MONOGRAMS

A monogram is made by overlapping or combining two or more letters to form one symbol. Monograms are often made using the initials of an individual or a company. The monogram is indeed a very efficient means of designing a logo.

EXAMPLE 1 is a personal monogram designed by Douglas Gunderson in his Typography course. The goal was to use a typeface and colour scheme that he felt described himself. The typeface used is Baskerville.

EXAMPLE 2 was designed by Jessica Becker. For her assignment, she was required to create a monogram using all of her initials. Jessica chose to keep it very simple and not add anything extra to the design. She simply used her initials JDB and arranged them several different ways using different fonts until she was happy with the result.

EXAMPLE 3 General Electric Company, or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation with headquarters in the United States. The first monogram is the 1892 logo: the other is the current logo.

1 2 3

Monograms first appeared on coins, as early as 350BC. Many of the early Greek and Roman coins bear the monograms of rulers or towns. The example below shows the monogram for the Roman Emperor Theodosius, AD 402-450.

Victorian-period high-class persons adapted the monogram for personal use as a symbol of their place in society. In the Victorian era, rules for monograms were quite simple and few. Monograms had the first initial on the left, middle initial on the right, and last initial larger in the middle.

Now, rules are flexible and monograms can be seen on just about anything.

Throughout history, monograms have continued to be used, including by guilds and royalty – they have always been associated with publicly representing the official identity of a certain person or institution. This is the Royal Monogram of Princess Marie Adelaide of Savoy as Duchess of Burgundy

Monograms have been used as signatures by artists and craftsmen on paintings, sculptures and pieces of furniture, especially when guilds enforced measures against unauthorised participation in the trade. A famous example of a monogram serving as an artist's signature is the 'AD' used by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) also used a monogram.

Albrecht DURER Henri de TOULOUSE-LAUTREC

Perhaps under the influence of a fashion for oriental themes and philosophies that grew in the late19th century, monogramming style at the beginning of the 20th century was often very individualistic and artistic in nature. The Japanese mon, or descriptive family symbol, derived largely from nature, had considerable influence.

These two excellent examples of the adaptation of letters used to create highly individual monograms appeared in the article "Unique Monograms" by Frederic Helmer in the September 1908 issue of Harper's Bazaar

Monograms can be designed using the characteristics of a particular style. The monograms below are examples of the ART NOUVEAU style.

MONOGRAMS OF VIENNA SECESSION ARTISTSThe Vienna Secession was founded on 3 April 1897 by artists Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Max Kurzweil, and others. The Secession artists objected to the prevailing conservatism of the Vienna Künstlerhaus with its traditional orientation toward Historicism. However, by June 1905 Gustav Klimt and other artists had left the Vienna Secession due to differences of opinion over artistic concepts.

FASHION HOUSE MONOGRAMS

Many couture fashion designers use their monogram in their collections. Some of the most recognisable are shown below. They have become a symbol of elegance, wealth, prestige, grandeur, authenticity and elitism.

Yves Saint Laurent Louis Vuitton Gucci Chanel

PERSONAL MONOGRAM

Ian Daniel O'Saben, a USA Designer and Printmaker, thought he was “missing out on an identity that I can use”. He also liked his initials IDO being seen as 'I do' and wanted to capitalise on this, so he started designing a monogram. Here is his first round of development'.

This is what is meant when you are encouraged to develop a lot of different ideas

Monograms are popular with sporting clubs. Two of the most famous cricket clubs use monograms for their logos – the Marylebone Cricket Club (UK) and the Melbourne Cricket Club. The cap was worn by Shane Warne when he played for Victoria (Victoria Cricket Association).

The Carlton Football Club (Australian Rules) has always had a monogram on their jumpers, although it has changed over the years. The first one is more complex because, at that stage, it was a football club (fc) and a cricket club (cc) combined.

Anthony Costa is a writer, designer and illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. He is interested in sports branding and identity and has a blog and folio of alternate AFL and NRL football graphics. CLICK HERE The monogram above is his idea for a better logo. QUOTE “There have been many incarnations of Carlton's historic interlocking CFC monogram. Several years ago the club streamlined the logo, smoothing out the serifs for a rounder, neater look. It's more modern, but to me it feels a bit too meek for such a proud club. I wanted to create a new Carlton logo that was contemporary yet still possessed a historic grandeur. Strong and sharp, the CFC is chiselled onto a smooth navy blue disc with just a hint of gradient for depth and polish.”

ACTIVITYDESIGNING A MONOGRAM

Your task is to design a monogram using- your own initials, or - the initials of your school, or- the initials of a team, club or organisation you are associated with

A very important consideration will be the font that you use. It must be appropriate so that it reflects relevant aspects of the person or group. One font may be suitable for a football team, but not for a ballet school.One font may be the right one to reflect your interest in computers and mechanical things, but a different font would be necessary if you want to suggest that you are an adventurous, fun-loving person. Or is this expecting too much? Experiment with different fonts, ask your friends what they think, and you may be surprised that a particular font CAN say something about you.Go toWHAT YOUR FONT SAYS ABOUT YOU

Michael GILLS is a UK Graphic Designer who designs monograms -“Although I don’t get many commissions to design monograms, they are still one of my favourite forms of lettering as they can often produce unexpected challenges and no two monograms are ever the same. Sometimes the chosen letters provide a natural solution but often it can take a few attempts to coax the curves and shapes into a nicely balanced design.”

Michael has shown how he designs a monogram on his web page CLICK HERE and he also has an on-line gallery CLICK HERE which includes examples of his calligraphy.

This shows Michael's initial ideas for a monogram he designed