Your enjoyment of the subsequent discoveries hinges on whether or not this line gives you a little shiver of anticipation.
Not in the Mustard-Man sense, but actual icons that once populated the pages of the web, only to fade away as tastes and fads moved on. The Atlantic series starts with the AOL icon, and where it came from. Turns out it had a noble lineage, ad-wise. Designer JoRoan Lazaro explains:
He's absolutely right. Here are some examples I scanned from "Trademarks of the 40s and 50s". Two logos from the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company. The left was used for "Bowling Score Sheets and Pencils," the other for "Billiard Equipment."
Here's the 1949 Sterling Bolt Company logo - the original, and the same one given the AOL treatment.
All is clear now, isn't it.
