Japanese mon are family crests,
and many have been unchanged for centuries. They were used as patterns on armor, flags, swords, clothing and other personal articles. By the 12th century AD, crests were widely used by aristocratic families, and since then were increasingly adopted by common folk. Many mon embody principles of modern logo design. The logo for the Mitsubishi Group is a combination of the family mon of the founder’s family and the mon of his first employer’s family.
(Excerpt from Logo Theory: How Branding Design Really Works,
Section 9: A Brief Overview of Branding History) |
