Difference between sign and symbol. The sign-symbolic nature of art. The difference between a sign and a symbol The difference between symbols and ordinary signs

Andrey Baturin, October 24, 2018

WebEvolution Studio develops logos according to 3 tariff plans: "Express", "Standard", "Trademark". They have features and differences. You can read more about this at. But now let's talk about what is the difference between a logo and a trademark, why we have allocated such a tariff and how the registration of company symbols is beneficial to the owner.

Logo

- a memorable graphic symbol of the company, which is one of the main components of corporate identity. It can be an inscription of the name of the company, an image, an abstract symbol-emblem. This definition follows from practice, the legislation does not contain the exact meaning.

Trademark

- a designation that serves to individualize the goods of legal entities or individual entrepreneurs. A certificate is issued for it, the exclusive right is recognized for the owner. This concept and norm are enshrined in Art. 1477 GK.

The same article of the Civil Code in part 2 points to another term. We are talking about a service mark, a way to individualize a work or service.

So what is the difference between a logo and a trademark? In fact, it turns out that a trademark is used to highlight a product, and a service mark is used for services or works. A logo can be ordered by any company that produces or sells goods, provides services, provides services, performs work.

This is an understandable, but simplified formulation. The differences between the concepts are deeper, and they are contained mainly within the boundaries of the legal field.

What is the difference between a trademark and a logo

In Russian laws that regulate copyright, the term "logo" is missing. There is no such legal procedure as registration of the logo. But there is and is regulated in detail the registration of a trademark. Why did it happen?

Intellectual property is protected by the state. Not everyone receives it, but only those who, in the prescribed manner, applied for the design of the sign. He can be:

verbal.
Graphic.
Verbal-graphic.

Accounting for the "recorded" symbolism is carried out by spheres. MKTU distributes activities by classes. When a company selling washing powder wants to register the name of its product, say, "Chistin", another organization dealing with household chemicals will no longer be able to register it. But if the company earns something else, for example, it provides cleaning services, then it will be able to use the same name.

Simply put, the logo is an unregistered trademark. It is rarely covered by legal protection. Accordingly, a trademark is, among other things, a registered logo.

Not all logo owners agree to this legal operation. Although after it the trademark is guaranteed not to be able to be used by anyone else. More precisely, it can, but at the risk of being severely punished for the fact of detecting illegal use. Fines for this reach up to 5 million rubles.

The difficulty is that the trademark registration procedure:

Not easy.
Long.
Not free, but quite expensive.

Therefore, many prefer to limit themselves to the logo. This is not to say that it is not protected by intellectual property law in any way. There are times when a company and its symbol are so famous that everyone understands whose logo it is. A striking example is Russian Railways. Well-known brand emblems may not be used by any other entities, even if they operate in a different field.

The logo must be unique! As well as other business attributes: names, slogans, site domain names. In order not to accidentally violate someone's rights, you need to check for the identity of the symbolism. Of course, it cannot be compared with the expertise of patent attorneys, but it will give its results. There are many online services for searching symbols.

How is a trademark registered?

Services help to find an exact copy of a symbol. Then it becomes clear that it cannot be used. But there is such a thing as similarity to the point of confusion. In other words, the logo does not repeat the "colleague" exactly, but uses a similar font, image, color scheme.

When registering trademarks, Rospatent checks such similarity and will not issue a certificate for a mark that is similar to the registered one. Refusal can be received suddenly. You really may not know that someone has already developed and designed similar symbols. In case of refusal, the paid state fee is not refundable!

In order not to get into a similar situation, you can use the services of specialized organizations. Patent offices will check, perform a search, including for the presence of similar logos.

And now attention: important information! that we offer to clients includes pre-screening. This is done by a patent attorney who cooperates with us on an ongoing basis. Details are below.

The registration process is lengthy, taking from ten months to one and a half years. There is a plus - from the moment of filing an application until the issuance of a certificate, the owner receives a priority right to use the designation. A trademark certificate is issued for 10 years, then it needs to be renewed, which will also take a long time - about a year.

But as a result of registration, you get full rights to your branding and can:

Defend violated interests in court and demand compensation!
Sell rights to use the mark to interested parties.
Organize a franchise and profit from it.
Develop and promote the brand without the risk that competitors may “take away” your logo.

Development of a logo according to the tariff "Trademark"

Development begins with filling out a brief. When it is ready, the task is formed, and we sign the contract.
The first step is to choose a logo concept together. Having decided on it, we work with the form, then we select the font and color. There are no restrictions on the number of edits!
The next step is to search for similar trademarks.
In five working days, we prepare at least three ideas for developing a logo and show it to you. Your comments will help move in the right direction.
Step by step, we are working on the idea, getting feedback, finalizing the logo until you approve it. And then the search for the presence of similar signs is started again.

Development is carried out at a high professional level. All your ideas are embodied, and wishes are taken into account.

Please note that the preparation of documents and the fee to Rospatent are paid separately!

This tariff has an obvious plus: you get a trademark. At the same time, the probability of refusal of Rospatent in its registration is minimized. A patent attorney can help you in the future when communicating with the authority. Take the first step in this direction - call us!

Signs are common conventions objects, phenomena, actions. Examples of signs are road signs or symbols on geographical maps, sound signals - SOS or an ambulance siren, a variety of gestures, etc.

A symbol is an object, action, etc., revealing some image, concept, idea. The symbol embodies common experiences and ideas for people. A symbol is a synthesis of a sign and an image.

From primitive times different kinds images (sculptural, pictorial, graphic) were sign and symbolic codes that were used by ancient people to perform rituals, preserve and transmit information. Any significant sound, gesture, thing, event can be either a sign or a symbol.

Art speaks to people in the language of symbols. A symbol in art is an artistic image that embodies an idea. A symbol, like a riddle, is multi-valued, its meanings can be revealed indefinitely, unlike a sign, which is understood by everyone in the same way. The depth of understanding of the symbol depends on the person's ability to interpret, on his erudition and intuition.

Musical art speaks to us in the language of sounds and is filled with secrets. With amazing variety and depth, with the help of a system of signs and symbols, music expresses the richest world of human feelings. Even a single sound, taking into account all its aspects - pitch, duration, timbre, loudness - is a sign-intonation. It may indicate timidity or confidence, constraint or freedom, tenderness or rudeness.

We can also talk about plastic signs that reproduce gesture, movement. There is always a desire to create in the human nature - the need to explore, invent, build, solve complex, intricate problems. One of these problems was the scientific idea of creating a perpetual motion machine (perpetuum mobile). His invention would have had a huge impact on the development of the world economy. And only music as a temporary art is subject to the embodiment of the image of "perpetual motion". Its symbol was the instrumental pieces "Perretuum mobile" ("Perpetual motion") of various composers: N. Paganini, F. Mendelssohn, N. Rimsky-Korsakov and others.

A musical sign that becomes a symbol can be called the motive of fate - the grain-intonation from which the entire Symphony No. 5 of L. Beethoven grows. And there are many such examples in the art of music.

National anthems are musical symbols that embody the unity of the people, their culture, pride in their country. There were eras in history when people especially often turned to symbols in art. An example is medieval Christian art. In the Middle Ages, the aspiration of man to God was of particular interest. Therefore, the things that surrounded a person interested the artist only to the extent that they were connected with the meaning of Holy Scripture. Many medieval paintings depict a bowl, grapes (wine) and bread - symbols of the sacrament of communion; lily or iris flowers - a symbol of the Mother of God.

The choice of color, color is also symbolic: red-brown was a symbol of everything earthly (clay, earth); red - the color of shed sacrificial blood, the fire of faith; blue or blue symbolized everything heavenly, holy; and green is the color of hope, the color of life, a symbol of consolation, rebirth to a new life.

From the fifteenth century the things depicted in the picture are endowed with a double meaning at the same time - religious and everyday. In the religious, the traditional divine symbolism of the Middle Ages continues; in everyday life, the usual significance of a thing in Everyday life person.

Many works of the XVII century. are symbolic in nature, which is often conveyed by the objects presented in them: glasses with wine, bread, fish, withered flowers, watches, etc. Sometimes ordinary objects, unusually combined in one composition, are figurative codes that are difficult to decipher. This is especially true for the widespread in the 17th century. still life, called vanitas (vanitas - vanity of vanities) and reminding a person of the frailty of his existence. They depict skulls, candles, flowers, clocks, sheet music and musical instruments (the sound has ceased, which means it has died), which are perceived as encrypted messages. The artists working in the subjects of vanitas spoke about the futility of earthly existence, about the transience of being. The very name of the painting "Vanity of Vanities" speaks of the frailty of earthly vanity - the pursuit of wealth, power, pleasures.

In still life, the artist conveys the value of everyday life, the significance of simple things. His attitude to the world is different in that he sees and feels the obvious or hidden life that is poured into everything that exists, in nature, in matter itself. That is why another name for still life is shtilleben (Dutch stillleven, German stilleben, Eng. still life) - a quiet (silent) life.

For the artist, there are no "silent things", for him everything is "expressive and speaking being" (M. Bakhtin).

Portraits, landscapes, still lifes, genre scenes by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) reflect his rebellious, lonely soul, independent of canons and norms. His work is permeated with a sense of acute anxiety and confusion. Difficult inner world the artist is often revealed through symbols. Van Gogh sought to reflect content through expressive, psychologically rich colors.

“I tried to express in red and green the terrible passions of man,” said the artist. The emotional intensity was amplified many times over thanks to the technique used by the master of overlaying paint with small dashed lines and the undulating rhythm of their movement.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) also used symbolism in his works. The subjects of his still lifes were often musical instruments. Perhaps this is due to the sophistication of their forms, or perhaps with the desire to synthesize painting and music.

Art as a universal way of communication ART IS A CONDUCTOR OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY The special power of art lies not only in the fact that it conveys information to us, but also about what may be even more important: it is a conductor of spiritual energy. Art has a beneficial effect on human emotions: it inspires, inspires hope, makes you empathize. Viktor Popkov "Father's Overcoat" A kind of self-portrait of the artist. In the picture, the artist depicted himself in an old overcoat left over from his father who died in the war. In the background, the disembodied shadows of widows, made in mournfully crimson, hover. The canvas conveys the artist's personal experiences, but it also restores the spiritual kinship of generations, the continuity of heroic traditions, and pays a grateful tribute to the military past. The overcoat itself is a symbol of all those who mourn for those who died in the war. Vasily Surikov "Morning of the Streltsy Execution", 1881 Surikov did not show the execution itself, since he did not seek to shock the viewer, but wanted to tell about the tragic fate of the people at the time of the historical turning point. The artist focused on the state of mind of the condemned and what each of them experiences in the last minutes of his life. consciousness and feelings. There are two main characters in the picture - young Peter, sitting on a horse near the Kremlin walls, and a red-haired archer, angrily looking at the king. This frantic man is the emotional center of the composition. His hands are tied, his feet are stuffed into the stocks, but he did not resign himself to his fate. In his hands he clutches a candle with a tongue of flame rising up. Peter looks at the archers with a no less angry and implacable look. He is full of self-righteousness. A diagonal line can be drawn between the figures of the archer and Peter, which visually demonstrates the opposition of these characters. Spectators empathize with the archers, imbued with their state of mind. After all, each of them experiences the last minutes of his life in his own way: some - in a state of fear and despair, others - in impotent anger, rebelliousness to fate, others in tears and prayers. ART AS A UNIVERSAL WAY OF COMMUNICATION SIGNS AND SYMBOLS OF ART From primitive times, various types of images (sculptural, pictorial, graphic) were sign and symbolic codes that were used by ancient people to perform rituals, preserve and transmit information. Any significant sound, gesture, thing, event can be either a sign or a symbol. SIGN AND SYMBOL How do you understand these terms? In what expressions do we use these words? How is a sign different from a symbol? Signs are generally accepted conventions for objects, phenomena, and actions. Examples of signs can be road signs or symbols on geographical maps, sound signals - SOS or an ambulance siren, a variety of gestures, etc. A sign is understood by everyone in the same way. A symbol is an object, action, etc., revealing some image, concept, idea. The symbol embodies common experiences and ideas for people. A symbol is a synthesis of a sign and an image. The symbol, like a riddle, is multi-valued, its meanings can be revealed indefinitely. Understanding the symbol depends on the erudition of a person and his intuition. A symbol can be denoted by a number, a property, a form. For example, the number 7 is a symbol of perfection and completeness (seven days in each phase of the moon, seven colors of the rainbow, seven notes, seven days of the week, seven virtues, seven deadly sins, seven sacraments Seven deadly sins that can destroy the soul: anger, pride, voluptuousness (lust), laziness, gluttony, avarice (greed) and envy Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1460 -1516) The Seven Deadly Sins There were eras in history when people especially often turned to symbols in art. to God. Therefore, the things that surrounded a person were of interest to the artist only to the extent that they were connected with the meaning Holy Scripture. Many medieval paintings depict a cup, grapes (wine) and bread - symbols of the sacrament of communion; lily or iris flowers are a symbol of the Mother of God. Simon Ushakov icon "The Last Supper" by S. Botticelli "The Annunciation" The choice of color, color is also symbolic: red-brown was a symbol of everything earthly (clay, earth); red is the color of shed sacrificial blood, the fire of faith; blue or blue symbolized everything heavenly, holy; green is the color of hope, the color of life, a symbol of consolation, rebirth to a new life. Trinity. Andrei Rublev. From the fifteenth century the things depicted in the picture are endowed with a double meaning at the same time - religious and everyday. In the religious, the traditional divine symbolism of the Middle Ages continues. Adrian van Utrecht. Still life with a bouquet and a skull. Carlo Crivelli "Madonna" In everyday life, the usual significance of a thing in a person's everyday life is manifested. Many works of the seventeenth century are symbolic, which is often conveyed by the objects presented in them: glasses with wine, bread, fish, wilted flowers, watches, etc. Pieter Klas. Still life with crab Simon-Renard de Saint-André. Still life vanitas (vanitas - vanity of vanities), reminding a person of the frailty of his existence. Still life vanitas (vanitas) These still lifes depict: skulls, candles, flowers, clocks, sheets of music and musical instruments (the sound has ceased, then died) Jurian van Streck. Vanity of vanities The very name of the picture speaks of the frailty of earthly vanity - the pursuit of wealth, power, pleasures. In still life, the artist conveys the value of everyday life, the significance of simple things. His relationship to the world. A plumed helmet, a hunting horn and a sword symbolize military prowess and earthly entertainment. A skull entwined with an ear, a drawing depicting a boy's head, denote youth, death and the future resurrection. The edition of Sophocles' Electra in a Dutch translation by the poet Joost van Vondel alludes to the immortality of art in the face of the frailty of earthly glory. . The skull is a reminder of the inevitability of death. . Soap bubbles - brevity of life and suddenness of death; a reference to the expression homo bulla - "man is a soap bubble." . cups, playing cards or bones, chess (rarely) - a sign of an erroneous life goal, a search for pleasure and a sinful life. . Hourglass and mechanical clock - the transience of time. . Musical instruments, notes - the brevity and ephemeral nature of life, a symbol of the arts. . Weapons and armor are a symbol of power and might, a designation of what cannot be taken with you to the grave. . Crowns and papal tiaras, scepters and orbs, wreaths of leaves are signs of transient earthly domination, which is opposed to the heavenly world order. . Rotten fruit is a symbol of aging. Ripe fruits symbolize fertility, abundance, in a figurative sense, wealth and prosperity. . A smoking pipe is a symbol of fleeting and elusive earthly pleasures. . Books and maps (mappa mundi), the pen is a symbol of the sciences. . Globe, both the earth and the starry sky. . Portraits, anatomical drawings, letters symbolize human relationships.

According to Jung, a sign always replaces something else. It contains a certain well-known meaning, which can be expressed in another way. The main feature of a sign is the ability to implement the substitution function. The word replaces the thing, object, concept; money replaces value, socially necessary labor; the map replaces the terrain; Continuing the thought - the logo replaces the image of the company, the brand of the product replaces the image of this product. "A sign is always less than the concept it represents, while a symbol always contains more than its obvious and immediate meaning." A symbol is a natural and spontaneous product, unlike a sign, a symbol is something "in itself - dynamic and alive."

It should be noted that simple ideas expressed by a symbol carry an emotional coloring, gain new strength, expand their meaning from a particular case to a generalization. Thus, a stylized image of a heart on a blood transfusion center logo will be only a sign, but a heart carved into a tree or lined with margarine in an advertisement for the corresponding product is already a symbol, not a sign.

Another very important difference between a symbol and a sign is that the sign has a practical, unambiguous meaning in its nature: "no smoking", "danger", "exit", "entrance", "no way". The symbol has much more values sometimes contradicting each other. Therefore, if for a symbol polysemy is a positive quality - the more polysemantic the symbol, the more meaningful it is, then for a sign polysemy is a negative phenomenon - the more unambiguously the sign is understood, the more constructively it can be used.

The system "archetype - archetypal image (symbol) - sign" acts as the basis for the archetypal modeling of the brand image. This method is based on the understanding of the human psyche as an element of the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious and its structural elements - archetypes - are manifested in the human mind in dreams, myths and legends through archetypal images (symbols), which serve as central elements in the formation of the brand image.

Thus, advertising images of brands in this technique are a reflection of the archetypes of the collective unconscious person, which are represented in advertising with the help of archetypal symbols and their functional substitutes - signs.

Summing up, we can conclude that the main content of signs-symbols is the promotion of the idea or ideological concept contained in them. In the case of the blessing of the cross - the idea of Christ, who sacrificed himself for the salvation of all people on earth; in the case of the cruiser Aurora, the ideas of the Bolshevik revolution and the transformation of the world according to their own canons; in Ionesco's play - an attempt to understand the terrible tragedy experienced by the peoples of Europe during the invasion of fascist hordes during the Second World War; in the case of the family album, the satisfaction of sweet memories of past times, gone forever and displayed in photographs. In ordinary signs, their main function is the function of designating an object or phenomenon reflected in them. This is not their only function, but it serves as the main incentive for the existence of a sign of this kind.

Since primitive times, various types of images (sculptural, pictorial, graphic) have been sign and symbolic codes that were used by ancient people to perform rituals, preserve and transmit information. Any significant sound, gesture, thing, event can be either a sign or a symbol.

Signs are generally accepted conventions for objects, phenomena, and actions. Examples of signs are road signs or symbols on geographical maps, sound signals - SOS or an ambulance siren, a variety of gestures, etc.

A symbol is an object, action, etc., revealing some image, concept, idea. The symbol embodies common experiences and ideas for people. A symbol is a synthesis of a sign and an image.

Musical art speaks to us in the language of sounds. National anthems are musical symbols that embody the unity of the people, their culture, pride in their country.

There were eras in history when people especially often turned to symbols in art. An example is medieval Christian art. In the Middle Ages, the aspiration of man to God was of particular interest. Therefore, the things that surrounded a person interested the artist only to the extent that they were connected with the meaning of Holy Scripture. Many medieval paintings depict a bowl, grapes (wine) and bread - symbols of the sacrament of communion; lily or iris flowers - a symbol of the Mother of God.

Portraits, landscapes, still lifes, genre scenes by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) reflect his rebellious, lonely soul, independent of canons and norms. His work is permeated with a sense of acute anxiety and confusion. The complex inner world of the artist is often revealed through symbols. Van Gogh sought to reflect content through expressive, psychologically rich colors.