Trademark Mapping: A proposal to consider trademarks design appropriateness according to a formal taxonomy
My practice-based research PhD classifies trademarks according to their formal structure, and analyses the phenomenon of mimicry in the structure of some trademarks from certain consumer and service sectors. This phenomenon occurs for various reasons: due to the identity of the sector itself; as a result of its heritage; owing to particular functional needs involved in a sales process; due to categorization appropriateness dynamics; in order to comply with legal regulations; and sometimes as a result of a combination of these factors.
To analyse this hypothesis, I am designing and developing a web engine that will visually map this phenomenon, using a database of trademarks that details their design features, who the holder of the trademark is, as well as the specific target.
The objective of this research is to determine, from a methodological approach, if this mimicry is relevant to the decision-making process in brand strategy and trademark design.
Email: F.Ribot@soton.ac.uk