Elliots Books is the visual identity of Elliot’s Books, a Connecticut rare and scholarly bookseller established in 1957 in New Haven. The store later moved to Northford, Connecticut, where it operates as a mail-order and appointment-based business specializing in out-of-print Yale University Press titles.[1][2]
Design and History
The Elliot’s Books symbol was designed by William Wondriska in 1960.[3] Wondriska was an American graphic designer, illustrator and children’s book author who founded the design firm Wondriska Associates in 1961.[4] The firm became known for developing image and marketing programs for clients including United Technologies Corporation, the Walt Disney Company, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.[4]
The 1960 design date coincides with a period of expansion for the bookstore. Elliot’s Books opened on York Street in New Haven in August 1957 and moved to a larger space on Broadway in August 1960, the same year the mark was created.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo is categorized as a monogram-style mark incorporating a book motif.[3] The design reflects Wondriska’s broader approach to promotional design and advertising, a discipline in which he worked throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, as documented in his entries in the AIGA Design Archives.[6]
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