The book’s arranged according to subject, and analyses the development of the sign as language. The text’s in German, French, and English, featuring work by Paul Rand, Adrian Frutiger, Lance Wyman, and many other renowned designers. It’s essentially a vintage edition of Hyland & Bateman’s Symbol.
A few more spreads on this Flickr set courtesy of Unit Editions.
This last photo (below) is from a similar set by Antonio Carusone. There are apparently a few of those translucent sketch pages throughout which is a lovely touch.
Thanks for the tip, Stephen.
You can see a Flickr set of another Diethelm book, Visual Transformation. Not logo-specific, still interesting.
Comments
My favorite book. Full of imaginative and powerful icons.
Thanks so much for posting. Great to see the colour pages. One of the first books I was exposed to at university, sadly someone’s photocopied version.
Found in a second hand book store? What a find, I bet it’s the first thing you reach for when working on any new logos!
This reminds me of a set of books I read while I was interning. The inspiration is one of a kind.
Thank you for posting. I may have to dig out some of my old books from my Communication Design courses.
Great to scan through it.
I have David Consuegra’s En Busca Del Cuadrado, a cool one too.
Best regards.