Authors Note: I realize that the Swastika is a controversial symbol offensive to many but the goal of this article is not to promote fascism, any modern day western connotations or offend any cultures. This article explores the historic Worldwide use of the Swastika (positive & negative) through recorded facts.

In all honesty I cannot give an accurate account for the history of this symbol because there are so many different interpretations, myths, legends and stories about its use but the below account is what I have summarized as the probably the Worlds greatest logo.

The beginning of the Swastika.

The swastika has been used by many countries, religions and cultures throughout the thousands of years it’s been in existence. It’s first appearance came through Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, deriving from the Sanskrit text which is recorded as the oldest and only written text to make authentic use of the symbol and term “Swastika” to represent good luck.

Since its origination the symbol has been recreated Worldwide, century after century under various names as a strong symbol of “good”. Its sheer precise over usage makes it (IMHO) possibly the greatest logo of all time. How can you argue with the opinion of a thousand generations?

Today the Swastika is commonly associated as an icon of the Nazi’s movement and it’s pretty hard not to see it in any other light. Hitler used the symbol with such power that the once good hearted and loved Swastika now has a bad stereotype by no fault of its own.

Its still used today by old and new religions in the same manner and being of Hindu descent myself I’m probably a little more familiar with seeing it with both (western & eastern) associations.

I remember a friend of mine (when I was a ladsmile) asking why I had a swastika in my house. I had of course seen the German Swastika but at that age was not entirely sure what it was. I had already unconsciously made a graphically connection between the two versions but never really gave it a second thought. Not until my friend asked me that question did I raise my own questions and realized that I have a Swastika hanging in my house. (I thought, “Where the Nazi’s Hindu’s?” lol).

Soon enough my questions on the German Swastika were answered in History lesson and the Hindu version became apparent at home.

Who used it, where and when?

I knew that Germany and India used the Swastika but not until recently did I relaise that at some point or another its been used by the U.S., China, Russia, Finland and literally every country in the World (even England) with their own interpretation. This again reinforces the point that it must be considered as the world’s greatest logo. How can you argue with the whole World?
So why is the Swastika such a popular symbol? Overall it stands as generically the most positive image in the World of all time. Most people used it for that reason except for Hitler and in doing so he ruined it.

• The British author Rudyard Kipling, who was strongly influenced by Indian culture, had a swastika on the dust jackets of all
his books until the rise of Nazism.

• Swastikas also appear on the vestments on the effigy of Bishop William Edington in Winchester Cathedral.

• In September 2007 the United States Navy announced it would spend $600,000 to “camouflage” a barrack at the Naval
Amphibious Base Coronado near San Diego, so that it would no longer resemble a swastika from the air.

• Native American basketball team in 1909.

• The swastika shape was used by some Native Americans. It has been found in excavations of Mississippian-era sites in
the Ohio valley.

• A controversy arose in Maasmechelen, Belgium, when Google Earth users found that a 27 year old fountain at the city
council office looks like a swastika from the air. As a result the mayor said he would replace it

• The bronze frontspiece of a ritual pre-Christian (ca 350-50 BC) shield found in the River Thames near Battersea Bridge
(hence “Battersea Shield”) is embossed with 27 swastikas in bronze and red enamel.

• An Ogham stone found in Anglish, Co Kerry was modified into an early Christian gravestone, and was decorated with a
cross pattée and two swastikas.

• At the Northern edge of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, there is a swastika-shaped pattern engraved in a stone known as
the Swastika Stone.

• In Christianity, the swastika is sometimes used as a hooked version of the Christian Cross, the symbol of Christ’s victory
over death.

• Some Christian churches built in the Romanesque and Gothic eras are decorated with swastikas, carrying over earlier
Roman designs.

• Iranian neckalace found from Kaluraz in the first millennium BC marked with several swaskitkas

• The swastika symbol was found extensively in the ruins of the ancient city of Troy and can also be found in some of the
mosaics in the ruins of Pompeii.

• A meander of connected swastikas makes up the large band that surrounds the Augustan Ara Pacis.

• A design of interlocking swastikas is one of several tessellations on the floor of the cathedral of Amiens, France.

• In Hinduism, the two symbols represent the two forms of the creator god Brahma: facing right it represents the evolution of
the universe, facing left it represents the involution of the universe.

• The Hindu deity Ganesh is often shown sitting on a lotus flower on a bed of swastikas.

• The swastika is found all over Hindu temples, Hindu weddings, festivals, ceremonies, houses and doorways, clothing and
jewelry, motor transport and even decorations on food items such as cakes and pastries.

• “Swastika” is a prominent literary magazine in Kolkata (Calcutta) is called the Swastika.

• In 1922, the Chinese Syncretist movement Daoyuan founded the philanthropic association Red Swastika Society in
imitation of the Red Cross. The association was very active in China during the 1920s and the 1930s.

• Swastikas are prominently displayed in a mosaic in the St. Sophia church of Kiev, Ukraine dating from the 12th century.
They also appear as a repeating ornamental motif on a tomb in the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan.

• The stole worn by a priest in the 1445 painting of the Seven Sacraments by Roger van der Weyden presents the swastika
form simply as one way of depicting the cross.

• The Swastika is clearly marked on a hilt and sword belt found at Bifrons in Kent, in a grave of about the sixth century.

• In the 19th century the swastika was one of the Russian empire’s symbols; it was even placed in coins as a background to
the Russian eagle

• All the Unit Colours of the Finnish Air Force feature the same basic design, with a swastika as a central element. This is
the Unit Colour of the Finnish Air Force Academy.

• Latvia adopted the swastika, called the Ugunskrusts (“fire cross”), for its air force in 1918/1919 and continued its use until
1940.

• The use of the swastika in conjunction with any other Nazi allusion, and also its manufacture, distribution or broadcasting,
is a crime as dictated by law 7.716/89 from 1989. The penalty is a fine and two to five years in prison.

• The Swastika Laundry, founded in Dublin in 1912, used a swastika in a white circle on a red background as its corporate
colour scheme until it was bought over by a rival in the late 1960s.

• Boy Scouts at the prewar (1937) national Scout jamboree in Washington, D.C., using swastikas as part of their Native
American portrayal

• The swastika symbol was popular as a good luck or religious/spiritual symbol in the United States

• The Raëlian Movement, who believe that Extra-Terrestrials originally created all life on earth, use a symbol that is often the
source of considerable controversy: an interlaced Star of David and a Swastika.

• Tantra-based religious movement Ananda Marga uses a motif similar to the Raëlians, but in their case the apparent star of
David is defined as intersecting triangles with no specific reference to Jewish culture

• It was also a symbol used by the scouts in Britain

• During World War I, the swastika was used as the emblem of the British National War Savings Committee.

• The Swedish company ASEA, now a part of Asea Brown Boveri, used the swastika in its logo from the 1800s to 1933,
when it was removed from the logo.

• The Icelandic Steamship Company, Eimskip (founded in 1914) used a swastika in its logo until recently.

• In Windsor, Nova Scotia, there was an ice hockey team from 1905-1916 named the Swastikas, and their uniforms featured
swastika symbols. There were also hockey teams named the Swastikas in Edmonton, Alberta (circa 1916), and Fernie,
British Columbia (circa 1922).

Above are just a few of the thousand recorded facts that I found and its quite amazing how so many people are intrigued by this symbol. Is it the Worlds greatest logo?

The Nazi movement obviously shrowded this symbol with evil and reduced its relevance as the Worlds favourite logo but nether the less many have overcome the modern day stereotype and still use it in its original form for both old and new cultures.
The Swastika has managed to stand the test of time and come through to the 21st century in its natural form. INMHO it can be seen as the World’s favourite logo design.

I went into PCWorld on the weekend, probably the first time in a year and I was met by quite a few surprises.

1.) They’ve re-branded (good strategy, poor execution)
2.) They have a new range of PC’s available

They had the usual selection of computers ranging from laptops and desktops to MACS and consoles but I was surprised to see another isle of top branded PC’s that looked a little different. I’m a little outdated with my computer tech knowledge so this may actually be no surprise to some people.

SONY, PHILLIPS and HP have created they very own I-MAC look-a-like PC’s. Each one looked great and each one wasn’t as expensive as I thought they’d be. They had good specs and I was surprised by the combination of style, price and userabilty each one had.

SONY VIAO -It looked like a combination of a MAC G5 (metal casing) and the older I-MACs. (see what I mean).

Phillips – Like the current I-Mac but in black.

HP – Like the older I-Macs again but in black but with a touch screen! (WOW)lol.

Like the I-MAC they were all, all-in-one units which was a great selling point for me (and the touch screensmile) I hate PC’s because there so messy, ugly and problem prone but there much more affordable and probably better value for money then a MAC. I’m also use to the PC, switching systems would probably be a pain so having a mixture of the two is perfect.

Apple have always had a big presence with designers and the US. They certainly infiltrated the UK with the Ipod and now it seems that Apple have had an effect on the way computers are made on a whole.

The sheer simplicity of the IMAC (all in one) makes it a great product for everyone. Most people want a nice looking computer as its now a household object. They also want one which not messy and preferably easy to use. Although these new styled computers are still PCS’s running on Windows, it is a step in an old but maybe not fully explored direction which Apple have built there empire on.

Will this be the new way for PC’s?

Coca Cola Re-branded.

The Worlds most famous brand has re-branded. Since the logo was originally designed in 1967 the company coca cola has gone through many re-brands, changing strap lines and packaging according to current events, campaigns and time frames but substantially the classic logo has had minimal change.

Remember the adverts and strap lines:

Coca cola is it
The 3d polar bears
The colourful animated illustrations.

With a multimillion dollar marketing budget Coca Cola have always pushed the line on design, keeping up with new design trends and techniques. Much like the rest of the design industry Coca Cola got a little muddled up during the 21st Century. Design itself took a big step on colour & illustration as everyone overworked designs utilizing many techniques with the latest software.

The abstract futuristic CGI effect (glows, lines, small fonts, exploding shapes) was popular and the dirty grunge look made a comeback as an alternative. On another note the colourful overfilled illustrative cartoon effect was utilsed by many and then finally web.20 threw its 2p’s worth in.

Coca cola maximized on the trendy yet classy cartoony illustrative style and in doing so cluttered its packaging with extra colours and shapes. Just like fashion, graphic design can have a cautious tale of going out of trend after being over used and this is what happened to Coke. The strong illustrations just got a little tiring, old and cluttered, eventually loosing focus of what Coke is.

Like many successful brands they decided to re-brand in a way that’s becoming very common. NASA did it, so did KFC along with countless others and now its Cokes turn to go back to the beginning.

The original Coke bottle was designed to be recognisable even in the dark and once again it has been re-shaped and simplified. The cans are a clean pure red with just the iconic logo emblazed across it. It’s dynamic, simple and swift. The use of red dead space adds to the contemporary feel yet emphasises the “Classic” strap line in every way. By simplifying the packaging the brand has come back to its roots, distinctively reinforcing what made Coke the world famous brand it is today.

Along with the packaging the new TV campaigns use strong vibrant but natural colours with real people rejoicing in the taste of Coke rather then the design that surrounds it. Overall the focus has been to reintroduce the brand back to its basic originality of a great tasting beverage for people.

Old ideas reinvented.

2 thumbs up.

Reading through Simon Singhs “The code book” I learnt several ways of encrypting and ciphering messages. Since the beginning of time people have used words, symbols and pictures to carry messages whether it be secretly, subliminally or publicly. The book also noted how a codemaker is usually the best person to use when it comes to code breaking.
Unless you’re a secret agent, programmer, historian or detective I guess there’s not much need for the knowledge of deciphering code in today’s world, or is there? Everyday we are surrounded by thousands of pieces of code, in fact there is one underneath your nose right now. Look at the bottom of your monitor screen and you will see one there, the logo for the manufacturer of your monitor.
Logos are indeed pieces of code just like Egyptian hieroglyphs. Symbols and images used to communicate a message but also carry an identity. You may not understand, ancient Egypt, French, German or the Hindi language but if you saw a piece of text you could probably guess where the language originated from (like a corporate identity).
Logos are just the same and here are some examples of deciphering them.

Adidas –
The original adidas logo (three stripes) was an attempt to create a big brand presence in the 1900’s by Adi Dassler himself. He wanted everyone to know which trackstar was unmistakably wearing his shoes and thus branded them with 3 stripes. He even said himself it was “the brand with three stripes”.
In due time Adidas become bigger and bolder with a strong reputation and went onto create the Trefoil logo showing the diversity in the Adidas brand.
Today’s logo is much like the original, three stripes but in this case they take a specific formation.
Decipher: Today’s three stripes form in a shape of a mountain, signifying the challenges and rewards in life (climbing a mountain.)

BMW –
A controversial logo which still holds confusion today. The Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) has its place in history tied in with the World Wars. One story tells the logo originating before world war 1 as a rotating plane propeller set off a blue clear sky (hence the coloured segments). It was also said that BMW started business making Luffwafe fighter planes which were decorated in the same blue and white colours. Adverts for BMW even used this imagery for publicity but ultimately they claim that this not the case. The other story which BMW claims is true is that the logo is an ode to Bavaria (blue and white flag), the HQ of BMW.
BMW themselves say that the logo was created 6 months before they had ever created any plane components and the signature rotating propeller which backs up the World War story, was not even a component that they made.

Next time you see a logo see if you can decipher it. Even better, when you have your logo designed (or redesigned (just give me a call) see what code you can implement into it.

Whats a corporate identity? Think of it as your brand in a visual form or at the most basic level anything with your logo on it. Yes anything! From your business cards to the giant sign on your office building, they’re all elements which compose your corporate identity, a way of communicating your brand.

As a small (or smaller business) you may not have a giant sign on your office building, you may not even have a fully fledged office at all so how can you maximize the potential of your business image and turn it into a corporate identity?

The most important aspect will be your logo. Make sure it’s professionally designed visually, technically and ethically. Remember that it’s a representation of your brand which should communicate your company values. After the final vectorised logo has been created you should have the essence of your business in a visual form which will set a benchmark for your corporate identity. (a vectorised logo will be very important in maximizing the quality and accessibility of your brand)

That’s the first and most important part done. It’s a good start on setting your business out from the rest but what else can you do?

Whatever size business you are, think about your assets. What can you place your logo on and why should you want to place your logo on it. The next step should ideally be your stationery, electronic or hard from, it will be used extensively and given out to all clients/potential clients, suppliers and anyone connected to your business.
Some businesses have everything matching (letterheads, comp slips and bus cards) but the stationery does not have to be exactly the same. Letters are used as a formal communication where as comp slips and bus cards can be used in different ways so just be sure that they all contain a consistent theme (do they look like they are from the same company?). Using matching or consistent stationery makes your business easy to recognize and essentially builds brand awareness as well as providing a professional and credible image. The same goes for the paper used. Its another element to your corporate identity so make sure the paper choice matches one another and stay within your theme.

Now you have a hard format of your business image and you are forming a corporate identity. What’s next? The rest of your corporate materials.
Everything which displays your logo should reflect the theme that you’ve already created. From car livery to shop signage, promotional gifts to websites and emails to TV, you have a recognizable theme which reflects your business because it has become your corporate identity. You can alter the theme slightly according to a specific purpose but you should always be identified as the company you are, hence, “corporate identity”.

The corporates – You may not be a corporate enterprise but its good to see what they do and how you can take their actions into consideration. Some corporates tend to keep their logo and brand consistent but change the coroporate idenity elements according to the current marketing campaign they’re running. Some keep the company logo in the background whilst their product logos are propelled forward. There are reasons for each decision to maximize the potential of their cause.
Corporate manuals are issued as a guide to how their presence should be regulated. The guides will consider everything, even the way there office buildings are designed, inside and out.

An example
Premier lodge use a distinct colour scheme which makes the hotel instantly recognisable when driving past. The colours are streamlined throughout their assets from uniforms to the interior design of the hotels themselves, (they all look the same). The buildings are widely located outside of a town centre (although there are the exceptions) and each one has a family orientated bar/restaurant attached.

All in all this creates a strong and consistent identity affecting the business in and externally. In return the result builds a brand which we become familiar with and can trust unconsciously.

Maximise your business image to build a strong corporate identity. People will recognize you, become familiar with you and eventually trust you.