Character Trademarks [Paperback]

John Mendenhall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1990

With the growing awareness of the value of character trademark symbols in product design, marketing, and promotion has come a resurgence of interest in these extraordinary icons. The popularity of the California Raisins and other recent examples attest to the appeal of character trademarks in popular culture. From Reddy Kilowatt to Colonel Sanders, there is humor and nostalgia in the humble, often "kitschy" images which have become classics of commercial folk art that every consumer can relate to. This engaging volume contains approximately one thousand trademarks from the past ninety years, as well as a "Hall of Fame" section profiling some of the classic characters with the history of their development. Chronicle Books is pleased to include this remarkable volume in its series of design books, including Trademarks of the 20's and 30's and Trademarks of the 40's and 50's.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Mendenhall is a professor of graphic design and design history at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Previously he designed computer type fonts at the Computer-based Education Research Laboratory in Urbana, Illinois, and was a graphic designer for the Agency for International Development. Mendenhall received a BFA degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana and an MA from Stanford University. He has taught at several universities and is the author of five books

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877017522
• ISBN-13: 978-0877017523
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,621,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not inspired. I want quality, not quantity, January 12, 2002

By 

Andrew E. Clark (Farmington, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Character Trademarks (Paperback)

While this book contains hundreds upon hundreds of character trademarks, very few of them are rendered well. A very small portion are clean, sharp and crisp. Poor quality graphics are to be expected of those marks from the '30s, '40s and '50s but even the latest marks were poorly rendered. Most of the figures looked as if they had been through a copy machine 5 or 6 times before publication or poorly traced with a black pen. Where is the style in the strokes? Where is the artistry?
I think this book is a case of QUANTITY rather than QUALITY. This book could have used some serious editing to include only 200 of the best and most influential and successful character marks of the century with more about their history and evolution. I was impressed however at the painstaking dilligence in compiling such a large library of trademarks.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making a mark., January 26, 2002

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Character Trademarks (Paperback)

An intriguing paperback of over eight hundred character marks and amazingly NO INDEX. Another reviewer has noted that they are not examples of pristine artwork, well, yes very true but most of them are less than two inches deep and I don't really think it detracts from the books worth.

Most of the pages have nine marks and some very clean typography for the captions, there are several spreads through the book with color photos of three dimensional marks and these pages make a neat break from the majority in black and white. If you want to see a whole load of three dimensional trademarks have a look at the lovely 'What a Character' by Warren Dotz and Jim Morton, a book with dozens of color photos of American advertising icons.

The chapter on anthropomorphic marks I found fascinating, here designers really had to stretch their creativity to make human forms out of company products. On page fifteen a 1962 'Mr Wirewell' from the Electrical Manufacturers Association was a face within a lightning flash with a service hat on top.

A fun book for designers and lovers of Americana...like me.

Hey...Chronicle Books, don't forget the index next time!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars in response to previous review, January 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Character Trademarks (Paperback)

In response to the other review, i have to agree...it isnt so much a book than a collected overview of images, mostly in black and white....this book is mainly a reference book, a catalog of icons....which is fine for what it is. The reason the imagery is in most cases poor quality, is because i believe the author obtained the public access images from the Library of Congress. The book is what it is...its a simple reference guide....it is very concise though...most of the trademarks are very obscure and little known....

Other books that may satiate your needs, "What a Character!" is a more visual and informative showcase, mainly of collectibles, as well as the upcoming "Mascotography", which showcases the history of all the greats in an encyclopedic format....