When I was young my great-grandfather started a tanning business, in the sense that he was a tanner who produced leather goods.

He had to buy a sign to put above his shop. The sign maker asked him if he wanted to put a logo on the sign, too.

"Why?" asked my grandfather.

"So people will recognize your business," said the sign maker.

"That's what the name is for," answered grandfather.

Even at the time I thought this was an interesting perspective.

I always remember that day because afterward when the sign maker left the next person to come into the tanning store was a woman from a nearby dessert shop who gave us free ice cream cones.

Unrelated to logo design, that woman later married my uncle!