Entry Nine: "Logos & Color Meaning"

Ikea is the largest international home furnishing store to date. The logo was designed in 1943 by Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad. The choice to use the bold blue and yellow was no accident, for the colors represent the Swedish flag. Kamprad opened up the first Ikea store in Sweden; and all products today are Swedish International home products. The logo suggests the branding of not only Swedish products but Swedish pride.

The popularity of the Universal Monsters francise has been growing steadily since the 1930s with the introduction of the Universal Pictures horror film Frankenstein and quickly followed by Dracula. You would see this logo on many products today from t-shirts, costumes, toys, and movie cases. Universal had to copyright their authentic Universal Monster characters from other generic depictions. The logo here is monochromatic with shading that insists that this is a platinum legacy brand. There's a hint of a classic Hollywood tone in that the original Universal horror films were filmed in a stunning and eerie black and white.

Rainforest Cafe is a themed restaurant that depicts features from a rainforest, such as actual plant life, mist, waterfalls, a fiber optic star filled ceiling, marine aquariums, simulated thunderstorms, and small to large animatronic animals and insects. The logo consists of the partial 8 jungle animals that are the mascots of Rainforest cafe. The 8 "Wild Bunch" helps the customers better understand the names of entrees in the menu; for the restaurant offers a wide selection of dishes. The colors found in the collage of foliage and animals is rich in texture where the ambiance is spot on. The different bold colors help establish how "wild" and thematic the restaurant is.