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Ivan Chermayeff
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Sagi Haviv
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Identify: Basic Principles of Identity Design in the Iconic Trademarks of Chermayeff & Geismar Kindle Edition

by Tom Geismar (Author), Sagi Haviv (Author), Ivan Chermayeff (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
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The NBC peacock. Chase Bank's blue octagon. Mobil Oil's arresting red O. PBS's poetic silhouettes of "Everyman."

Chermayeff & Geismar's visual identities are instantly recognizable by countless millions around the world (one identity--the official logo for the U.S. Bicentennial--even sits on Mars) and set the standard for what a successful trademark is.

In Identify, celebrated designers Tom Geismar and Ivan Chermayeff, and partner, rising star Sagi Haviv (called a "logo prodigy" by The New Yorker) open up their studio for the first time in the firm's 55-year history and reveal the creative process that lead to the firm's iconic visual identities, from the oldest (Chase Bank and Mobil Oil in the 1960s) to the more recent (Armani Exchange and the Library of Congress in the 2000s).

The team demonstrates how their approach to design has remained unaltered by cultural and technological change and is in fact more successful than ever in today's online and digital applications, due to the powerful simplicity that is the hallmark of the firm's work.

A showcase of some of the world's most famous and enduring trademarks, an account of how they came to be, and an unprecented insider's peek into a legendary branding and graphic design firm. Identify: Basic Principles of Identity Design in the Iconic Trademarks of Chermayeff & Geismar unveils the thinking and the process behind identity design that works.
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  1. Print length
    338 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    HOW Books
  5. Publication date
    October 3, 2011
  6. File size
    6970 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chermayeff & Geismar, one of America's most historic design firms, has touched so many businesses and institutions with its signature brand of graphic modernism that New York's streetscape wouldn't be as vibrant had it never formed over 50 years ago. It is impossible to walk down a midtown Manhattan sidewalk without seeing its logos, posters, shopping bags, and other commercial and cultural brand identities, like Chase Bank and Mobil Oil. Along with hundreds of other familiar graphic marks, the firm's individual and collective contributions are indelible signposts -- some are even landmarks."

--Steven Heller

"The firm of Chermayeff & Geismar has created some of the most memorable logos in the history of graphic design, including the NBC Peacock, Chase Bank's Blue Octagon, and (literally) hundreds of others. This book reveals the history and process of creating many of the world's most iconic marks."

--Debbie Millman

About the Author

An Adams Media author.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005LH08M2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HOW Books (October 3, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 3, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6970 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

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  1. Ivan Chermayeff

    Ivan Chermayeff

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    Ivan Chermayeff

    A prolific designer, illustrator, and artist, Ivan has created memorable, iconic images for literally hundreds of clients. As a founding partner of Chermayeff & Geismar with Tom Geismar, he has played a significant role in establishing the firm's worldwide reputation. His trademarks, posters, publications and art installations for contemporary buildings are widely recognized and have received nearly every award bestowed by the profession, including gold medals from the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Society of Illustrators.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Sagi Haviv

    Sagi Haviv

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Sagi Haviv is a partner and designer at Chermayeff & Geismar. Among his numerous projects for the firm are the logo designs and identity systems for the Library of Congress, National Parks of New York Harbor, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Conservation International, and the fashion brand Armani Exchange.

    See more on the author's page
  3. Tom Geismar

    Tom Geismar

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Tom Geismar is a founding partner of Chermayeff & Geismar and widely considered a pioneer of American graphic design. During the past five decades he has designed more than a hundred corporate identity programs. His designs for Xerox, Chase Manhattan Bank, Best Products, Gemini Consulting, PBS, Univision, Rockefeller Center and, most notably, Mobil Oil have received worldwide acclaim.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
61 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ice Cube
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is essential reading for any person interested in design, branding, or advertising. Its truly a gift to look under the hood of a few of the most iconic branding projects in corporate history.
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Alex O.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great album
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
Great album of C&G identities. Not really informative about the way of creating those brands and trademarks.
But as for album with huge illustration of their logos it is fine.

Shipping was so long, it took almost 1 month to receive a package.
2 people found this helpful
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Luis M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy customer
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
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This is a great book for all graphic designers. Recommended!
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Pat
4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is a great book to keep as reference of corporate identity design. C&G are probably the best designers of their field, responsible for many outstanding brands. The only reason I don't rate it 5 stars is because I expected to see a little more of the construction of the most important brands, the method employed by the office to make the brand what it has become. We see just a few sketches, but not the actual work to turn it into reality.

All in all, it is a superb example of identity design, which can just make me feel jealous - or challenged, to reach at least 1/20th of what they have achieved as designers.
7 people found this helpful
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Janna Landry
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2018
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Arrived very quickly! Great book!
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MDScrambler
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2016
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the logo designs are simply magnificent.
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Robin
4.0 out of 5 stars Wordmarks, logos and everything in between
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2014
A handsomely produced book of some distinctive brand identities created by Chermayeff & Geismar. Some of them must have entered the public consciousness by now: NBC (the peacock) PBS; Chase Manhattan; Mobil; Pan Am; Xerox (before the current one) National Geographic. Others have only been seen within certain industries or outside the US. There are several logos for the Turkish Koc Holdings.

The book, though, was rather disappointing for me because it's not much more than a portfolio of C&G work rather than a visual account of how each design was created. There is some quite detailed text on some of these marks which does in fact sum up the thinking behind the visual but I was expecting to see various roughs and scribbled ideas that created the final design. This does occur in a few but most pages show previous marks on a left-hand page with the logo centered on all the right-hand pages. Also missing is any explanation of why a particular typeface was chosen for those designs that are just typographic.

The pages really should have delivered more and I see that copies can be picked quite cheaply since publication in 2011. Worth getting maybe just to see these logos well printed and in a reasonable size.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
Reviewed in Brazil on December 31, 2022
Verified Purchase
It's incridible to me understood some of the ways that CGH fund to create so many incridible trademarks. I've learned so much just by understanding that design it's about serving!
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pepe platas
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book for reference
Reviewed in Mexico on May 6, 2021
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Hard cover, a prettty solid book overall.
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tk
5.0 out of 5 stars Arrived super quick
Reviewed in India on February 15, 2019
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Excellent book.
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RAUL G.
5.0 out of 5 stars TOP
Reviewed in Spain on September 27, 2018
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TOP
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Abraham Cruz
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved the content and teachings
Reviewed in Mexico on March 9, 2019
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A great collection of "whys". Some of the most iconic Logos explained by their creators, what were the challenges and the problems they solved. That gives a good idea about looking further when designing something for a client.
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