Workshop + Homework Task
This workshop involved understanding Brand Identity, and the meaning of icons, indexes and symbols. Informed by semiotic analysis, an iconic, symbolic, and indexical identity was transformed into an identity of another category. This blog provides an illustrated account of my workshop experience including the processes and thinking used for the redesign.
Redesigning Logos using Semiotic Analysis
As per the brief of the workshop, the logos were chosen based primarily on the three categories of signs they fall into: icons, index, and symbol.
Redesigning an Iconic Logo as an Indexical Logo
The Slice mango drink is one of the leading players in its category in India. With an iconic logo, it features a slice of mango and the brand name written using the mango itself. Its qualities resemble the object and can excite the sensation related to it such as drinking sweet mango juice (Peirce, 1976).
The Redesigned Logo
The logo redesign features a mango juice splash, serving as an index of the mango, making it an indexical logo.
Redesigning an Indexical Logo as a Symbolic Logo
Nandini Milk is a heritage milk brand, that originated in the southern Indian state of Karnataka and has become a household name in India. The brand has a logo that features a cow in a natural landscape. The logo is considered an indexical logo because cows produce milk, and the index here is physically connected and affected by the object (Peirce, 1976).
The Redesigned Logo
The redesigned logo now features the Kamadhenu, a divine cow goddess representing fertility, prosperity, and the sacredness of cows. In this context, Kamadhenu is the signifier and the mental concept of purity, nourishment, and abundance by the signifier is the signified (Saussure, 1916). The meaning of this logo is rooted in Hindu scriptures, and it is understood through cultural associations, thus making the redesigned logo symbolic.
Redesigning a Symbolic Logo as an Iconic Logo
Parle-G is a widely recognized wordmark brand in India. The brand is renowned for its iconic biscuits, which are commonly enjoyed with tea across the nation. It is believed to be the highest-selling biscuit globally. This is a symbolic sign since the logo does not have any connection with the biscuits (Peirce, 1976). It is recognised by the learnt significance based on the cultural practices of people who have grown up with this product.
The Redesigned Logo
This logo has been redesigned to be an iconic logo. The classic design of the Parle-G biscuit is unique to the brand and easily recognisable, even if people haven’t paid attention to the wordmark. Thus, it has been redesigned taking the iconic shape of the biscuits and its pattern, evoking a sensory memory for anyone who has touched the biscuit before. This is an iconic logo as it directly embodies the product visually rather than referencing anything else related to it (Peirce, 1976).
References:
Visible Signs, David Crow
Handbook of Semiotics, Winfred Noth