Design of the Week: Chanel and YSL

While models walk long-limbed down the runways of London, Paris and Milan, and the gathered gaggle of fashionistas drool at Spring 2013 collections by Rodarte, Vera Wang and Donna Karan, we've looked back at the legendary identities of two of the biggest fashion houses in the world.

Chanel
Designed by the company's eponymous founder in 1921, and arguably one of the chicest fashion logos around, Chanel's linking 'C's have long been an emblem for style, elegance and glamour. The two letterforms in fact come from the designer's nickname, Coco, who founded the couture house in 1913, and who by the '20s had established a new definition of woman's fashion. The little black dress? That's one of Coco's. So too the wardrobe staple jersey dress was one of hers. The power of Chanel's logo lies in its capacity for longevity. Over 100 years after it was first designed, Coco's 'C's remain as contemporary and recognisable as ever.

Yves Saint Laurent
Legendary designer A. M. Cassandre designed the streamlined YSL logo in 1963, five years before his death and at a time when the former poster designer had turned to his original vocation of painting and theatre design. Saint Laurent was also at a key point in his career. Recently fired as head honcho at Dior, the French designer was optimistically embarking on something of a fresh start, and Cassandre's logo (which represented the company until Hedi Slimane decided to rebrand to Saint Laurent Paris earlier this year) helped YSL become one of the world's most recognisable brands.

Read about both logos in more detail in the critically acclaimed Phaidon Archive of Graphic Design.