Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols 325-326 (2013) pp 1783-1786 Online: 2013-06-13

© (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.325-326.1783

The Application of Animation Logo in Modern Visual System

Yong Jun Chen 1, a, Jun Han 2,b

1
Nanchang University,China
2
Wuhan Institute of Technolgy,China
a b
57308523@qq.com, hanjun_1001@126.coml

Keywords: Animation logo; Creative industry; Visual system; Digital times

Abstract. With the rapid development of internet electronic media, the whole environment of modern
visual system is in a dynamic and changeable state, so there are limits for those constant and static
logos. However, the animation logo will adapt to the dynamic and changeable modern visual
environment due to its changeable and polynary form, especially, it is the optimal logo form for the
modern internet electronic media; if combined with the operation of creative industry, it would
rapidly spread the brand and extremely boost up the brand, and create tremendous influence while
putting the brand in a very good status.

The Existing Reality of Logo Design

Logo is the most frequently and most broadly used designing element in the Modern Visual
System. It connects the brand with the specific enterprise in consumer’s mind, and acts as the
irreplaceable communicator between enterprise, brand and consumers. For enterprises, government
organizations or public institutions, an effective logo has become one of the most important means to
stand out their market image as well as acquire benefit.
However, most static logos hadn’t exerted the communicating power which they should have in
the dynamic Modern Visual System, they can’t adapt to the dynamic and digitized modern visual
environment. The form of logos remain constant while the whole visual system environment keep
changing, the outcome of “counter changes with changelessness” is that it greatly discounted the
function and value of logo, and tremendously decreased the commercial value and utility value which
the visual system should have.
Why logos appear in static form for a long period, there are realistic historical reasons – The static
logos do have their existing basis in the era that the paper media rules the whole visual life. However,
with the development of visual media conduced by technology development, it finally changed our
visual life tradition; and it seems that the static form of logos have lost their realistic basis for ruling
the visual life.

The Renovation and Development of Logo

Just like the traditional views of Aristotelians, we shouldn’t neglect its history while researching any
type of knowledge. So when retrospect the development history of logo designing, we found that the
form changing of logo design was promoted and influenced by integrated social factors – including
culture, aesthetic, technology, etc.
“Designing was always affected by the development of production technology”[1], it was
influenced by all kinds of social factors; in fact, designing was always lagging behind the
development of social economy, technology, etc. That is why we say “designing rely on the scientific
principles which have already mastered by human being”[2], one period of social development will
infuse the most revolutionary factor for the innovation of designing. After 1945, under the
background of explosive development of economy, society and technology in United States, a
massive logo renovating movement impelled by a new consciousness stream just about proved that.
At that time, some American super corporations, such as the Citibank, renovated their trademark early

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1784 Manufacturing Engineering and Process II

or late. Talking about the reason for logo renovation, the trademark manager in one famous American
Corporation said: “If you try to win your favored girl’s heart, then you shouldn’t wear the outdated
clothes to meet her, especially when your competitors wear better holiday fineries”. [3]So, while
modern enterprises certainly have modern logos, the historical and conventional enterprises should
also have contemporary taste, carry forward the tradition and forge ahead into the future, and go with
the stream – i.e. the logo designing should keep pace with the era.
At the present times, the advantages of animation logos lie in: they have polynary visual sense,
contain more information; they can make adaptable adjustment according to the system
“environment” feature, and will have more sufficient communication with audiences in different
occasion; they display a more vivid image for the enterprise/brand; they fully exerted the power of
logo, and in the end establish an excellent and profound enterprise brand image in the consumers’
mind – the goal is that the Corporation Identity system can allow the commercial institution or
company to have a sufficient and effective communication with consumers at any time; the logo
should exert dominant strength in visual system all the time, and maintain its core function in all
visual designing so as to maximize the influential effect of communication.
The characteristics of our current era lie in: digitizing and all-dimensional rapid development,
mass amount of visual information environment; “The developments of industry changed that kind of
static balance mode of past, and incline to develop a kind of dynamic balance mode” [4]. Animation
logo adapted to the polynary and dynamic change; the continuous development of new network and
digital technology has brought the revolutionary power to the new round of renovating movement of
logos, and provided a solid stage for the emergence of the new Corporation Identity form.

Designing Cases of Animation Logo

Nowadays, animation creative industry contains huge commercial energy and market influence; it has
become the hot topic in design field or even in industries. At the same time, the industrialization of
creative animation design filled animation images with significant commercial value, tremendous
spreading power and influence. And one of the most core functions of contemporary logos is to
promote and expand corporation identity, help communication, and finally achieve the ideal optimal
commercial effect, communication effect and spreading influence. The animation logo combined
with creative industry formed the modern visual design system, no doubt about it, the new system will
have much more powerful spreading influence comparing to traditional static visual design system;
the enterprise brand will be extensively spread out and the corporation influence will be greatly
improved.
As shown in Figure 1, the animation logo “Black Arrow” which was designed by a creative design
company just about reflected this era’s feature; this novel logo was extensively recognized by many
experts in this field and won awards in all kinds of design contest, which indirectly proved the
feasibility and validity of animation logo in the modern era.
This logo design exhibited the corporation’s characteristic to a maximum degree, enhanced the
communication with customers, and established a good image in consumer's mind, which is the core
goal of logo designing. As a design company made up of youth, its biggest feature is to pursue
publicized personality and pursue avant-garde and polynary design style; apparently, static logos have
inherent limits in communicating with customers, they can’t fully exhibit the company’s polynary
uniqueness. This Corporation Identity adopted arrow, eye, and peculiar legs, which are images totally
unrelated with each other, however all the elements assembled together give birth to a peculiar
organism; Thus, she has a distinctive visual image, which is easy to identify; and because she is
personated, it will enhance the emotion communicating power and made her have affinity, just like a
real person, she can adjust self-image according to different time and different occasion (visual
system environment) – generating polynary visual feeling (could be used as mascot), satisfying
company’s multiple visual communication demands, thereby enhanced communication and made
communication deeper and decent. As shown in the picture, the Corporation Identity has all kinds of
 Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 325-326 1785

mood: happy, fervent, or amiable, or stepping catwalk as if elegant; as long as imagination doesn’t
stop, she can keep changing forever – which has the basic feature of creative industry (animation,
comic, game, digital art) development; if do combined with creative industry, this developing mode
will greatly accelerate the brand spreading, exhibit unparalleled influence with extremely strong
spreading effect, and reach the high-point of logo design function.

Fig 1

Similarly, it’s a Corporation Identity designed for Wenzhou Sonny children clothing, as shown in
Figure 2, which also proved the point – animation logo will exhibit the brand to greater degree,
enhance the commercial communication, and thereout occupy the market and maximize the
commercial interests. The CI combined with major types of products in the company and presented all
kinds of appearance, which bring the audience affable and brand-new mental experience; while
exhibiting the brand to greater degree, its commercial intention is also being intuitively delivered to
the audience; especially, comparing to the static logo, the delight-oriented and animated design is
giving the audience unprecedented affability, once connected with animation, game, digital art – the
so-called creative industry – it will meet the taste of this type of audience – CHILDREN. We can even
set the CI as the protagonist to make cartoon, game and relevant toys, just imagine that, how powerful
is the spreading effect and influence, how much business value we are going to gain.

Fig 2

Likewise, the CI design of Michelin tyre, as shown in Figure 3, its animation form presented
powerful influence in the modern polynary visual environment; it has powerful exhibiting strength of
brand and suitable business communication effect, which has absolute advantage over similar tyre
brands in the market. The writer did a survey over the tyre brand among students, “which one is the
most clear and most affable brand in your mind?” 90 percent students chose the brand Michelin,
which indirectly proved the effectiveness of animation logo in modern visual communication!
1786 Manufacturing Engineering and Process II

Fig 3

Conclusion
In this polynary, dynamic, digital-media oriented visual era, how to fully exert the logo’s
communicating power and influence will play a key role in deciding the final effect of the visual
system design; once combining with the concept of creative industry, the animation logo will have
unique and huge advantage with immensely vast application prospect, whether in achieving more
extensive communication with customers, or achieving optimal spreading effect, or exhibiting brand,
or acquiring commercial interests.

References
[1] DB Yin: Design Science Overview (Hunan Science and Technology Publishing House, China
2004).
[2] W Li, X Lv and DL Mao: Logo Design (Southwest Teachers University, China 2001).
[3] Ken Kato: Dong Dao Unscrambling Master Series (World Knowledge Publishing House,
Australia 2004).
[4] XX Ma: New Media Art Perspective (Nanjing University Publishing House, China 2009).
[5] Donald Arthur Norman: Emotional Design (China CITIC Press, China 2012).
[6] Information on http:// www.culindustries.com
Manufacturing Engineering and Process II
10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.325-326

The Application of Animation Logo in Modern Visual System

10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.325-326.1783