Logos in my day to day life

I've decided to take a deeper look into logos of places I regularly encounter in my day to day life.

Semiotics is the "theory of signs and symbols that deals especially with their function in both artificially constructed and natural languages and comprises syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics."

There are 3 types of signs: Icons, Indexes and symbols.

An Icon is a sign that literally resembles what it stands for. (eg. a picture of a dog)

An Index is sign that implies another object. (eg. a picture of a paw print)

A symbol is sign with an arbitrary or conventional relation to the signify (eg. the word "DOG")

Signifiers are "a symbol, sound, or image (such as a word) that represents an underlying concept or meaning"

Connotations are the associated or secondary meaning. It is what appears in your head when you see or hear it.

Denotations are the direct intended meanings of the word/ symbol/ expression/ image etc.

Now I am going to look at a few logos that I encounter in my day to day life. The logos are the signifiers.

The Tim Hortons Logo

One place I need to go on the regular is to where I work.

Source: Holly Marquardt

Source: Tim Hortons

Connotation: The Tim Hortons logo have several meanings to me the hand writing makes me think of "home made fresh good" which is what the brand kind of tries to sell to you. But me and my brother both work at Tim Hortons, I actually associate the logo more with people who work there, rather than the brand itself. It has a lot of memories attached (I've been there 9 years!).

Denotation: Of course "Tim Hortons" is a place, but it is also a person. Tim Hortons founded the company. The Tim Hortons logo it is the actual signature of mister Tim Hortons himself.

The No Frills Logo

Another thing I need to do regularly is purchase food.

Source: Holly Marquardt

Source: No Frills

Connotation: Makes me think of plain and boring, and also makes me think of my friend Marissa since she works at a No Frills. And the words "No Frills" literally make me think of something lacking lacy like frill (like frilly underwear).

Denotation: No-Frills actually means "without unnecessary extras". This is just what the brand is trying to get across, their logo is meant to represent simplicity and only necessary, allowing customers to get more for their dollar. And of course the leaf and the red print is representing Canada, as it is a Canadian company.

PetSmart Logo

And of course I can't forget to feed my precious Pets.

Source: Holly Marquardt

Source: Vectors Land

Connotation: Personally, I always read "PETSMART" as "pets-mart". It makes me think of cute pets, as it's one of few pet stores that actually carry a variety of pets. The ball also makes me think of fun.

Denotation: Unlike the way I pronounce it, it is "pet-smart". The boucing ball can actually have more than one meaning. It can be seen as a bouncing ball to represent pets having fun, but it can also be seen as punctuation to switch between "pet smart" ( associates them with intelligence) and "pets mart" (a shop for your pet). It is also a company started in the United States of America, so the colours represent their country.

Go Transit Logo

Often I commute between my two homes via bus or train.

Source: Holly Marquardt

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Connotation: To me, GO represent home in a way to me, because when I use Go Transit it is when I communicate between my one home (apartment in Toronto), to my other home (my house in Rockwood). The green colour to me represents money (because I pay to use it and travel, green like the earth). The word GO itself means to me simpley going from one place to another.

Denotation: The "GO" actually stands for the government of Ontario. And the colour green was also used to match the colour of highway signs in Ontario, as well as to represent "going green", since public transit is greener than driving own vehicle.

Ryerson University Logo

And of course, I attend university

Source: Holly Marquardt

Source: Ryerson University

Connotation: When I see the Ryerson university logo, the first thing that I associate it is with school work. I always think the logo is too plain and boring, and doesn't really represent all that Ryerson has to offer.

Denotation: According to the Ryerson website, the logo acknowledges the past, while taking a confident step forward. It retains many of the elements that have come to define the brand, and applies the new graphic language to any elements that have been outgrown. The logo is meant to leave a statement that the University is hoping to be "Canada’s leading comprehensive innovation university."