Resource created by M&S Archive.
Aim of resource
This resource is part of a 'Birth of a Brand' theme intended to provide a broad picture of the development of M&S marketing, using selected items from the M&S Company Archive's collection of images. The overall aim of the Birth of a Brand related resources is to show changes in marketing throughout the history of the company, and how this links to social history and world events.
Curriculum Links
- KS3 Art & Design
- KS2 Literacy
Learning Objectives
- To understand the purpose of a company logo
- To gain knowledge of different logos used over a period of time
- To recognise styles in logos
KS3 Literacy:
- Look at the children's books advert (see Resources). Can you work out how the brand name 'Marspen' was invented?
- Keep your eyes peeled for logos and brand names on adverts, posters and packaging. Spot as many different brand names as you can. Share the results in your class, and then invent a new brand name that is made up of two different words joined together. Hold a class vote to find the favourite.
- In groups, pupils 'invent' a new company and think about developing a brand. This could lead on to looking at promotion, logos, persuasive adverts in Literacy etc, and also involve ICT e.g. for web design, using video cameras / tablets to record and edit TV adverts.
KS3 Art & Design | Graphic Design:
- Play the 'guess the logo' game to see how many well-known brands you can recognise (see Supporting Links in Resources)
- Can you think of any logos that only use graphics (e.g. signs and symbols) rather than words and letters? Design a new logo for a chain of shops using only graphics. How will you decide what colours and shapes to use?
- Look at the M&S Company Archive logo at the top of the Marks in Time website (see Supporting Links). Discuss why you think it has been designed this way - what message is it trying to convey and to whom?
- Look at the two different versions of the St Michael logo (see Resources). Why do you think the image of an angel holding up a sword was used in the first design of 1932?
- Design a new logo for your school based on either the name of the school, its location or both! Think about all the different places it will be used. How will this affect your design?
Download the M&S Advertising and Branding Timeline PDF (see Resources) to find out more about the history of the M&S brand.