Our world is filled with brands: every day, we are surrounded by trademarks, and we may not even realize it. Aside from the immediately recognizable logos that populate our daily life, we regularly encounter brands in the design of objects, in the color of things, in the layout of buildings, in recognizable musical notes, and even in smells.
Just as design is present in every aspect of the world around us, so too are the elements designed to be distinct to a particular brand.
In this series, using the framework of the elements of design, DMoC is thrilled to introduce a guest author from Greensfelder’s IP law team, Angela Kalsi, to explore the trademark concepts behind the brands we encounter every day.
No 1 — The Line
Take one of the most basic elements of design—the line—and consider how it can be employed by a brand. The iconic three-stripe logo of Adidas is immediately recognizable as a well-known trademark.
But did you know that the three stripes that appear on the actual products themselves are also trademarks? You may be wearing a trademark right now! Presented here are images of trademarks that were all successfully registered by Adidas.
As can be seen, the three lines comprising the Adidas logo are elongated and adapted in distinctive ways on a wide array of apparel, showing the versatility of the concept—simple and effective.
