We’ve designed more than ten logo books at Counter-Print. It’s a source of inspiration that we never tire of. We love looking at how these symbols change from nation to nation and have been influenced by the era they were created in. We love how meaning can be imparted with such a minimal amount of visual language and how the hands that craft them can influence their style.
Counter-Print started as a vintage book store and logo books were always the most popular with our readers when we added them to the store. In search of new and exciting titles in this genre, we would try to seek out the rarest and most celebrated books from around the globe, often adding to our private library as well as to the store itself.
It’s a genre that keeps growing, with new titles regularly coming out, in differing formats, such as the wonderful zines by LogoArchive and in differing sizes, as can be seen in the mammoth tome of Logo Modernism or the pocket books we at Counter-Print have produced.
We asked our Instagram followers last week which were their favourite logo books. The votes have been counted and we’ve shared here the top five from that poll, as well as some comments from our enthusiastic readers –
it’s obviously a genre that stirs a lot of passion in designers!
Thank you again to everyone that took the time to comment and
get involved.
1. Logo Modernism – £50.00
This unprecedented TASCHEN publication, authored by Jens Müller, brings together approximately 6,000 trademarks, focused on the period 1940 – 1980, to examine how modernist attitudes and imperatives gave birth to corporate identity.
‘Logo Modernism – biblical in size, go to for timeless inspiration.’
@corinnesbit
‘As a designer and logo enthusiast myself, I’ve found myself flipping the pages of Logo Modernism almost every night. It’s incredible.’
@iam_lgd
‘A great encyclopaedia of all the logos you’d need to reference! And the size of it is brilliant.’
@tflnt
2. Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv – £75.00
'Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv' showcases a body of work spanning 60 years from the seminal New York design firm founded in 1957 by Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar. The firm’s contribution to design has shaped the way corporate identity programs influence culture.
‘The simplicity and the genius in those pages... would love to be able to even come close to that some day. Fantastic book!’
@13.indd
‘Their work and story are iconic and to flip through pages of their decades working together is inspirational from a work produced standpoint and the relationships they maintained.’
@marcoboulais
‘Identity: CGH because the ability to view such renowned work spanning the course of decades is an inspiration to keep doing what you love.’
@mattkwood
3. Art Marks – £11.50
‘Like many I’d have to say Art Marks just because it encompasses so many different genres of logo and gives you a great sense of the possible in logo design.’
@athieudonner
4. Karol Sliwka – £20.00
‘Karol Sliwka. Wonderful book, inspirational, you can always go back to it and dig in, find more inspiration!’
@jomenji
5. Marks of Excellence – £45.00
‘Marks of Excellence is a perennial favorite, and a thorough evaluation of the evolution of brandmarks over time.’ @mcartorism