Disney and the Penguin Publishing: the Test of Time

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Creators and Realities
Codes
Dominant Readings
Context Change
Relationships with Audiences
Allusions
Other Texts
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Although the significance of semiotics may be taken for granted in everyday life, it defines the choices that people make in the realm of the global economy regularly (Belk 1988). Allowing one to explore the impact that a certain combination of signs and their visual elements produces on target demographics because of the appeal to their cultural specifics, semiotics serves as the foundation for developing a deep understanding of the factors that compel people to define a particular symbol or logo as appealing (Mick 1986). By applying the specified theory to the images that have patented themselves as extraordinarily memorable and incredibly appealing, one will be able to define the reasons for global brands to have their staying power. Even though the branding philosophies of Disney and the Penguin Publishing are quite different from each other, both companies have managed to cement their unforgettable images in the minds of their audiences, thus, creating an opportunity to make their products both relatable and unique.

Creators and Realities

The initial Penguin logo was created by Edward Young, a 21-year-old employee at the Penguin Publishing Company (The tale behind the Penguin logo 2013). The Drawing was inspired partially by the Albatross Library that was about to cease to exist at the time, and partially by Young’s personal experience at the North Sea. Therefore, despite the lack of connection between the image and the company’s products, the logo had a clear and strong legacy (Ng & Lee 2015).

The image of a castle, which has become inseparable from the Disney Company over the years, in turn, also has a peculiar history. The castle was initially designed after the one in the Cinderella movie, yet it had to be simplified for better perception by target viewers. With Walt Disney’s name in the foreground, the castle managed to become an iconic Disney brand (The history of Disney and its logo design 2017).

Codes

The use of semiotic codes is crucial to the success of a company’s logo. As a explains, it is crucial for an organization to “understand the unspoken cultural rules or codes that underpin contemporary communications and determine how people make sense of what everyone else is on about” (Lawes 2002, p. 253). Thus, the foundation for appealing to the target demographics is created, and the premises for helping customers bond with the company, thus, building a strong connection and developing loyalty toward it and its brands, can be created.

Dominant Readings

Even though in the present-day multicultural environment, audiences are largely provided with a chance to imbue signs and other elements of visual media with the meanings that pertain to their culture, it is important to consider the dominant ideas that are typically associated with the logos of Disney and the Penguin Publishing. It should be noted, though, that, at this point, both companies have become household names, which means that their public images have been worn out to death by now. Nevertheless, the logos that are traditionally used by the organizations mentioned above manage to retain their authenticity. Nevertheless, the impact of the firms that own them defines the reading of the signs to a considerable degree. For instance, in Disney’s case, the castle is typically associated with family-friendly, unambiguous, and entirely unthreatening entertainment (Wattanasuwan 2005). Although the identified representation of the organization does not allow taking risks and pushing the envelope, it helps cement the image of the company, thus, increasing the levels of loyalty among its target customers (Guenther & Vittori 2012).

The Penguin logo, in turn, was originally supposed to be both a reference to the situation in which the author of the drawing once found himself while sailing across the North Sea (Penguin logo evolution, 2012). Therefore, the key interpretation of the logo had to revolve around the idea of environmentalism and the image of a submarine in the ocean, as the company’s records say (Penguin logo evolution, 2012). In other words, the logo as supposed to reference both the war and environmentalism at the same time:

Edward Young, who designed Penguin’s famous ‘dignified but flippant’ logo and the color scheme for its book covers was a submariner during the war. His boat was involved in a collision that saw it sank to the bottom of the North Sea, but Young escaped by swimming to the surface. (Penguin logo evolution, 2012)

Needless to say, the specified interpretation turned out to be far too complex, with its elements failing to be connected in any way that could help create a strong brand image and a powerful message. As a result, the image of a penguin on the covers of books published by the company, at best, represents a reference to environmentalism and animal rights and, at worst, is entirely devoid of meaning for most audiences in the present-day world (Kuttnig 2015).

Context Change

As stressed above, the Penguin Publishing logo is, perhaps, the one that has suffered the greatest number of changes and, therefore, has lost the largest amount of its meaning since the day when it was created. Therefore, a massive alteration of the context can be observed in the specified case. While the logo was started as an attempt to pay homage to a once huge library and was, later on, expanded with an additional layer of meaning about the author’s experience in the North Sea, the logo was finally reduced to a rather basic environmental message. Even though the change occurred when the company had already cemented itself in the publishing market and was globally renowned, the narrowing of the initially profound meaning can be seen as slightly discouraging (Lee, ‎Yao & Mizerski 2015).

The Disney logo, in turn, seems to have not only kept its original appeal but also managed to retain its timelessness. What at first glance might seem like a commonplace idea works nowadays to the advantage of the organization, allowing it to appeal to a vast range of demographics? Therefore, an initially shallow concept of a fairy-tale castle was gradually expanded into the image that could embrace an extremely wide range of audiences and, thus, help the company keep its position in the global entertainment industry, at the same time attracting new buyers. Therefore, when considering the context change and the evolution that both logos have experienced over time, one must give credit to Disney for being more creative and more reasonable with the changes in their logo’s history (Keller, ‎Marino & Wallace 2016).

Relationships with Audiences

Both signs try to communicate unique ideas to their target demographics and establish strong relationships with the people that they view as their customers. Despite the difference in the type of products that the firms are trying to sell their buyers, both Disney and the Penguin Publishers are attempting at creating the environment of comfort and certainty that contributes to their audiences developing trust toward the organizations. The specified attempt becomes especially visible when considering the semantics of the sign, particularly, the absence of any negative connotations that could be attributed to the signs. Neither the castle represented in Disney’s official logo nor the penguin pictured on every book issued by the Penguin Publishing Company can be interpreted as threatening or disturbing. The specified characteristic is true for not only the ideas and notions implanted in the images but also the color scheme thereof; both include only two colors (blue and white in Disney’s logo and black and white in the Penguin Publishing Company’s sign). While the meaning of the identified colors and the notions that are typically associated with them may vary depending on the culture through the lens of which they are viewed, the signs were designed to make audiences feel comfortable and cozy, thus, helping build their loyalty toward the firms (Robbins & Polite 2014).

Allusions

Even though both logos might seem simplistic in their design, they contain several important allusions that make them easier to attach to the organizations and, therefore, having a lasting impact on the target audience. For instance, the logo created by the Disney Company can be viewed as the allusion to fairy-tales that are typically set in Medieval times and tell the stories of princesses and adventures. Although it would be rather difficult to pinpoint the exact fairy-tale based on which the logo was created, it could be argued that the famous castle alludes to one of the Grimm brothers’ tales, particularly, the Sleeping Beauty (The history of Disney and their logo design 2017). It should be borne in mind, though, that the Disney Company has been clever enough to refrain from pinpointing the actual fairy-tale from which the castle was taken; thus, the company’s target audiences can choose the story to which they relate most and, thus, make a stronger connection to the image.

The Penguin Publishing Company, in turn, is more direct in its endeavor at building its brand image based on a preexisting history of successful marketing. The concept of a bird being used to represent the organization was borrowed from the Albatross Library (Penguin logo evolution, 2012). While the idea that sparked the creation of the logo might seem as simplistic, it could be argued that, by using the specified concept, the Penguin Publishing alludes to not simply the Albatross Library but to the notion of a library as a repository of the human knowledge, in general. As a result, a very strong and powerful message about the company keeping the tradition of reading being the key source of learning and development since the times immemorial up to present days seems to be a very elegant way of building a brand image (Penguin Books Penguin logo 2014). Similarly, to the Disney Company, which uses a rather generic image of a castle to avoid cultural misrepresentations, the Penguin Publishing Company decided to choose the bird that was not linked directly to either of its audiences’ backgrounds, yet could be easily relatable because of its very recognizable image, as well as rather unthreatening and charming looks (Butler & Tischler 2015).

Other Texts

The use of the signs in question in other texts is a rather intricate issue (Davis, Greenhill & LaFountain 2015). On the one hand, Disney’s logo has the advantage of being placed on every possible product related to the Disney franchise, from movies to toys to clothes, etc. Thus, more people can see it every day and connect with the company on personal and subconscious levels (Lantos 2015). On the other hand, the Penguin Publishing logo has the advantage of appearing next to a literal text that people will read and to which they may return. Furthermore, the number of novels top in which the Penguin Publishing logo is attached is beyond immense. Consequently, the sign-in question can be regarded as a highly memorable symbol (Wheeler 2017).

Conclusion

By using the images and concepts that are both universal and abstract enough to be easily relatable and extraordinarily memorable for all members of the target demographic, both Disney and the Penguin Publishing manage to make their logos unique and unforgettable. With an impressive history to support the specified signs, the logos speak to every single member of the target population on a very personal level. Thus, what might seem as a nonsensical choice resulted in immediate success and the development of a cult status among a significant number of people all over the world. By using signs in a very clever and well thought out manner, Disney and the penguin Publishing created the legacy that has survived massive challenges in the past and is likely to withstand the ones that the companies may face in the future. The universality of the logos and the simplicity of the design is what speaks to every member of the target demographics on a very personal level, therefore, allowing for the signs to remain extraordinarily popular even when their novelty faded. Simple yet appealing and charming in their simplicity, the signs in question can be viewed as perfect examples of a logo created to target customers from any culture or ethnic background.

Reference List

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Lee, ‎A, Yao, J & Mizerski, R. 2015, The strategy of global branding and brand equity, Routledge, New York, NY.

Mick, DG. 1986, ‘Consumer research and semiotics: exploring the morphology of signs, symbols, and significance’, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 196-213.

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Wheeler, A. 2017, Designing brand identity: an essential guide for the whole branding team, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.

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