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Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

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Logo Branding and Literacy in Early Childhood Education

Presenter: 
Gunnar Wray (The Pennsylvania State University - Capital Campus)
Presentation type: 
Paper
Abstract: 

Most research regarding children and brand logo recognition examines the negative effects of advertising on a child’s physical and social well-being. However, very little research indicates whether logo brand recognition can be utilized as a positive aid in enhancing literacy skills in children at an early age. This presentation examines the significance of logo branding in regards to a child’s early literacy development. Fifty children between the ages of two and five years were asked to identify 15 popular brand logos from television, films, toys, and restaurants. The children were also asked to identify the logos written in the Times New Roman typeface. The results of the study indicate that logo branding has a major impact on the literacy skills of pre-school aged children. Not only are children recognizing signs, but they are also being exposed to the powerful subtleties of graphic design and how trademarks and logotypes use abstract symbols and pictorial icons to make memorable statements.

Scheduled on: 
Friday, November 4, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm

About the presenter

Gunnar Wray

Hi. My work as a graphic designer has been recognized by AIGA, The One Show, The Type Director’s Club, Communication Arts and Cannes Lions. I’ve also been a contributing writer for McSweeney’s and Cavalier Literary Couture at Columbia University. At present, I’m a graduate student at Penn State University Capital Campus. I just completed my first picture book.

Session information

The Child in the Marketplace: Children as Real and Imagined Consumers

Friday, November 4, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm (Tango)

Children occupy a unique role in the contemporary landscape of marketing and commerce, both as imagined audiences and as powerful consumers. This panel asks how childhood is imagined by market researchers who function also as knowledge brokers, how children resist the marketing strategies of Disney and universalizing discourses of childhood, and whether brand recognition can have a positive impact on early literacy skills.

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