What does Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, and Game of Thrones all have in common? You probably guessed it from the title of this post, but the answer is: the use of symbols and logos. From house symbols, to clan symbols, to symbols of uprisings: you are very likely to find many of them in popular fantasy media.
3 Main Reasons to Use Logos and Symbols:
1. Team Reminders.
While this one might not be important for every writer, it can be if you have a large cast of characters and are worried about your readers keeping track of who is on who’s team.
2. It makes your world seem more real and thought out.
There is something about a gang having a symbol that makes it seem more powerful. Likewise, a inn that has a symbol everyone knows tells the readers that the inn has a reputation that often comes with a long history.
3. Marketing!
This is a common motive for writers, since the symbol can give you easy merchandise to either sell or use in giveaways. For example, just think about all the house merchandise from Harry Potter.
Idea’s To Attach a Logo’s Or Symbol To:
- Companies, Businesses, Guilds
- Schools
- Cities (such as a city crest), Towns
- Houses, Families, and Clans
- Secret Organizations
- Cults, Religions
- Gangs
- Teams
- Celebrities
- Festivals, Celebrations
Idea’s Show Off The Logo’s or Symbols:
- Medals/Awards
- Identifiers (ex: police badge, trade badge, guild coin)
- Uniforms (ex: shoulder patch, or a crest embroidered onto a tabard)
- Buildings (ex: a crest above a door, hanging from banner)
- Books
- Wagons (ex: hanging from a flag, carved into wood, painted on the wagon wood)
- Saddles
- Food (ex: worked onto the top part of a pie, crafted out of sugar art)
- Directional markers/road signs
- Seals (ex: wax letter seals)
- Stamps (ex: a wood-carved stamp used to mark crates)
- Brands (ex: branding livestock, or branding wood)
- Luggage
- Craft items (ex: a furniture guild leaving their mark on the bottom of a chair, a stone mason leaving a mark in the building they are working on)
- Graffiti (painted, burned, or carved onto a wall)
- Tattoos
- In Public Spaces (ex: carved in the stone above the water fountain, carved onto stone on a marker stone in the town square)
- On Currency/Money
- Embroidered onto a tent
- Upon a Shield
About The Author
Briar Crawford
Author
Briar Crawford, is a wordsmith on a quest to weave tales that transport readers to fantastical realms. Through her blog, she shares the insights and resources gathered along her writing journey, hoping to aid fellow writers.
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