Publishing Mark

What I found most interesting about the earlier workers and printers was the way that they showed ownership over their work.

These days, each person has a signature.  We are made unique by our last names and the way in which we sign our names.  There is never two who are exactly alike.  Personally, I find this a very efficient use of the alphabet that we have worked so long to develop.

In the origins of writing, however, there was often no such thing as a way to write ones name, especially as many people were illiterate.  As such, the early peoples of Mesopotamia developed what was called "personal seals."

http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/cylinderseals.html

These seal were careful, and unique carvings around a cylinder that, when pressed into wet clay, would leave a mark at the bottom of pages, or the base of products.  These cylinder seals continued to be popular throughout Greek and Roman times, until the rise of the more modern empires made their use all but unnecessary.

With the rising of more modern Europe, came the new, and much simpler alphabet.  Which made it easier for many people to read, and as such, made more people want books.  As the demand grew, printing presses developed.

As the printing press developed, people again sought ways to claim their work.  This developed publishing marks.

Originally these marks were very simple, very personal marks.  Many often had religious, or local connotation.

These days, publishing logos are from big companies, their original creations mired in years and stories.  We now recognize companies, rather than an individual when we see their logos.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/16/penguin-self-publishing

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