From the course: Logo Design: Shapes and Symbols

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It's called a cliché because it works

It's called a cliché because it works

From the course: Logo Design: Shapes and Symbols

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It's called a cliché because it works

I'm going to share with you what I believe to be one of the most important tenets behind great logo design. Jerry Kiper, a good friend and an amazing identity designer, had the opportunity to work alongside some of the most storied legends of our industry. While working with Saul Bass, one of the founding giants of logo design, Jerry recalls the following story. His design team was exploring new designs for the United Airlines airplanes, with the goal of improving fuel efficiency by using less paint on the planes. They were looking at wavy and jagged lines, trying to avoid straight lines that everyone else used. Saul pointed out that straight lines on a plane, a cliché, communicated a smooth, stable flight to customers, which is exactly what they wanted. Saul believed that something becomes a cliché because it works, and the challenge was not to avoid clichés, but to use them in a fresh way. We're about to discuss the use of symbols in creating exceptional logos. There's every reason…

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