The central premise of Symbol is to explore the visual language of trademarks according to their most basic element: . Unlike other design books that focus on a brand's narrative or marketing strategy, this volume divests symbols of their associated meanings and messages. This allows the reader to:
Hyland and Bateman highlight the use of "visual double entendres" (double meanings). The book showcases symbols that use negative space to create secondary imagery (e.g., the arrow hidden in the FedEx logo, though that specific example is a classic case study of the principles found throughout the book). It teaches designers to look for opportunities to layer meaning into a single shape. symbol+by+angus+hyland+and+steven+bateman+pdf+top