The NAS Logo and Branding
What is the NAS Logo and where did it come from?
The following explanation is taken from Valerie Fenwick's IJNA editorial (2000) vol. 29.1. IJNA subscribers can access the full article via the members area of the website.
As it happens, the logo is no more than one of a number of
versions of the 'truth' of a painting on a bichrome Cypriot jug only
16cm high. That painting, we can only surmise, conveys true
information about a contemporary ship which the artist sought
to depict in about the 7th century BC.
For the NAS logo only the main part of the representation was
selected because the complete drawing was too elongated for a
neat design. On the other hand scholars of iconography appear to
have reproduced the scene incompletely, either because the coarse
joke created by the fish was not appreciated or because it was not
understood.
The result of this bowdlerism has led to
errors of interpretation even in the British Museum where the pot
is exhibited (GR 1926.6-28.9), 'The ship is propelled from the
stern by a helmsman with two oars; a crewman lowers an anchor from
the bow and another falls off the stern of the ship towards a fish.
The sail (the zig-zag line) is attached at the bottom of the mast
[sic]'. The humour of the scene has not been grasped; the
defecating crewman has become a man overboard; the fish and the
objects of its attentions are not understood; and the quarter-rudders
are even identified as the method of propulsion.
This in turn leads to the supposition
that the ship is underway; thus the crewman in the bow must be casting
the anchor, although it is clear that he is in the act of climbing aboard
with it. Lest it be thought that the British Museum is alone in this,
there are other published examples; some scholars omit the fish,
others the squatting man but not the faeces; there are errors in
details of the hull and in the angle of the rudder blades.
Does this matter? In that it is
symptomatic of academic sloppiness and failure to evaluate
iconographic evidence within its context, it certainly does. The
setting and apparent purpose, the oeuvre, the scale of the image,
material and technique all need to be taken into account if iconography
is to be used as 'ancient evidence'.
V. Karageorghis and J. des Gagniers
published the jug as No. XI. I in the second volume of La céramique
chypriote de style figure, âge du Fer (Rome, 1974) and commented
that the hull is in the form of a crescent, not as truly seen, but
as the result of removing the image from the strong curvature of
the pot. When the jug is viewed the hull appears quite flat-bottomed
along its mid section. In other words transferring the image to paper
distorts the visual image. The authors delicately describe the scene
at the stern, 'sur une rame du gouvernail, un homme accroupi est
peint en silhouette....De son postérieur part une file de points, reliée
à un poisson nageant obliquement derrière lui.'
 The ship is a merchantman carrying items
rarely depicted but commonly found on the Mediterranean seabed,
namely amphoras and stone anchors. The representation does not
occur in the usual context of either a carefully draughted, expensive
work of art, or an impromptu graffito. It appears on a minor object
in everyday use, competently painted with bold brush-strokes. The
artist has confidently selected the elements of the scene to wrap
around a three-dimensional surface. He has left us the problem of
reproducing his intended image on the two-dimensional page.
Using the NAS Logo
The NAS logo is the backbone of our brand. A brand is a collection of images and ideas representing an organisation – in this case, the NAS. More specifically, it refers to the recognisable symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme. The NAS brand is the symbolic embodiment of everything the Society stands for, including our products and services, creating associations and expectations amongst our members and the wider community.
The image in the logo is one of a 7th century BC merchantman found on a bichrome Cypriot jug.
The ship depicted is carrying items rarely represented but commonly found on the Mediterranean seabed, namely amphora and stone anchors.
The representation does not occur in the usual context of either a carefully draughted, expensive work of art, or an impromptu graffito. It appears on a minor object in everyday use, competently painted with bold brush-strokes. It helps to represent implicit values, ideas, the personality of the Society and what we stand for - cultural accessories as important to the NAS as the merchantman was to ancient Mediterranean trade.
The Society is working hard to ensure that we maximise the potential of the brand by having a consistent look and feel; one people are comfortable with, and one that is reliable.
In the same way that as an individual we may relate to an old friend, our Members (and the wider community) relate to the Society through it’s branding. Consistency, reliability, integrity, and professionalism are key.
Below are downloadable version of our logo for print only.
If you wish to use the logo for embroidery, please contact the office to obtain the simplified versions. The usage guidelines indicate what can and cannot be done with our logo, ensuring uniformity in the way our branding appears.
The logo should always appear prominently as the major visual element of the brand identity. It is made up of two elements – the logotype (the illustration) and the wordmark (the text). The relative sizes and positions of these elements are fixed and they should not be separated. The type must not be changed or the logotype altered in any way.If you are not sure whether you can use the logo in a particular way, please contact the office for more information.
Typeface: What Fonts Can I use?
In order that the NAS brand remains consistent, the typeface used in the logo must not be changed under any circumstance. The type is part of the logo.
For other printed material, please use the guide below.
For stationery and other printed materials:
Universe 67 CondensedBold
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890!@£$%^&*()
Universe 57 Condensed
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890!@£$%^&*()
For letters, documents & body copy:
Universe 65 Bold
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890!@£$%^&*()
Universe 55
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890!@£$%^&*()
Although these are standard fonts, if they are not available to you, please use Arial or Arial Narrow 10 point.
Reproduction of the NAS Logo
Due to the details in the logo, it is recommended that the logo be reproduced against a plain coloured or simple graduated background, and not again an image background as shown in these samples below, the logo clarity can too easily get lost against an image.
The whole logo must always be reproduced in a single colour (or a tint) of the following colour options. Do not use different colours to separate the logotype and the word mark. Legal colours are pure black, pure white or:
Spot = Pantone 654
Process = C100 M67 Y0 K37
RGB = R8 G34 B94
Download the guidelines
Download the Vertical Logo
Download the Horizontal Logo
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