10 replies to this topic

[PromoteYouMe]

One option is to do a search on http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
*but watch out, some of these logos are uploaded by other people and might have been redrawn not using the correct legal proportions and colors. They also could be old logos which have changed.

Another solution is to use Google, with some big companies not every employee is aware that there might be a separate web page devoted to the logo and what is sometimes called the Identification Guidelines Manual or Graphic Identity Program which outlines the legal guidelines in reproducing the logo.

This is how I usually can find these pages, type in the google search field the company name and the word logo, for example: microsoft logo, you will find a link to the logo guidlines and there you should be able to download the vector art files. Some company websites have their own search field, you can try a search there too. Another option is to look for a communications, marketing, advertising or press link, sometimes you can find the logos which are used for advertisement by press or ad agencies.

My last solution is searching for a client PDF newsletter, report, forms or financial booklet, most of the time the logo that is embedded in the PDF is vector art, you can tell this once you find the PDF and open it, then look for the logo and magnify the logo to see if it is clean or jagged (which means it is a bitmap that you don;t want). How I search, I type my client's domain name and the word PDF, for example: ibm.com pdf and click search, you will notice google places a [pdf] code beside the link for the form. Find the correct link that uses the same domain name and start opening the PDFs to view closely. Once you find the correct PDF, save the form and either send it to your graphic designer to remvoe the logo or if you have purchased Adobe Acrobat Professional, you can export the page as an EPS file and import that page into a graphics program.
*Caution: some logos might be old or have changed colors, also the online PDF documents might be old so look for a date, make sure you know which logo to use and get client approval on an art proof!

[dburnham]

PromoteYouMe said:

One option is to do a search on http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
*but watch out, some of these logos are uploaded by other people and might have been redrawn not using the correct legal proportions and colors. They also could be old logos which have changed.

This note of caution should be greatly enlarged, underscored, italicized and repeated for emphasis.

[PromoteYouMe]

I agree

[ideaguy]

Very good and pertinent...thanks....IDEAGUY

PromoteYouMe said:

One option is to do a search on http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
*but watch out, some of these logos are uploaded by other people and might have been redrawn not using the correct legal proportions and colors. They also could be old logos which have changed.

Another solution is to use Google, with some big companies not every employee is aware that there might be a separate web page devoted to the logo and what is sometimes called the Identification Guidelines Manual or Graphic Identity Program which outlines the legal guidelines in reproducing the logo.

This is how I usually can find these pages, type in the google search field the company name and the word logo, for example: microsoft logo, you will find a link to the logo guidlines and there you should be able to download the vector art files. Some company websites have their own search field, you can try a search there too. Another option is to look for a communications, marketing, advertising or press link, sometimes you can find the logos which are used for advertisement by press or ad agencies.

My last solution is searching for a client PDF newsletter, report, forms or financial booklet, most of the time the logo that is embedded in the PDF is vector art, you can tell this once you find the PDF and open it, then look for the logo and magnify the logo to see if it is clean or jagged (which means it is a bitmap that you don;t want). How I search, I type my client's domain name and the word PDF, for example: ibm.com pdf and click search, you will notice google places a [pdf] code beside the link for the form. Find the correct link that uses the same domain name and start opening the PDFs to view closely. Once you find the correct PDF, save the form and either send it to your graphic designer to remvoe the logo or if you have purchased Adobe Acrobat Professional, you can export the page as an EPS file and import that page into a graphics program.
*Caution: some logos might be old or have changed colors, also the online PDF documents might be old so look for a date, make sure you know which logo to use and get client approval on an art proof!

[ProPrinters]

just assume people will give you crappy artwork, and tell them there is an art fee.

[rjswave]

If you are using brandsoftheworld to create a sample to give to a potential client in the hopes of impressing them, be careful, not all clients will be appreciative of your efforts if you use the logo without their permission. This is especially true of the bigger companies who are extremely protective of their logo.

[ProPrinters]

Robert I agree with you. We will walk a fine line between trying to be creative, and cleaver, and stepping over that border. I asked a guy from City Hunter caps at a trade show about this. He had a bunch of hats made with different logos on them i.e BMW Lexus etc. I said can't you get in trouble for this. He claims, no because he wasn't selling them, he was just using them as a marketing tool.

[dburnham]

ProPrinters said:

he was just using them as a marketing tool.

He is legally permitted to do this, if and only if he includes a disclaimer along with the sample, similar to the disclaimer printed in many supplier catalogs. I don't have the exact text, but it was something written for PPAI in the 1980's by Sheila Millar of Keller & Heckman, the firm that was then PPAI's legal counsel.

Basically, it said that the logo is representative of the quality of imprint the supplier is capable of, and it doesn't represent that the supplier has actually produced any merchandise for the trademark owner.

On a sample, such a disclaimer might be sewn in or fastened elsewhere. In catalogs, you'll usually find it buried in the General Information. I used to have a small brass plate fastened somewhere on my tradeshow booth for a similar reason - some distributors might see one of their orders displayed and be proud of the publicity, and others would insist that I had no legal right to show the sample to other distributors giving them an idea to go get an order.

In 1972 I bought a book of European logos, companies that nobody in the US has probably ever heard of and I used it to create random samples for catalog photography and sample kits. Lost that book long ago; it was a great resource.

[ProPrinters]

Correct, the point is he wasn't creating un-authorized product, but just showing this is what we can do.

I wanted to do some random spec samples for a prospect for whom I have never done business, and that is where this falls in.


Derek

[dburnham]

ProPrinters said:

Correct, the point is he wasn't creating un-authorized product, but just showing this is what we can do.

I wanted to do some random spec samples for a prospect for whom I have never done business, and that is where this falls in.

Right, and the thing about a printed disclaimer is that it allows people to show their capabilities without being accused (or found guilty) doing something unauthorized. You'll probably still get accused, but it's like having a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card.

[rjswave]

dburnham said:

Right, and the thing about a printed disclaimer is that it allows people to show their capabilities without being accused (or found guilty) doing something unauthorized. You'll probably still get accused, but it's like having a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card.

You may not get in trouble legally but you could upset a potential client. To keep it safe, you could contact the potential client and ask them if it would be okay to produce some samples for them to look at with their logo. If it's an existing client I wouldn't worry so much, but you don't know what kind of reaction you'll get from someone you haven't worked with before. Also keep in mind that Brandsoftheworld states that...
"By Downloading this artwork you agree to the following:
The above logo design and the artwork you are about to download is the intellectual property of the copyright and/or trademark holder and is offered to you as a convenience for lawful use with proper permission from the copyright and/or trademark holder only. You hereby agree that you agree to the Terms of Use and that the artwork you download will be used for non-commercial use without infringing on the rights of the copyright and/or trademark holder and in compliance with the DMCA act of 1998. Before you use or reproduce this artwork in any manner, you agree to obtain the express permission of the copyright and/or trademark holder. Failure to obtain such permission is a violation of international copyright and trademark laws subject to specific financial and criminal penalties."