Sometimes, when I'm a bit bored and need something to occupy my mind, I find myself flipping through the American Trademark Designs armada of listings. I personally like to try and find things that I've seen here and there, slickly hidden in various venues that are passed every day, in hopes of understanding many of those truly unique advertising campaigns.

While a bit on the outdated side now (1976 was its original printing year), it still has has a useful 732 trademarks, logos, and corporate symbols depicted on its 149 pages. Added to this is the fact that, even though the illustrations are in black and white, the book actually goes to the trouble of footnoting the colors and many of the meanings behind some of the symbology. Its broken down into sections, listing :
1)Entertainment, leisure, sports
2)Civic institutions and Education
3)Finance, insurance
4) Food and Beverages
5) Miscellaneous Consumer Products, Paper Products, Drugs, Toys
6) Retailers
7) Printing, Publishing and other service industries
8) Real Estate and Construction
9) Transportation
10) Utilities, oil, and heavy industry

Besides being a wonderful sociological piece, this book helps out if you want to know how long a companies been profiteering off the public, what that mesh of pictures flying by on that bus/billborad actually is, as well as if that really is someone (edited to keep a G rating) in that little logo. Recommended for people who like understanding the industrial mindset when presenting themselves to the public.

this lovely piece of art, works as my bible. Whenever I`m out of ideas or inspiration, I reach for this one. page after page of corporate nostalgica.Wanna groove ? This one`ll make you move! Kowalski.Givin` you the black man`s sound, in a white man`s town !

The most comprehensive book on Art Deco architecture from a nationwide perspective. I'm especially fond of the photos because I took most of them