium.
- Noise - Interference due to cultural differences that might cause
the receiver to interpret the Message differently than
intended
- Addressee - The target audience.
- Receiver - Anyone who sees the product.

The book also mentions "Destination" and defines it as the result of the Message, but that is a terrible word choice.

- Signifier/Signified - It is important to remember that there are (almost)always
many different relationships between signifiers and
signified meanings. That is to say that an object or word
may signify a number of things depending on context,
culture, personal experience, etc.

Signifiers might be abstracted and they can draw
connections along lines that can be derived from cause
and effect relationships, anthropormorphic associations,
idioms and quotations, shared abstract concepts,
synecdoche (taking a part to mean to whole or vice versa),
or it may be arbitrary.


The text then moves on to the history and evolving purpose of logos. The desire to indicate origin and ownership is at the roots of their development and remains the primary goal, but in the mid 1900s they also became a way to present to the public a guarantee. It became something that would indicate to consumers that this product was of a certain quality, represented a set of commitments, or adhered to a certain mindset. They made the companies more personable, even if it really boiled down to a form of anthropormorphication. Today, with corporations becoming larger and having a larger staff in creative positions, the logo, mark(s), and/or style manual's role has become also a way of maintaining focus internally. The logo is now not only a point of recognition for the consumer, but a masthead for the employees.

Key terms:
- Message - The point or information the designer is trying to convey
- Mark/Signature - A symbol unique to a company used to indicate ownership
- Trademark - A mark that has been legally registered
- Wordmark - A signature that consists of the company's name in proprietary letterforms
- Symbol - The iconic portion of a logo. An image that is to be
synonymous with the company's name
- Monogram - A mark containing or consisting of a few letters (usu. an
acronym for the company name). It should be noted that
use of a monogram to replace a symbol/wordmark is unwise
due to the genericness of an acronym.
- Identity - The combination of the wordmark, symbol, colors, styles
and choice of imagery to create a defining aesthetic.
- Brand - The culmination of all of the audience's perceptions of
the company. Very closely related to Identity.

At the end of the reading, 16 starter questions were listed. They are a sort of springboard for client research...


01. What is your current position relative to other companies?*
02. What is your purpose/business? What do you offer/do?
03. What is your non-financial mission?
04. What is your business's internal structure?
05. Describe the internal culture of your company.
06. Describe your style.
07. What are your goals?
08. What are the greatest opportunities for the growth of the company's image?
(Note: This one is more of a rhetorical question the designer will have to determine)
09. What are your commitments?
10 & 11. What is your current/desired audience?
12 & 13. What is your audience's current/desired perception of you?
14. How do you compare with your competition?
15. What should your audience's response to their interaction with you be?
16. What is your marketing objective?


*This question is confusing. It needs to define the term "position."