Abstract: In the brand signification process, the brand logo is considered the essential element of brand visual identification systems due to its role in constructing a brand’s visual representations. Generally, brand logos can be divided into three types according to their external representations: character-based, graphical and compound. However, this classification does not reflect the deep relationships between brand logos and their related goods. Inspired by Peircean semiotics, this paper holds that there are three types of logo signs – icons, indices and symbols – based on the relation between each logo and its object. The boundaries dividing these three types often become mixed due to the special nature of the brand logo, which can thus be regarded as a sign that blends icons, indices and symbols.
Keywords: Sign; brand logo; brand visual identification; reference
