Celebrating iconic logos and their stories - Part 5

Q–T in my A–Z of inspirational and authentic logos, and the meanings behind them…

Q: QI (Quite Interesting)

There aren’t many Q logos worthy of my list, except this one designed by Jules Bailey for John Lloyd, the creator of the BBC quiz show. Now in its 22^nd series guests find themselves falling into traps of misconception as they attempt to be ‘Quite Interesting’ in response to the host’s questions. A magnifying glass Q searches for an I styled to look like the ISO’s symbol for public information. Interestingly, the logo could be read as IQ which stands for Intelligence Quotient and likely the inspiration behind the show’s name.

R: The Royal Parks

The 5,000 acres of historic parkland in London all come under the care of the Royal Parks charity. Beautiful spaces deserve a beautiful logo, of which Moon Communications’ Richard Moon, Ceri Webber and Andy Locke obliged back in 1994. A leafy pictogram version of the St. Edward’s Crown (the UK’s official coronation crown) originally sat atop a serif font but was recently simplified by Baxter & Bailey, presumably to assist its legibility as a digital avatar. At the same time, the serif typeface was discarded in favour of something more accessible (Gotham?) – all fair enough, but I’m not a fan of removing the crown from the head and placing it to one side. 

S: Standard Chartered

The second bank in my list, and from the same designer’s hand, both the HSBC logo in 1982 and the original Standard Chartered logo in 1969 were the work of Henry Steiner. Recently modified by branding agency Lipincott, this iteration of the logo is regularly worn by both my children; the proud sponsor of Liverpool FC, Standard Chartered was formed by the merger of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (founded under a royal charter from Queen Victoria in 1853) and the Standard Bank of British South Africa (incorporated in London in 1862). The symbol intertwines S and C into a spiral which also symbolises a solid and reliable partnership between the bank and its clientele.

T: TwinStream

The second of our logos added to my list, TwinStream is a provider of robust cyber security solutions. We Are Acuity were brought in to rebrand and develop a visual identity befitting of their position in their industry. Our research found that in 1991 John McCumbers created a comprehensive security model called the McCumbers Cube as a tool to help manage the protection of networks, domains, and the internet. All three dimensions of the cube represent areas that must be addressed to secure the information system. With the aim of the rebrand to attract and recruit the best cyber security talent, a cube was adopted as a familiar beacon. We crafted the symbol with their initials T and S and then set about producing brand guidelines to help the business deploy their newfound personality. 

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