Proximity Comparison Modes for Logo Design

Apart from being an identifiable logo, a trademark is a foundation for the trust an enterprise brings to its consumers. This study describes issues regarding trademark infringement with the trademark map concept and conducted two experiments on graphic designers: item-by-item pair-wise comparison mode (Task 1) and general group comparison mode (Task 2). The study then investigated the validity of both modes with SPSS 17.0 using multidimensional scaling (MDS) on the outcomes from both tasks. The MDS results showed that participants needed to compare at least 24 rounds in Task 1, as they felt tired and found it difficult to concentrate. All participants could concentrate on comparison in Task 2 and carefully discriminate minute differences between trademarks. The test of the distance between T6 and T8 enabled Task 2 to be more objective than Task 1. This study investigated the construction methods of both types of trademark maps. The outcomes of Task 1 and Task 2 showed that the distance between T1 (STARBUCKS COFFEE) and T7 (E-COFFEE) was great. This result is consistent with the actual court decision, suggesting that either Task 1 or Task 2 could present the actual condition of trademark infringement.