Effective Process for Designing a Logo

Effective Process for Designing a Logo © Shutterstock.com | AysezgicmeliAs logo of a company represents it and provides the first impression of this company, the design and creation of a logo is very important process. In this article, we will discuss 1) whats in a logo, 2) the process for designing a logo, 3) examples of good logos.WHAT’S IN A LOGO: AN OVERVIEWA Logo is a term that is used to refer to a symbol, a mark, an emblem or a graphical representation that symbolizes one’s organization, principles or identity. Logos are used by commercial organizations, religious sects, medical institutions and even individuals to promote public recognition and may be in the form of the company’s name, the trademark or an abbreviation, etc. Instead of using the entire name of the organization, individual or group, a logo acts as a small or descriptive representation with which audiences can identify the entity.A logo is a visual mark that these days is created using several computer softwares and platforms. There are a sepa rate study and area of education that teaches how to design and create logos, and this field of study is known as Logo Designing. To know more about Logos, how they are designed and why they are important, you can go through the following given information.Importance of a good logo for businessesA logo is a visual representation of the principles, beliefs and other attributes of your business and is hence exceedingly important for any entity. A logo influences the first impression of your company or brand on customers, clients, and partners and it is hence very crucial to design a logo carefully. Once made, it can be very difficult to change the logo since people begin to identify it and use it to refer to your brand. Not only does a good logo promotes customer loyalty but also establishes a brand’s identity. It gives a professional touch to your business, no matter how large or small in scale it may be.With a little consideration, a slight creativity, and a proper brainstorming p rocedure, one can come up with a logo that is well appreciated and identified across masses. Logo designing must be given enough importance, even if it takes the time to come up with an excellent design.Features of a great logoThe following are some of the characteristics of a great logo:Should be easy memorable recognizable A good logo is one that people remember and can quickly recognize. People must not take more than a second or two to cement it in their memories and recall it when needed.Should be simple It is important that your logo is clutter free, clean and simple. It must not be very complex, confusing and distracting as a complicated design may be hard to understand and recognize.Should be timeless While designing a logo, you must consider whether it is timeless or not. Would it still hold valid and be good after a few decades? If not, change it!Should be versatile The logo you design for your company must be extremely versatile. It should be scalable to different si zes without any loss in quality. It should work across several forms of media easily.Should be appropriate It should be suitable for your business, should be able to resonate with your purpose and objectives and must be appropriate.Types of LogosThe following are some of the broad logo types:Font based logos Font based logos are those types of logos which use Type Treatments. In these logos, the company names are written with slight twists in their font styles and sizes, etc. Some examples of companies using such logos are Sony, Microsoft and IBM.Illustrative logos Illustrative logos are those kinds of logos which illustrate what the company or brand does. For example, a company that is involved in painting houses may use the symbol of a painting brush.Abstract logos Abstract Logos are the kinds of logos which do not represent the name or purpose of the company but are abstract signs or symbols that the brand can expect to become popular. An example of a brand using abstract log os is Nike.THE PROCESS FOR DESIGNING A LOGODesigning a Logo is a comprehensive and detailed procedure or process that requires not only brainstorming ideas, but also research work, initial drafting procedure, revision process, delivery of final logo and other steps. One can either design a logo on their own by learning the logo design softwares or can use the services of a logo designer who uses professional level dedication and skills to come up with a logo for your brand. To know more about what goes into designing a logo at a professional level, you can go through the following given information.Step #1: Research workThe first step involved in logo designing is the step where research work takes place. Before drafting the initial designs or brainstorming ideas, it is important to know the current trends, study the logos of competitors and observe the kind of Logos that are appreciated by the audience. Researching of the industry or field helps professional designers get a sense o f the atmosphere and environment going on currently. Research work also helps to avoid designing of logos similar to the ones that are already popular in the market.Research can be done by either searching the web for popular logos or industry-specific logos or venturing out in the market to observe symbols used by random brands and then doing the evaluations or analysis of each logo type. This process could take long, especially if field research is being conducted. Field research could also include taking opinions of the masses or customers regarding their preferred symbols, the logos they dislike or the kind of logos they would want to see.Step #2: Know the Client/BrandAfter research is done, and results are evaluated, the next step is to get to know the brand or company the designer is dealing with. Before stepping into the actual designing process, it is important to establish a level of comfort with the client so as to easily take his/her opinion on the kind of logo he/she has in mind. Besides knowing the expectations and requirements of the client, it is also important for a designer to understand the brand. A logo designer may do a brief research on the history of the company, what it stands for and what its future objectives are. These points may help the designer incorporate the purpose or goals of the brand into the logo and make it more personal for the company.In order to know the client, the brand, and the expectations, one can conduct meetings or hold candid discussions with the company owner or concerned creative head. There might be certain things that the company may not want in the logo, and it is crucial to know about these things in advance, rather than during the designing process.Step #3: Determine the function of the logoA logo is the representation of your brand, its ideas, its purposes, its principles, and beliefs. It is important for the designer first to determine the function of the logo and then go ahead and work on its font, size , color scheme, design, etc. The logo must be capable of:Creating a trust factor among the audiences or customers. A solid and attractive logo is one which conveys the company’s willingness to satisfy clients and customers.Boosting recognition and brand identity among the masses. A strong logo helps people identify it among the other logos and competing brands.Enhancing the impression and admiration factor among people. The logo must throw a good first impression on new clients, customers and others.As a designer, one must try to design the logo keeping the following points in mind:The target audience or public. The logo must be designed keeping their sensibilities, taste, preference, level of understand, etc. the logo must resonate with them and look appealing.Main message. The logo must be able to put across the message that the company is trying to give to the customers and should fulfill the purpose or objectives of the brand.Branding. As a designer, one must be able to unders tand whether the company wants its brand name to be visible through the logo or not. If yes, then the logo must be designed accordingly and if no, then the designer must find another abstract design.Color scheme. The logo must be created keeping the color scheme of the brand design or name in mind.Step #4: Make initial designsAfter determining the function, understanding the brand and its requirements as well as conducting a thorough research, a designer is able to collect all the information needed to start working on the initial designs and ideas. Those drafts can be prepared by sketching them on a plain white paper or sheet. At this stage, the designer usually puts down all the ideas he/she has in mind on the sheet in a rough manner. At designing schools, students are asked to create 100 possible designs before shortlisting the best one. This not only makes way for registering all possible designs but also makes the designer come up with designs that may seem dull at first but co uld be improved to get the final logo.At this stage, the designer makes use of a simple pencil and paper. Since designing is a non-linear process, one often keeps from erasing the designs created because certain mistakes could later spark bright ideas. After all, the only way to pick the good from the bad is to have a lot of options. This may sound difficult and time-consuming but is the easiest and most engaging part of the logo designing process. It is the part where the designer puts his creativity to good use and can come up with over 10 designs in an hour.Only after sketching several rough logos the designer shortlists the best few, and sketches them in a more proper manner on a fresh piece of paper so that opinions can be taken on them.Step #5: Get FeedbackThe next step is to take the best designs from the rough sketches to a target or test audience and get their feedback. This is the time when the designer or the company may approach a group of people who fit the description of the target audience and ask them to give their opinions on the logo designs shown to them. The designer must ask questions like ‘Is the design relatable to the brand name?’, ‘Is the design easy to understand and memorize?’, ‘Is the design unique or seems similar to any other logo?’, ‘Is it boring or intriguing?’, and so on. Only after getting the opinions of a cross-section of people improvements can be made and the process can be taken forward.This is a crucial stage in the designing process as whatever changes have to be made can be made right now. The designer may take the time to conduct this research and take opinions since it is important to consider everyone’s viewpoint and come up with a design that fits all requirements. Besides taking the opinion and feedback of the test audience, the opinion of the client also has to be taken at this stage.Step #6: Review and reviseNow that opinions and feedback have been gathered, the designer needs to start working on the revision of the final few designs and incorporate all changes that need to be done. At this stage, the logo needs to be digitized which means that the designer moves to a software or designing programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape from the regular paper and pencil sketching method. The logo needs to be refined, made scalable and created all again in the designing software. This stage could also prove to be a lengthy one since it involves moving back and forth several times in order to make improvements and leave no scope for error.While, in some cases, the client may approve the logo easily, sometimes it takes a long time and many efforts to convince him. In fact, the designer, may be working simultaneously on 2-3 logos so that the final decision is made after refining all the designs. Reviewing and revising also involves paying attention to the font, the size, the colors, the contrast, and other bells and whistles. This stage must also include doing application mock ups of the logo to make sure it works across all media platforms and whether it is scalable to different sizes. Once all of this has been taken care of, the final logo may be ready to be delivered.Step #7: Deliver final logoNow the designer shows the final logo or the 2-3 logos to the client in a formal manner and then presents various iterations of the logo to show how it will look in a folder, on the website, on the company’s board, in newspapers, on buildings, etc. If the client is convinced, the designer may move forward and deliver the final logo and its rights. But in case any slight changes or improvements are required, then the designer goes back to the revision process until the client is satisfied.EXAMPLES OF GOOD LOGOSThe following are some of the examples of excellent logos that satisfy the various parameters.Cisco Systems © Wikimedia commons | CiscoThe logo of Cisco Systems is recognizable worldwide and one of the main reasons behind it is the work that the company and its designers put into it. The first thing that a person sees when they look at this logo is the bar lines on top of the letters. These lines instantly make us think of ‘frequency’, ‘radio’, or something related to tech. This is what makes the logo so successful since Cisco systems belong to the Tech Industry. Cisco is a Silicon Valley based organization and the bar lines also represent the Golden Gate Bridge. This means that with a few simple lines, the logo manages to achieve a lot. The design is simple yet so effective. © Wikimedia commons | ZyMOSEvernoteThe logo of Evernote is yet another example of highly intelligent and successful logo. It has an elephant which is a reference to the famous line ‘an elephant never forgets’ which makes it highly appropriate to the purpose of the app which is to note and store’. The design is simple, very memorable and instantly recognizable.Icon Snowskates © Flickr | John FischerIcon Snowskates is a small-scale snow skateboard company that is a family operated business in Massachusetts. The main idea behind the logo design was to create one that looked good on paper as well as on snowboards. The raindrop in the logo is meant to differentiate snowboarding from snow skateboarding since in snow skateboarding, rain and precipitation are good signs unlike in the case of the former. This is a small geometric design that works well across several platforms and is hence highly usable and scalable. Image credit:  Wikimedia commons | Cisco and Wikimedia commons | ZyMO under public domain, Flickr | John Fischer under Attribution 2.0 Generic.

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The Fallen Angel Analysis Of The Final Scenes Of Blade...

Director Ridley Scotts Postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot be destroyed, because its destruction leads to silence, must be revisited. So memories and emotions are meaningless without immortality. Like tears in the rain. Director Scott has a chilling story to tell, and there is a complex web of allegory and meaning lurking in the background. The final scene of Blade Runner reveal religious and philosophical parallels and these are Miltons Paradise Lost and humanity itself. God is questioned, mocked and finally destroyed. The use of tightly framed shots, reaction shots, and mise en scene are used to highlite the allegoricall relationship to Christianity. Humanity itself is brought up†¦show more content†¦And like Lucifer, is obessed with the same questions of mortality: How much time do we have? Were are we going? Miltons battle takes place in heaven. Here it is fought on earth. Roy cannot approach Tyrell directly. He uses an intermediary; Sebastian ( Jesus Christ ) as his link to God. Bibical teachings has it that God can only be approached through His Son, Jesus Christ. Sebastian is the only true human. He is the composite of both man and replicant as Jesus is a composite of God and man. Just as Jesus lived among men, Sebastian lived among the replicants. The Bible syas the score between Lucifer and Christ is yet to be settled, Ridley Scott decides to to take advantage of the liberties afforded him by Postmodernism by deciding to rewrite the future. With God and Christ dead, satan becomes almost a Christ-like figure. Light and shadow is evoked to show Roy in a new role as all knowing and all seeing. Extreme close-up of Roys eye reveal a person who is enlightened and empowered with knowledge. A further significance to substaniate Roys transition into Christ is that he pierces his hand with a nail, a symbol of Christian crucifixian. The final scenes were Roy becomes the hunter takes place high above the city. The concerns of the people no longer permiate the scenes. Dekkard is filmed from a high angle to suggest vulnerbality and a lack of understanding, with his eyes closed as his clings to life;Show MoreRelatedMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesfollowing classification of cases by subject matter to be helpful. I thank those of you who made this and other suggestions. Classification of Cases by Major Marketing Topics Topics Most Relevant Cases Marketing Research and Consumer Analysis Coca-Cola, Disney, McDonald’s, Google, Starbucks Product Starbucks, Nike, Coke/Pepsi, McDonald’s, Maytag, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Newell Rubbermaid, DaimlerChrysler, Kmart/Sears, Harley-Davidson, Boeing/Airbus, Merck, Boston Beer, Firestone/Ford

My Math Difficulties began with Pre-Algebra and Fractions Free Essays

It was the summer before college when I had the best vacation in my life. I never had enjoyed any vacation since the past years. Too bad I became so pre-occupied with take pleasure in this escapement that I lost my penchant for learning. We will write a custom essay sample on My Math Difficulties began with Pre-Algebra and Fractions or any similar topic only for you Order Now Summer was fast ending and I had to pack-up hastily and drive back home. And schooldays are coming. I felt like a lonely cavalier on my college’s first math class. As everyone on the class each has varied high school backgrounds, I found it hard to cope up with the subjects pace. I got a very failing mark on my first quiz. And worse, it went on until the end of the semester. My young freshman mind found it tough to adapt to such a demanding subject. I always had to sleep late at night solving problems and forgetting them when I wake up in the morning. My mouth gaped at the sight of endless assignments and workbooks. Our teacher could see our agony, our pleading eyes hoping she would blow her whistle and let us take a break from the work. Twenty pages of reading and a worn out pencil erase keeps me awake every night. I sweated over those small numbers above and below the fraction line. How could I learn all this and still have time to watch Smallville? This wasn’t a freshman’s usual anxiety. I honestly thought I hated math. What is this subject anyway? Why would I have to really put much time and agony into it? Nightmares would come in numbers dancing across my room. It would torment me just thinking about how bad my day became because of that exasperating pre-algebra exam. It would send me down lurching on the sofa everyday when I get home. Nothing had been that much demoralizing, when the test papers were returned and what you got isn’t even enough to lift your aching pride, what more than to show it to your mom. A research paper, published Anna  Sierpinska, Georgeana  Bobos and Christine  Knipping of Concordia University in Canada(August  2007), tackles about the frustration in students of mathematical courses. Their paper summarizes the reactions of the students and instructors they interviewed. They identified numerous causes of frustration, such as the fast pace of the courses, inefficient learning strategies, the need to change previously acquired ways of thinking, difficult rapport with truth and reasoning in mathematics, being forced to take PMC, insufficient academic and moral support on the part of teachers, and poor achievement (Sierpinska, Bobos and Knipping, 2007). These sources of frustration are discussed from the point of view of their impact on the quality of the mathematical knowledge that students develop in mathematical subjects. All of us go through all of the learning stages but not always on the same timetable (Hood, 1997). Sometimes, other inclinations in us, like music and arts, develop much earlier than the others and we do not fully grasp many mathematical concepts until we reach adulthood. In our course of growing up, we learn through our environment and according to our level of maturity (Hood, 1997). The book â€Å"Taking the Frustration out of Math† by Mary Hood tells us about the three distinct learning styles (auditory, visual and kinesthetic). She relates them to math learning. Along her book, she reminds us that each kid is diverse and that the parent is truly the expert on his/her own child. If a child is not grasping a concept, she recommends putting it aside and working on it again at a later date. Frustrating the child will only make a child hate math. Just because a child should be in a particular stage, does not mean that the individual child is ready for certain concepts. Eventually, he or she will be. Some websites, such as â€Å"Coping with Math Anxiety† offers various ways on coping with math frustrations. It recommends that the primary pace is to identify that math anxiety is an emotional response. And since it is an emotional reaction, it can be in a constructive or unconstructive way. Unconstructive ways comprises rationalization, suppression, and denial. By rationalization, we mean finding reasons why it is okay and perhaps even inevitable, and therefore justified, for you to have this reaction. By suppression is meant having awareness of the anxiety, but trying very, very hard not to feel it. Finally, there is denial. People using this approach probably aren’t likely to see this essay, much less read it, for they carefully construct their lives so as to avoid all mathematics as much as possible (Coping with Math Anxiety, www.mathacademy.com/pr/ minitext/anxiety). The constructive way to manage math anxiety involves making as conscious as possible the sources of math anxiety in one’ own life, accepting those feelings without self-criticism, and then learning strategies for disarming math anxiety’s influence on one’s future study of mathematics (Coping with Math Anxiety, www.mathacademy.com/pr/ minitext/anxiety). I never had much luck on my first college math subject. It took me countless sleepless nights before it dawned on me that I had much more things to prove and accomplish. One time or another, each of us will be haunted by math frustrations. We may take it as a frustration forever, or we could take it as a positive challenge to move on to much greater heights, where our past failure becomes too insignificant. References Printed References: Arem, Cynthia.   Conquering Math Anxiety: A Self-Help Workbook.   Pacific Grove, CA:   Brooks/Cole Publishing, 1993. Burns, Marilyn.   The I Hate Mathematics! Book.   Little, Brown ; Company, 1975. Buxton, Laurie.   Math Panic.   London: Heinemann, 1991. Mary Hood, PhD 1997, Taking the Frustration Out of Math, Elijah Company, January 1, 1997 Online References: Coping With Math Anxiety, (www.mathacademy.com/pr/minitext/anxiety) Professors Freedman’s Math Help (http://www.mathpower.com/) Soloman/Felder’s Learning Styles ; How to cite My Math Difficulties began with Pre-Algebra and Fractions, Essay examples

Things That You Have to Know About the Las Vegas Sands Corporation free essay sample

Las Vegas Sands Corporation is the largest casino company, to which all world casino operators are equal. At the moment, the corporation is officially recognized as the largest and most profitable holding in the world, specializing in the field of the gambling business. The owner of the company Sheldon Adelson recently received the title of one of the most prosperous and influential people in the world according to the authoritative financial edition of Forbes. Las Vegas Sands Corp is making a huge profit. On average, the annual income is about $15 billion. Similar indicators have not yet been achieved by any gambling company in the world. What is the secret of the success of Sheldon Adelson Holding? The success is in the natural talent of Adelson. It is difficult to imagine that the first work of Adelson was the sale of newspapers. But when he got tired of doing the same thing, he came up with another system: he hired other guys to do this work, put them in crowded places, and each had a percentage of his sales. We will write a custom essay sample on Things That You Have to Know About the Las Vegas Sands Corporation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page So he started to get manager skills. Adelson visited even a milkman, a seller, a messenger, a financial consultant, a broker, an investment expert. At the age of 23, he has opened a charter travel agency.Las Vegas Sands was founded in 1988. Initially, the holdings of the holding were limited to the hotel of the same name. Later, in 1996, Venetian Casino, one of the largest objects of the sands corporation, was erected on this site. Now its hard to believe, but at the very beginning of the activity, the enterprise was unprofitable and constantly balanced on the verge of bankruptcy. But Las Vegas Sands managed to save by opening a large exhibition center and a business complex, which is still considered the largest in the world. After the expansion in 1990, the facilities began to generate profits.In the middle of 1990s, Las Vegas absorbed fashion for thematic gambling establishments. To stay afloat and not to yield to competitors, Adelson decided to change the concept of the first hotel and sands casino, resulting in a complete restructuring and the Las Vegas Venetian Casino ; Hotel. The success was so great that later the corporation opened a copy of the institution in Macau, which is now the largest casino in the world, included in the Guinness Book of Records. The holding does not stop there and plans to develop their casinos in more and more new countries. In particular, the companys management is closely following the developments regarding changes in legislation in the area of excitement in Japan.The enterprise owns establishments not only in Nevada and Macau. As it is known Las Vegas Sands, through its subsidiary Sands China, owns five casinos in the largest gambling zone of the world: Venetian Macau, Sands Macau, The Plaza Macau, Sands Cotai Central and the Parisian Macau. For example, in the property of Sheldon Adelson holding is one of the largest institutions of Pennsylvania called Casino Resort Bethlehem. Along with Venetian in Las Vegas, the sands group opened The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino, and in Macao Cotai Central. Also, the company owns the largest casino in Singapore Marina Bay. It is also rumored that Sheldon Adelson intends to spend $ 1.1 billion on the reconstruction of one of his casinos in Macau. As a result of costly transformations that will take three years to complete, Sands China Cotai Central gambling establishment will turn into Londoner Macau. They say that the new resort will include the copies of the most famous sights of the British capital.It should be noted that the famous Paris Eiffel Tower was recreated in Parisian Macau Hotel Casino, the open Sands Group. Of course, the most recognizable architectural landmark of Paris in Macau is half the original. Now the corporation has introduced a new service specialized flights that deliver directly to the Macau gambling zone. With the Sheldon Adelson planes, the clients can start playing during the flight because the airliners are equipped with baccarat tables.Thanks to companies like Las Vegas Sands, gambling in the US is stably maintained at a decent level and sets a high standard for the whole world. Moreover, they create new jobs and develop the direction of tourism.

Hatchet1 essays

Hatchet1 essays The theme of the story Hatchet is determination, perseverance and survival. Brian Robeson, whose parents are divorced, flies to visit his father in Canadian wilderness. His pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian managed to land the plane in a lake, and escape unharmed. Now comes the hard part, surviving in the wilderness until rescued. He does have one tool to help him, a hatchet that his mother had given him as a gift. He will have to use it, his own determination, imagination, perseverance and common sense to survive. This flight to see his father in the Canadian wilderness is Brains first time in an airplane. He explains this to the pilot and tells him that he is scared. The pilot feels sorry for Brian and decides to show him that flying is not very difficult. He lets Brian take the steering control and direct the line of flight for awhile. Just when Brian thinks that everything is going well, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian knows he must land the plane himself or die. He tries to use the radio without success. He knows that if he hits the trees, he can die, so he decides to land in the water of a lake. When the plane is in the water, he gets out through a window. He lay on the bank of the lake for a while to rest. Brian knew he needed food and shelter to survive so he set out to find both. He was very careful not to get lost or go too far from the lake where his water was. He found a cherry tree and because he was very hungry, he ate his fill. He filled his windbreaker with cherries to eat later and then managed to find a cave for shelter. He slept very well, but in the morning when he awoke, he saw a bear in the cave. He was terrified, because the bear was only about 20 feet away eating his cherries out of his windbreaker. The bear only looked at Brian and then left. The cherries must have been enough to curb his appetite! The discovery of how to make a fire was very ...

Prester John - Important Figure for Geography

Prester John - Important Figure for Geography In the twelfth century, a mysterious letter began to circulate around Europe. It told of a magical kingdom in the East that was in danger of being overrun by infidels and barbarians. This letter was supposedly written by a king known as Prester John. The Legend of Prester John Throughout the Middle Ages, the legend of Prester John sparked geographic exploration across Asia and Africa. The letter first surfaced in Europe as early as the 1160s, claiming to be from Prester (a corrupted form of the word Presbyter or Priest) John. There were over one-hundred different versions of the letter published over the following few centuries. Most often, the letter was addressed to Emanuel I, the Byzantine Emperor of Rome, though other editions were also often addressed to the Pope or the King of France. The letters said that Prester John ruled a huge Christian kingdom in the East, comprising the three Indias. His letters told of his crime-free and vice-free peaceful kingdom, where honey flows in our land and milk everywhere abounds. (Kimble, 130) Prester John also wrote that he was besieged by infidels and barbarians and he needed the help of Christian European armies. In 1177, Pope Alexander III sent his friend Master Philip to find Prester John; he never did. Despite that failed reconnaissance, countless explorations had the goal of reaching and rescuing Prester Johns kingdom that had rivers filled with gold and was the home of the Fountain of Youth (his letters are the first recorded mention of such a fountain). By the fourteenth century, exploration had proved that Prester Johns kingdom did not lie in Asia, so subsequent letters (published as a ten-page manuscript in several languages), wrote that the besieged kingdom was located in Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia). When the kingdom moved to Abyssinia after a 1340 edition of the letter, expeditions and voyages began to head to Africa to rescue the kingdom. Portugal sent expeditions to find Prester John throughout the fifteenth century. The legend lived on as cartographers continued to include the kingdom of Prester John on maps through the seventeenth century. Throughout the centuries, the editions of the letter kept getting better and more interesting. They told of strange cultures that surrounded the kingdom and a salamander that lived in fire, which actually turned out to be the mineral substance asbestos. The letter could have been proven a forgery from the first edition of the letter, which copied exactly the description of the palace of Saint Thomas, the Apostle. Though some scholars think that the basis for Prester John came from the great empire of Genghis Khan, others conclude it was merely a fantasy. Either way, Prester John profoundly affected the geographical knowledge of Europe by stimulating interest in foreign lands and sparking expeditions outside of Europe.