A Cyber-Business-Net.com (TM) PageA Cyber-Business-Net.com (TM) PageA Brief History of Logos and Trademarks
The first traces to logos appeared in ancient Greece. The word "logo" means:
The symbol of the snake entwined around a staff can be traced to the Greek god Hermes. It was adapted for Asklepios, the Greco-Roman god of Medicine. The caduceus symbol is still used today by doctors.
The cross to symbolize Christianity is another ancient adaptation. The sign of the fish in early Christianity is another. Many different religions have used logos effectively to represent an idea or belief. The star of David in Judaism is one of many.
The use of logos as trademarks have existed as long as there have been traders and merchants. They can be traced back to the thirteenth century. They include masons marks, goldsmiths marks, paper makers' watermarks and watermarks for the nobility, and printers' marks.
What was needed then and now was legibility and good recognition value. Those logos stated very simply: This is my identity, my work and craftsmanship, or this is what I have to sell.
The maker's mark consisted of the initials or signature. Perhaps it was used in conjunction with a family crest. This lent respectability to their commercial venture. Over the years this has remained popular, in this form, in some parts of the world.
With the industrial age, changing traditional trades in the nineteenth century created the need for new logos or trademarks to reflect the new changes.
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