These symbols or logos are a few of the world's best known drawings. Most of them are what we call "brands". They communicate so much and are so powerful that they can be worth millions of dollars. A brand can be a symbol of power and authority, but is most often a promise - a promise of service, quality, or value. timtim is a brand - a brand that promises easy-to-find, high-quality drawings, articles, and a drawing tool that are all well drawn and family safe.
The term "brand" comes from the early days of the open cattle ranges in the USA where ranchers were forced to burn symbols on the hide of their cattle for identification. The term "maverick", originally meant an unbranded calf, and comes from a rancher in Texas named Samuel Augustus Maverick. At the end of the American Civil War in 1865, he decided that since all other cattle were branded, his would be identified by having no markings at all. So cattle without a brand were called "Mavericks".
In today's world, "maverick" has an almost negative meaning and a word to avoid if you desire success. For this reason, "Branding" has become the hottest buzzword in today's advertising business. Companies spend millions to create and maintain their brands. Brands are visual icons which can, in a millisecond, communicate the promise of a product, service, quality, knowledge, and authority that would otherwise take minutes of reading. Some brands like religious symbols, the dollar sign, and the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol have been with us for centuries. Other brands have been pounded into our consciousness by constant exposure to ads on TV, the Internet, and printed media. Today's average person is hit by as many as 3,000 advertising and promotional messages each day. So much of our daily lives is now associated with brands, that some behavioral scientists claim we are suffering from "Brand Blindness!Most brands that stick in our minds seem very simple to create. But designing or drawing new brands is no easy task. Illustrators and graphic artists must work closely with an institution or company when creating a brand, and many versions are rejected before several are finally tried out in marketing tests to judge people's reactions. When a final version of a brand is chosen, then the real work begins. The brand owner must build the "promise" of the brand in the minds of those who see and use it. And protecting the brands or logos is a costly and on-going job. For this reason, the brands that succeed become very valuable drawings - actually the most valuable drawings in the world!
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