A Can of Coke, a Starbucks Cup and a Circle with EP
The EP logo has appeared on publications, shirts, hats, bumper stickers, banners, signs and scores of other products. What we are most proud of are the thousands of Physicians, Patients and People that have been lured to this exceptional island – not to be shipwrecked, but to find a safe harbor.
I love writing these columns for Exceptional Parent magazine. It provides me with the opportunity to express my views, my fears, my excitement and those numerous eureka moments that are provided by my colleagues, families, researchers, teachers, clinicians and individuals with complex disabilities that orbit around me. It's an interesting process. My columns may be inspired by a newspaper clipping, a statement from a colleague in a meeting, a sentence from a journal article, a billboard, an obituary or a candy bar wrapper. Most of the time I know the topic, the theme, the angle and the intent of the column; it simply flows. There are times, like now, where I am clueless and stare at the keyboard like it is an endless black abyss. So, I am going to provide you with a narrative of how this column will be developed (or abandoned). To get things started, I survey my desk to see what has been placed to get my attention. It may be a photo, an article, a yellow sticky note, a journal or a letter. Today is a lean day. Several days ago, I purged my desk and performed a massive reclamation so there is little inspiration to be gained. But I perform a quick inventory and find the following: empty can of Diet Coke, Starbucks coffee cup, iPhone coaster from the University of TennesseeChattanooga, yellow Sharpie highlighter and a window donor decal from Special Olympics. It hits me that all of these table top objects have something in common.
They all have logos. Each one is novel and unique and, for the most part, easily identifiable. The Coke logo is among the most globally recognized designs. While it has changed over the years it has remained true to its origins. In 1886,
John S. Pemberton finalized the formula for his new drink. His partner, Frank Robinson, suggests the name Coca-Cola, believing that "the two Cs would look well in advertising." He experiments with writing the company's name in Spenserian script – a popular writing style back then. The rest is history.
back then. The rest is history. The green logo on the Starbucks coffee cup gives the Coke logo a run for its money in its global recognition. There are over 20,000 stores in 62 countries and growing. The company was originally named Pequod after a whaling ship in Herman Melville's American classic Moby Dick. The name was peculiar and, after a series of discussions, the founders changed the name to Starbuck, chief mate on the Pequod. Since its creation the original Starbucks logo has undergone many changes. It still features a "twin tailed mermaid" or siren. This was a popular Greek mythological creature that lured sailors to shipwreck their vessels off an island in the South Pacific, sometimes referred to as Starbuck Islands. It seemed to have worked as it lures millions of coffee lovers to their shops every day.
ALL EARS: "The bunny logo became one of the world's most recognizable corporate symbols, emblazoned on the tail of Hugh Hefner's private jet and on countless products, as well as every issue of Playboy magazine. Like most of the magazine's loyal readers, I bought it for the articles."
The Artyfactory (free online resource for art education) offers this peek into the history of logos, "Logos have been around in one form or another for several thousand years. The Ancient Egyptians are known to have branded domestic animals with hieroglyphs to mark their ownership. The Ancient Romans and Greeks marked their pottery to identify the manufacturer. The great faiths of the worlds have all adopted symbols for ease of recognition." A logo should be memorable and must connect with its target audience in a positive manner. While this might be the rule in product identification, logos have also represented fear, dictatorships and mass cruelty. The Nazi Swastika, the logos of the third Reich, the hammer and sickle of Communist Russia and the "cross with a drop of red blood in the center" of the Ku Klux Klan still evoke strong feelings of hatred, injustice and prejudice. Growing up in the 1960's there was a logo that was a favorite of mine and my circle of friends. The mere sight of it evoked a Pavlovian response based on anticipation and expectation. It was a caricature of a rabbit; but not the one named Bugs that has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
It was a depiction of a rabbit in a tuxedo. The designer, Art Paul, was hired by a visionary businessman who wanted to start a new magazine. It was the Playboy bunny. The bunny logo became one of the world's most recognizable corporate symbols, emblazoned on the tail of publisher Hugh Hefner's private jet and on countless prod ucts, as well as every issue of Playboy magazine. It was so well known that letters addressed with nothing more than a bunny head found their way to the Playboy offices in Chicago. I probably had every issue from 1960 (when I was 12) until 1968. Mr. Paul, who recently passed away at the age of 93, drew the logo in a few minutes. He was fond of reporting, "If I had known how famous that trademark was to become, I would have taken more time with it – and it probably wouldn't have turned out as well as it did." Like most of the magazine's loyal readers, I bought it for the articles.
"There are some logos you see, no matter where you are in the world, and you know exactly who they are and what they mean." ~ LeBron James
Exceptional Parent magazine has its own logo. A circle with lower case letters (ep) hugging each other. The circle represents the "circle of support" that the magazine has provided parents since 1971. The "P's" represent Physicians (who represent the entire community of healthcare providers), Patients (who represent the individuals we support, when they become "patients" and require both acute and chronic care), and People (who we all are). The Exceptional Parent (EP) logo has appeared on publications, shirts, hats, bumper stickers, banners, signs and scores of other products. What we are most proud of are the thousands of Physicians, Patients and People that have been lured to this exceptional island – not to be shipwrecked, but to find a safe harbor. So that's how this month's column was created. •