Art director Stas Zhitsky on the meaning of logos: griffins and antelopes

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Designer, An artist, art director, copywriter, and columnist, as well as a lecturer at the HSE School of Design. He has received over 30 design awards and prizes, including Good Design and RedDot. He has served on the jury of such festivals as Cannes Lions, Eurobest, and AD Stars.

He is the author of the book "Parable Therapy, or the Book of Meanings about Marketing," written in collaboration with Sergei Kuzhavsky. He also wrote regularly for Snob magazine and has published work in the graphic design publication [kAk), as well as in such magazines as Creative Director and Vedomosti.

Among the fairies who enjoyed high status, the Marquise de Baral stood out. Her coat of arms was a unified symbol. On one side of the shield were depicted a quiver with arrows crossed by a Tatar whip, while on the other was a spit. The first half of the coat of arms indicated a service rendered by the Marquise's ancestor, a Kazan Tatar named Maimulov, to Ivan IV's father. The second half served as a reminder that an ancestor of the Marquise's husband had provided food for the lost King Louis the Saint. In his work "Nowhere to Go," N.S. Leskov explores complex human destinies and social issues. The narrative centers on characters whose lives are intertwined in a situation where they have no way out. The author masterfully conveys an atmosphere of hopelessness, exploring the characters' internal conflicts and moral dilemmas. Leskov creates vivid images that allow the reader to deeply understand the experiences of people trapped in their circumstances. In this work, the author raises important questions about the meaning of life, choice and responsibility, making us think about what it means to be human in difficult circumstances.

“Both characters personify a new class, consisting of officials and couriers with a certain aristocratic significance. One of them had a coat of arms depicting a hand holding a silver urn against a red field, with the inscription: “Do not spill!” The other had a hand clutching a golden urn against a silver background, with the inscription: “Keep it tidy!” This gave reason to believe that their roots do not go back to Rurik.”

In his work “Abroad”, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin touches on important themes, exploring the life and customs of people in other countries. The author uses an ironic approach to show the contrast between ideals and real life. In his work, he draws attention to differences in culture, social norms, and mentality, emphasizing how external veneer sometimes conceals internal contradictions and flaws. Saltykov-Shchedrin masterfully combines humor with critical analysis, allowing the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the flaws of both foreign and domestic societies. Ultimately, his work remains relevant, prompting reflection on the universal questions of human existence.

As a child, I studied noble coats of arms and city emblems with great interest—the more complex and ornate they were, the more captivating I became. My gaze lingered with pleasure on the images of dragons, basilisks, harpies, unicorns, flags, swords, crowns, and robes. Each coat of arms contained many elements, and each detail seemed to strive to tell a fascinating story or emphasize the positive traits of its noble family or hometown.

Family coats of arms have always been distinguished by their complex and sometimes obscure symbolism. To understand their meaning, one had to turn to specialized literature, which explained, for example, that the basilisk personified strength and power. But the griffin and lion were also associated with these qualities. However, these books apparently did not specify how to distinguish between the levels of power between them (or perhaps I simply forgot). Moreover, the colors, crosses, and divisions of the shield into different sections had carefully concealed meanings. In general, an extensive history could be created or reconstructed for each coat of arms.

When I was looking for curly references, the coat of arms of the USSR and the collection of coats of arms of the union republics came to mind - they were truly revolutionary from both a historical and design point of view.

These coats of arms were no less verbose than those of the nobility, but their design was based on a completely different, revolutionary approach. A team of authors, the composition of which is still controversial, created a virtually obligatory wreath of ears of grain, fruit, and plants, which included a star and a hammer and sickle as mandatory elements. Ultimately, they managed to create a fairly harmonious, yet polysemantic, new identity. Thus, the content has changed, but the number of meanings contained in the coat of arms remained the same.

Including the obligatory motto. Oh, sorry, a slogan. Noblemen's coats of arms were required to include this element—most often in Latin, while on Soviet coats of arms it read "Proletarians of all countries...," with the addition of the Russian imperial style and national language.

I continued my research and decided to look at modern coats of arms of various countries. This left me deeply perplexed. With flags, the situation around the world turned out to be fairly standard: most countries simply used colored stripes—some arranged them vertically, some at an angle, some created combinations, and others added stars. As a result, the flags turned out simple and easy to understand. However, the situation with the coats of arms remained unchanged—the creative chaos remained the same. It seems the countries have secretly agreed not to update outdated traditions and, using mediocre graphic solutions, are trying to oversaturate us with a multitude of stories about their cultures, which often conflict with each other and fail to clearly convey the essence of the country.

Australia is proud of one of the most unusual coats of arms, which is truly surprising. It depicts so many berries on the bushes that they are impossible to count. And the ostrich and kangaroo have become the symbols of the country. However, as it turns out, this cute marsupial is a real problem and can cause a lot of trouble.

The most concise, modern and easy-to-read coats of arms belong to countries such as Albania, Germany, Iran, Slovakia, Ukraine and, of course, Switzerland - the country where the perfect Helvetica font was created and, in general, clear and simple graphic design prevails.

Nevertheless, many countries have thoughtlessly filled their symbols with images of antelopes, Kalashnikov assault rifles, half-naked people, palm trees, and strange wreaths of plants. And, of course, eagles—for some reason, this particular predator seems to be particularly attractive to states.

While the composition is sometimes painless (the elements somehow come together to form something resembling a painting with a central orientation), the meaning, with the exception of a few cases, remains elusive.

It can be assumed that the original idea behind the practice of creating coats of arms was as follows: a person would look at a complex image for a long time and eventually form an image in their mind that would help them understand: "This is what it's really like to live in that country so far away from me."

I can offer an alternative opinion: what's the point of a person doing this? They might not even have the desire.

I want to share with you, dear reader, one simple idea. This idea concerns not coats of arms, but logos. Ultimately, it's about the thought process itself.

A logo should convey only one idea, and this is not only possible, but also necessary. Even the presence of two ideas is redundant and can confuse the audience. If a design contains three or more thoughts, it already represents a serious violation of consumer interests, jeopardizing their unstable attention and scattered perception.

It is not worth claiming that the logo communicates that its creator graduated from Oxford in 1998, is raising two children, has been through three marriages, and since 2005 has slightly changed his corporate principles in favor of transgender polyamory, which led to the firing of all designers and the hiring of the artificial intelligence Midjourney (and is now ready to go public to demonstrate how to make real money). Moreover, he also enjoys playing poker on Saturdays.

No, thank you. We don't intend to, and we're not going to try to guess that in the logo.

Just let it be known: I'm incredible. Or: I always have a positive attitude. Or: I create wonderful things, I adore you, and you will love me too. Just use some symbol to communicate this. We, unpretentious and not too curious, will be very grateful.

Check out our previous issues:

• How does the psychology of color work and does it really have an impact? Let's delve deeper. Colors surround us everywhere, and their impact on our perceptions and emotions has long been the subject of study by psychologists and designers. Different hues can evoke specific feelings and associations, influencing our mood and behavior.

  For example, warm colors like red and orange are often associated with energy, passion, and warmth, while cool hues like blue and green can create an atmosphere of calm and tranquility. However, color perception is not universal—it can vary depending on cultural, personal, and contextual factors.

  Research shows that color can influence our decisions, for example, in marketing and advertising. Companies carefully choose palettes to evoke the desired emotions and associations in consumers, thereby increasing the chances of purchase. But it's important to remember that the effect of color can also be subjective: what evokes positive emotions in one person may evoke negative emotions in another.

  Thus, color psychology does indeed operate, but its influence depends on many circumstances. Understanding these nuances can help us better use color in various areas of life, from interior design to clothing.

• Should Shura think about creating a logo: what price might it have and why is it better to keep this information secret?
• Stanislav, who took out a loan, or an example from experience: reasons why you shouldn't blindly rely on other people's portfolios.
• The right to green in branding: is it worth registering a color scheme and what really makes a logo stand out from the rest?
• Meatballs trying to leave the fence: what is the limit of acceptable hooliganism in the field of branding?
• Be careful with manipulation: simple logos that can be vital.