In 1924, a movie theater magnate named Marcus Loew bought out Metro Pictures Corporation and Goldwyn Pictures to provide a steady supply of movies to his theaters. Realizing that he needed somebody in Hollywood to manage his new business, he bought out Louis Mayer productions and set up Louis as his assistant. This formed what would be later known as Metro Goldwyn Mayer Productions, or simply as MGM. It’s logo is one of the most famous in the entertainment business today.
MGM Logo Review
The MGM logo is different from other logos in that it is quite complex. The image of a lion (commonly nicknamed Leo) roaring is surrounded by a stylized film reel. The motto “Ars gratia Artis” (Latin for “Art for Art’s sake” appears in the ribbon, and Metro Goldwyn Mayer appears above the main logo in a rather stylized font. Some shifts of this logo have included moving of the words Metro Goldwyn Mayer from above the logo to below and back again.
Two of the biggest alterations of the logo occurred in 1924 and 1966. In the former, the traditional face on look of a lion in the ribbons of movie film was replaced with a side view of a lion statue. In the latter, The ribbon was discarded and the lion became a stylized logo which faded in and out. Eventually MGM returned to its roots with a roaring lion surrounded by a stylized border.
The design and complexity of the logo suggests grandness and class. The lion suggests power and MGM being the “king” of motion pictures. The mask below the lion also suggests a link to classic Greek theater, in which actors would use different types of masks to convey different expressions. Again we have tradition being displayed as a value of MGM.
This is a stark contrast to many other logos, which use simplistic design to keep the image easily fixated in the viewers mind. Still, MGM’s roaring lion is a recognizable image, in large part because a roaring lion is not the type of thing a person easily forgets.
MGM Logo Summary Analysis
MGM’s logo bucks the trend of recent logos by staying stylized and classical rather than using a more simplistic, easier to grasp design. Yet on many levels it works for MGM. It lets them stand out with their tradition, yet work some modern elements into the fray (like their web address). This is one design that is for the ages, and one that will continue for years to come despite MGM’s recent financial troubles.
