The "Double-O" Ligature

[Glenn Kramer]

This topic was imported from the Typophile platform

Does anyone know of any logos or another clever use of the “double-O” ligature? The only well-known logo that I can think of is for Bloomingdale’s. Someone sent me the logo for a retirement home that makes use off two intersecting "o's" but I don't think it is a true ligature. I have attached both logos to this posting.

I would like to use the double-O ligature in the title of a publication, but feedback from someone said that overlapping O’s reminded her of unity, or gender symbols (male and female). While that's true, I wouldn't normally think of that when seeing it in text.

I think the double-o ligature looks classy in certain circumstances.

What are your thoughts?

[speter]

I don't have a photo of it, but there's a floor covering place near where I live that uses the overlapping O.

[James Arboghast]

I don't know of any other logos that use a dubble O ligature. The Bloomingdale's logo isn't well known outside the United States, and I happen to dwell in Australia.

Someone sent me the logo for a retirement home that makes use off two intersecting “o’s” but I don’t think it is a true ligature.

Why not? What disqualifies the overlapping structure from being a ligature? I think what you're getting at is the departure from normal or accepted structure for a ligature. Saying it's "not a true ligature" is an exclusionist and conservative view. If that's true, then you should be able to define "true ligature".

And you know, the moment somebody defines "true ligature" I will be along to demolish all such notions.

I would like to use the double-O ligature in the title of a publication, but feedback from someone said that overlapping O’s reminded her of unity, or gender symbols (male and female). While that’s true, I wouldn’t normally think of that when seeing it in text.

Oh dear, one whole person says it reminds her of unity or gender symbols, so that's it man, it's no good ;^) I think your friend isn't seeing this in context, and as you know context counts for a lot.

I think the double-o ligature looks classy in certain circumstances.

So do I. What do you make of these dubble O ligatures I designed for my Pyke's Peake font?

j a m e s

[Frode Bo Helland]

I think those look more like c+o, James. Coop, a norwegian food chain used to have such a ligature in their old logo. Here's the new one, and at the bottom, a members card with the old one. http://logo.coop.no/coop_logo/elementer/index.htm

[Si_Daniels]

I believe the IOC uses a OOOOO ligature, as does the Greek national airline.

[eliason]

It is a symbol for marriage. It also appears at Harvard's bookstore.

[WType]

Here you go, I got one for you. It's "Mrs. Eaves" from Zuzana Licko. (Emigre) It also has a really cool looking "OG" ligature too.

Weng

[nina]

"Coop, a norwegian food chain used to have such a ligature in their old logo. Here’s the new one"

Frode, this is crazy, we have a supermarket chain in Switzerland that's also called Coop and has almost exactly the same (new, very ligatured) logo as yours. I wonder if they're connected somehow, or if they aren't, who stole whose logo? ;)

As per the "non-true ligature" attached to the first post, James, I don't think it is so much about the unusual placement of the second "O" than because it is quite visible that the second O was scaled down in size. FWIW, the differring weight makes it hard for me to see it as a ligature that was originally designed like this, as one glyph.

[timd]

This logo uses a moebius loop (infinity symbol) as a double o ligature, it is probably even more of a wedding symbol though. Esta has a double O ligature that I had wanted to use/develop for a logotype, however due to other considerations it didn’t work out.

I would accept your description of the Mary’s Woods one as not a true ligature, it doesn’t seem that the second O has had enough consideration of differences in weights through scaling and the triangle device appears to be included for consistency with the A but hanging out off centre (frankly I would doubt it is very user-friendly for the inhabitants). In my opinion for a ligature to be a true ligature it doesn't have to join or overlap but to be designed with consideration of the pair (or more) of characters and with consideration to possible surrounding characters.

Tim

[Frode Bo Helland]

Well, Coop Norway don't use yellow and orange, nevertheless it might be an international supermarket chain.

[timd]

Selection of Coop logos
http://www.eurocoop.org/members/fr/member/default.asp

British readers may remember the four leaf clover logo
http://www.dhiverse.org.uk/_im/_logo-COOP.gif

Tim

EDIT: Not a chain but a community of local Co-operative Societies, originally set up to compete with mill and factory owner’s high priced shops run on a voluntary basis to bring economies of scale.

[nina]

Selection of Coop logos
Interesting! Thanks :)

[Nick Job]

I believe the IOC uses a OOOOO ligature, as does the Greek national airline.

LOL. However, Olympic Airlines use a crazy OOOOOO (six!) ligature with lots of different colours. Never got to the bottom of why the colours are the way they are though.

Chris L, am I right in thinking Froggy has an oo lig?

[Nick Job]

PriceWaterhouseCoopers

There's another logo that has a double O that looks like an incomplete infinity symbol but I cannot think what it is...?

[Nick Job]

a href="http://www.flyzoom.com/">Zoom. The whole logo's a ligature!

[Si_Daniels]

I suppose the other obvious one is Audi ;-)

Cheers, Si

[EColeman]

@ timd
As the one who sent the Mary's Woods logo, I can say that they've got a couple cleaner versions they also use. But they still use something similar that this one on at least one outdoor sign, and when I saw it (walking through a slush-filled night the day after Christmas) I thought there were three "o's"!

[dan_reynolds]

The Romans used to carve oo ligatures all the time. I'm sure that u have some examples in my Flickr stream, but I can't cut and paste links on an iPhone :(

[Nick Job]

Hey, why can't I edit my post? Has that functionality gone forever?

[eliason]

[double post]

[eliason]

(From a tangentially related blog post).

[dezcom]

"Chris L, am I right in thinking Froggy has an oo lig?"

That is correct, Nick--no double O and no 007 either :-)

ChrisL

[Nick Job]

There's definitely a logo with an infinity-type 'ligature' in it (two O's) which I think is set in Palatino. Someone please put me out of my misery! Think it's probably British.

[eliason]

[Si_Daniels]

Here's one I spotted on my lunch break today...

http://www.roosorthodontics.com/