Simply a Miscellaneous Design?
In case you're wondering, this design is a federally-registered non-verbal trademark.
The owner identified it as a "Miscellaneous Design," without further detail or description (since it predated the more rigorous rules on supplying the Trademark Office with an accurate and detailed description of the mark).
The U.S. Trademark Office assigned to this design mark Design Code 24.15.25 ("other arrows") and in some cases 26.17.09 ("bands, curved; bars, curved; curved lines, bands or bars; lines, curved.").
So, now that you're armed with all this valuable information, certainly you can answer three simple questions: (1) Who owns it? (2) What is it? and (3) What goods or services are identified and distinguished by this non-verbal design mark?
(1) Does this help answer my first question?
(2) As to what it is, most individuals at the Trademark Office who have coded the design connecting the "a" to "z" see an arrow, but some see a curved line too.
I see a smile (perhaps my positive outlook on life), but I'm aware of at least one other optimist, here. Actually, Graphic Design Blog identifies the Amazon.com logo as one of 25 logos with "hidden messages," one being the apparent smile. In addition, if you were to pay close attention to a previously used animated version of the Amazon.com logo, I am informed you might be able to see another more unwholesome and unintended perspective of the design, apparently an animated version from the year 2000 where the arrow grows from left to right, as described here.
(3) Now, as to what goods or services are identified and distinguished by this "miscellaneous" design mark, it is only federally-registered in the U.S. within Int'l Class 39 for "packaging of articles for transport for others." Amazon.com sought registration of the "miscellaneous" design in Int'l Classes 35, 36, 38, 41, and 42, but each of those applications eventually was abandoned.
Having said that, the "miscellaneous" design appears as part of the Amazon.com composite logo shown above and is federally-registered in that composite form for a variety of services falling in the same Int'l Classes that were abandoned for the stand-alone non-verbal logo, namely, 35, 36, 38, 41, and 42.
Lessons to be Learned?
- The "miscellaneous" description won't cut it anymore, more detail is now required;
- Sometimes designs can communicate multiple meanings and commercial impressions;
- Ultimately, the meaning of a non-verbal design is based on the impression actually created in the minds of consumers, not what may have been intended by the trademark owner or assigned by the Trademark Office;
- The assignment of U.S. Trademark Office Design Codes is rather subjective and quite imperfect; and
- Searching to clear non-verbal logos can be quite difficult and is more art than science.
We who create logos and elements thereof try to register everything we can. Strictly from a design standpoint, the standalone "smile arrow" is suggestive of a smile, but locked up with the Amazon.com words, it's more of a "swoosh" conceit meant to enliven the total logo without a lot of meaning in and of itself. The letter "Z" in Amazon seems to be bumped by this thing and is sort of fender-bendered by it. At this point, given all the brand recognition that Amazon has, I doubt that this little fillip is terribly important, unless in color. Nonetheless, we branding folks will continue to legally register what we can. And while we're on the subject, does anyone know why Jeff Bezos chose Amazon as a name? He could have named it Banana and his business could have been as successful. My own personal associations with the name Amazon aside, I was just curious if anyone knows what the logic was.
In choosing a name for his company, Bezos was precise and analytical. He wanted a name that started with the letter A to head any alphabetical list, would be short and easy to spell, would be internationally recognizable, and most importantly, would convey a sense of size that his company would offer as the largest bookstore in the world. He finally settled on Amazon.com, after the largest river in the world.
Read more: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6116/Bezos-Jeff.html#ixzz0TSz4mqP3
I'm not sure I catch the point of your inquiry - as soon as it came up on my screen, I knew I had seen it in connection with a major name (although I did not guess Amazon.com) and given who appears to own it, I think it is pretty clever (the arrow indicating our product is sent to you). Why it's not described as a curved arrow, I don't know.
The mark, by itself, is somewhat provocative. It definitely does not need to be employed singularly.
It loses some of its message when it is separated from the name; the A to Z reference is gone.
As to hidden meanings, anyone look closely at the Camel cigarettes package? How about the Arby's logo…
http://graphics1.snopes.com/business/graphics/camel1.jpg
http://imgsrv.mix1065.net/image/wwmx/UserFiles/Image/ArbysLogo.jpg
I am not sure whether your query refers to the undistinguished naming of the arrow or are soliciting comments on the design itself. Coming from the branding field, I think that the arrow with the Amazon logo is very clever indicating a smile, positive upward movement [shipping from Amazon to customer], handling everything from 'a to z' and embedding a subliminal intent message- to 'amaz'e.
How insightful, I'm impressed!
Ok - went to the link you posted again and made it down to the animated version. Glad to see I'm not the only one with this perception.
I immediately saw a sly smile when I looked at the curved line. Did not associate it with Amazon. But once I saw it beneath the word Amazon, I interpreted it as implying that Amazon was pleased to do business with customers; I must admit, I did not readily see the significance of the arrow going from A to Z, as I really only saw the smile. Very clever design, allows consumers the opportunity to view this in different ways, all of which reflect positively. Kudos to whoever designed it!
Great discussion, thanks all for your contributions. The comments reinforce to me that multiple meanings are possible even with a pretty basic design. Given that we are only a small subset of the general public, it is hard to imagine how many meanings others might see with this design, although we may have come close to exhausting the possibilities. I wonder what Amazon.com actually had in mind? The comments also highlight for me how difficult it is for the Trademark Office to classify non-verbal logos, which complicates due diligence and searching when one is preparing to launch a new non-verbal logo.
Every logo can be interpreted in various way.Many times,the designer's thought process is very different from perceptions of the logo design. An arrow can signify growth,direction,graphic even speed
I am not so sure being or projecting clever is a good way to communicate to consumers. Seems to me most consumers do not notice clever ideas or designs; I have found the KISS theory works best with consumers. Yes, it is pretty cool to see the arrow going from A to Z, however, are consumers really that clever and do any of them care what it means? If some one didn't point it out, would consumers really even notice, for that matter would any of us have noticed? Sure, I think a few would, however, I don't believe the masses would notice a thing. Seems marketing and branding people are the ones that read into it the most often. Amazon is Amazon with or without the arrow; and Nike is Nike, and it took Nike 10 years to brand their swoosh check mark so it could stand alone.
I wonder if validity of the registration will hold, if the mark is never used in commerce without the stylized amazon.com above it.
Charles, good question.
I think the existing design registration should be fine since Amazon.com uses the design as a stand alone mark on the boxes that it ships in interstate commerce.