UP Logo Glossary
Jump to:
A-B
- Annulet
A ring borne on an escutcheon. On the UP Shield, it is the ring that lies on top of the paly and underneath the bend, and usually containing the words THE and ROUTE.
- Art Nouveau
A popular decorative artistic style in Europe and America in the late 1800s early 1900s characterized by curvilinear and organic designs inspired by nature.
- Bar Sinister
Imperfect, half-blood. Bar Sinister mistakenly referred to the UP Shields between 1897 to 1941 that had a diagonal bend tilting downward left to right (called Bend Sinister). In heraldic definition, a Bar is horizontal and therefore does not tilt down from the left (Sinister) or up to the right (Dexter). See also Bend.
- Bend
One of the ordinaries. Sometimes call the parallelogram, the bend is formed by two diagonal lines usually containing the word OVERLAND. The bend crossing the paly is called Paly Bendy. Between 1888 and 1896 the bend on the UP Shield tilted upward left to right (called Bend Dexter), imitating the Chicago & North Western Shield of the day. From 1897 to 1941 the bend tilted downward left to right (Bend Sinister), mistakenly called Bar Sinister.
- Bend Dexter
A bend formed by two diagonal lines tilting upward left to right on a shield. UP's logo from 1888 to 1896 are Bend Dexter shields.
- Bend Sinister
A bend formed by two diagonal lines tilting downward left to right on a shield. UP's logo from 1897 to 1941 are Bend Sinister shields.
C-E
- Colors
The official Union Pacific Colors are: Union Pacific Corporate Blue, (formerly Cobalt or Semaphore Blue), and Union Pacific Railroad Red (formerly American Vermilion Red or Indian Red). Other official UPRR colors include Armour Yellow, Harbormist Gray, and Union Pacific Corporate Gray, (also called Suede or Diesel Gray).
- Dexter
The right side of the shield. The left side is called Sinister.
- Dexter Base Point
A point in the lower right-hand corner of the shield. For the UP Shield, it is the lowest point of the Bend Dexter.
- Dexter Chief Point
A point in the upper right-hand corner of the shield. For the UP Shield, it is the highest point of the Bend Dexter.
- Escutcheon
War shield of a knight. Refers to the upper half of a shield that usually contains the words UNION PACIFIC.
F-I
- Field
The surface of the shield. The upper half of the field is the Escutcheon, the lower half is the Paly.
- Halo
The enlarged white border that surrounds the shield when logo is printed on a non-white or non-yellow background.
- Illuminating Stripes
White lines that are above and below the type inside the bend.
J-L
- Knockoff
Officially sanctioned logos that have the same design as the company logo, but contain different word arrangements. Knockoff logos represent only a single aspect or activity of the company (e.g., the UP Steam logo represents the steam program, not the entire railroad).
- Logo/Logotype
A graphic mark that identifies a company. A logo is more pictorial in nature, a logotype is the name of the company in a stylized lettering. A company may use only one or both designs. When both are used, the logo can either be the primary mark, the secondary mark, or at equal preferred usage, as with Union Pacific Railroad. UPRR's Logotype is actually a combination mark, because it combines the logo with stylized lettering.
M-P
- Modernism
With roots in the early twentieth-century European art movements, Modernism is a "form follows function" style relying on geometry and a minimalistic "less is more" approach. Introduced to America at the 1939 New York World's Fair, this style dominated the US popular and business design landscape from the 1950s to the 1970s.
- Parallelogram
See Bend.
- Paly
A field divided into four or more equal parts by perpendicular lines. The Paly of the UP Shield is the lower half of the field that contains thirteen vertical red and white alternating stripes. The paly may or may not have a blue outline or ribbon that contains the thirteen stripes.
- Paly Bend
The shield cut by diagonal lines, either dexter or sinister. See also Bend.
- Paly Outline
The blue ribbon band that surrounds the lower thirteen stripes. Until the mid-twentieth century, the paly of the Union Pacific Railroad shield is outlined in all cases except when reproduced in large scale, such as a bridge sign. By the 1950s, all railroad shields used the outline, with only minor exceptions.
Q-T
- Servicemark
Designs or words that have been accepted into the supplemental register of the U.S. Patent Office, and is legally owned by a company or individual.
- Sinister
The left side of the shield. The right side is called Dexter.
- Sinister Base Point
A point in the lower left-hand corner of the shield. For the UP Shield, it is the lowest point of the Bend Sinister.
- Sinister Chief Point
A point in the upper left-hand corner of the shield. For the UP Shield, it is the highest point of the Bend Sinister.
- Sinister Base Point
The lowest point of the bend.
- Slogan
Officially adopted words that usually exist with a logo, but the logo may also exist without the slogan. e.g. "We will deliver" appeared on rolling stock, but not letterheads, etc.
- Streamline Styling
An American decorative style of the 1930s and 40s that grew out of the popular Art Deco movement of the 1920s. The name was coined after the introduction of Union Pacific's M-10000 lightweight streamlined locomotive sets in 1934. Greatly influencing American design, cars and household items such as radios and irons adopted a aerodynamic appearance.
- Tagline
Additional type or words that "tag along side" and are officially adopted as part of a logo that represents the entire company and its activities. e.g. "The World's Pictorial Line." appears beneath the UP shield during the latter half of the 1800s.
- Trademark
Designs or words that have been accepted into the principal register of U.S. Patent Office, and is legally owned by a company or individual.
U-Z
- Union Pacific Shield Colors
The official are: Union Pacific Corporate Blue, (formerly Cobalt or Semaphore Blue), and Union Pacific Railroad Red (formerly American Vermilion Red or Indian Red). Other official UPRR colors include Armour Yellow, Harbormist Gray, and Union Pacific Corporate Gray, (also called Suede or Diesel Gray).