What’s the concept?

MacMillan Bloedel was a Canadian forestry company with headquarters in Vancouver. It was formed by a merger of Powell River Company, the Bloedel Stewart Welch Company and the H.R. MacMillan Company in 1951 and 1959.

Following these mergers, as the company diversified its product lines and formed subsidiaries, the need for a new logo became evident.

The new logo, designed alongside a new corporate identity by Lester Beall, sought to establish a consistent visual language across all of the corporation’s products and subsidiaries.

Launched in 1960 the new logo combined both a literal representation of the company’s activities in forestry products and expressed some of its character.

This was achieved through a stylised M with two coniferous trees set within its negative space, and by using symmetry and consistent line weight to suggest strength and purpose.

The logo was also described as balancing and expressing the rugged essence of the company’s forestry operations but also the precision control required to process these for use.

Transitional Logos

Transitional logos use a state change to play with notions such as growth, evolution and creation. This could be in stepped line thickness or size changes, differing heights, or smooth scaling. Sometimes these are given a sense of moment through the use of diagonals, or used to build concrete imagery such as trees for further conceptual layers. These lend themselves well to companies that make and manufacture, those that distribute, educate, build or offer wealth accumulation.

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In 1969, Boston Broadcasters promised that they would air more local programs than any other station in the United States. This bold claim led to them winning a construction permit to build a new television station on channel 5, in the city of Boston Massachusetts. They would become the city's new ABC affiliate, WCVB-TV - Channel 5, and replace the previous channel 5 occupants who were being investigated for allegations of impropriety.

To design the new logo and corporate identity, Boston Broadcasters approached graphic design firm Wyman & Cannan. The firm, founded by designers and former colleagues Bill Cannan and Lance Wyman, was formed following Wyman’s return to New York in 1970. The pair had previously worked together at George Nelson & Company, before Wyman departed to spend several successful years designing many well-known logos in Mexico, including the Mexico ’68 Olympic symbol.

As a new design studio, the Channel 5 project was their first major client. Cannan and Wyman were assisted by designer Herb Hong in creating a dynamic logo and visual identity. Whilst the logo would need to be a unique identifier of the new channel, it was required that the logo be applied to many elements to strengthen attribution. The logo’s development would therefore have to consider scale and be versatile for a high number of both common and more unusual creative applications.

Continue reading to discover how the Channel 5 logo was constructed, see some of its creative applications and how colour was introduced.

Following several stages of development – involving experimentations of form, colour and line – a cohesive and contemporary corporate identity was achieved. The designers utilised concentric circles and a directional arrow to form a stylised ‘5’ logo. These two geometric elements were superimposed at a 45 degree angle within the ‘5’ and slightly altered to generate a curved arrow within the negative space.

Thanks to the geometric, linear and abstract construction the logo was highly adaptable. Development saw various creative ideas realised, from mobile broadcasting vans to stationery – the designers developed many potential placements of the logo varying in scale and colour. Whilst the logo would frequently appear in single-colour, a multi-colour band was used to promote the all-colour broadcasting capabilities of the new station.

In 1972, the logo made its debut, with the commencement of WCVB’s operations. The logo succeeded within its many use-cases, both for broadcast and in print. This notably included the station’s first News Set, with a desk configuration mirroring that of the logo’s structure, allowing for communication between the co-anchors and the broadcast guests.

Simple yet memorable, the iconic logo has remained a key asset to the Boston channel’s identity and remains in use to this day.

Discover more Channel 5 brand assets and assets from hundreds other historical and contemporary brands at Brand Archive.

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What’s the concept?

The second half of the 20th century saw the consolidation of spaarbanks in The Netherlands. This sought to create a group of more stable organisations. Some merged to become SBS Bank while five others formed Verenigde Spaarbank (VBS).

To coincide with this merger Dutch designer André Toet was commissioned to develop a logo for the newly formed VBS Bank.

With the intention of expressing the transition of five individual entities into one organisation, the designer devised a concept of five circles, interlinked and set into a chain to establish a single form. The configuration of these, a pentagonal formation, adds a further layer, the conveyance of a new found stability through the consolidation.

Heart Logos

Hearts, what’s to say. Love, care, respect. Something we certainly could do more of in the world today. As designers, it’s often a prerequisite for the creation of beautiful and well-thought out work. Designers often feel deeply, and the heart symbolises this, and it’s no wonder that the heart has often been used in logo design to convey these notions, and around services such as healthcare and community support, put also a passion for sport and the joy of giving.

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The theme of the 1967 World Exhibition (shortened and stylised to EXPO67) was ‘Man and His World'. It took place in Montréal and ran from April 27th to October 29th. The exhibition sought to depict humanity's exploration of the physical world, its drive to discover, understand and create; how individuals assimilate, organise and utilise knowledge for self-improvement; and, as social beings, seek to live in peace and harmony with fellow humans.

The theme was both intellectual and spiritual in nature, demonstrating how material wealth and human mental capacity have shaped human history and development. The exhibition would both entertain and inform, and offer national and international exhibitors an opportunity to showcase their products to millions of visitors.

As a design challenge, it was the first time that a graphic programme of official and commercial signage had been applied in the country at such a large scale, which was said to be the equivalent of a thousand-acre city. This vast scale required the advanced planning of a modular system which would be integrated into a ‘master planning concept’. As part of this plan would be the design of an official EXPO67 symbol, with Y. M. & B Advertising Art being invited by Communications Manager Guy Beaudry to deliver initial concepts in 1963.

Continue scrolling to see Ernst Roche’s concept and understand the basic idea behind Julien Hébert’s final design. Also, discover the some of the EXPO67 pictograms designed by Harry Boller and Burton Kramer.

20 initial sketches were put forward by Y. M. & B Advertising Art but the general feeling was that they were ‘dismissal’. The industrial designer and professor Julien Hébert, along with Jacques Guillon, Ernst Roch, Frank Lipari and Allan Fleming were invited by Claude Robillard, director of planning, to submit additional concepts for consideration. Ernst Roch delivered a simple concept of a figure representative of man, knocked out of a circle or globe. Above, an example of a legibility study to test the recognisability of the symbol in different conditions. These included full view, partial view, at an angle and distorted on a flag.

The basic unit of the EXP067 symbol devised by Julien Hébert is an ancient cryptogram representing a figure drawn as a vertical line with outstretched arms and forming one part of a runic script that dates as far back as c.160CE. As an ‘alphabet’, these runes represent early written communication between peoples but also contains one of the first known abstract representations of ‘man’. This was coupled, copied and rotated to form a globe, which would be understood as a universal gesture of both kinship and solidarity with the international community, graphically interpreting the theme and fitting for a World Expo.

The symbol, in its simplicity, afforded those working with it a flexibility to fit many different types of applications. The symbol could be blind embossed, colour embossed or engraved. It could be reduced down to stamp size, and scaled up to signage without loosing any of its significance and identifiability. The slightly chiseled forms of the symbol, reflecting the stone-card origins of the runic reference was also mirrored in the typeface Optima which was used for the accompanying logotype. Univers was then deployed as EXPO67’s secondary typeface.

Despite the now obvious intellectual and graphic elegance of the form its recognition as the official EXPO67 symbol was very nearly derailed by bureaucratic squabbling. As Roger La Roche recounts in his article ‘A Controversial Logo’ from May, 2017, “what was supposed to have been a quick and simple operation took on unimaginable political proportions”. Read his full account here.

The design of EXPO67 was a monumental effort, and required a team of experts to carry out key tasks. One of which was the creation of pictograms. Animals in black silhouette were used to identify the various areas of the two giant parking lots, each of which accommodated roughly 12,000 cars. These were created by renowned Canadian designer Burton Kramer. Further pictograms were developed by Harry Boller for general amenities. These were printed black, except those activities that were prohibited and as well as the first-aid cross.

The official colours for the Exhibition, EXPO red and EXPO blue offered a simple solution to the bilingual requirements. Where both French and English were used, it was recommended that French headings be in blue and the English headings in Red, helping to delineate quickly between the two. This would also be supported by two different coloured symbols. A guideline was produced to oversee the basic and consistent application of symbol, logotype and colour.

Despite its short six month lifespan, Julien Hébert's symbol for EXPO67 lives on as a fine example of conceptual creativity and graphic robustness.

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What’s the concept?

In 1977, following a series of mergers and acquisitions, Fiat Trattori the agricultural division of Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat, became FiatAgri.

The logo for FiatAgri, designed by Carlo Malerba, alludes to plant growth and the treads of a tractor tire on the ground: visualising the relationship between nature and industry.

The harmonic and symmetrical shape was designed to function in a variety of applications but, in particular, the branding of FiatAgri vehicles.

Later, the logo was introduced to the FiatAgri acquired brands Hesston and Braud with colour helping delineate these. With FlatAgri changing its machinery liveries from orange to burgundy.

In 1991 Flat took over Ford New Holland and adopted its name but retained the logo. Carmadesign, under the direction of Carlo Malerba updated the corporate colour to blue.

Mountain Logos

The scale and awe of a mountain or mountain range, and notions of reaching the summit, a pinnacle of greatness or to surmount is immediately called to mind in this set of logos. Essentially triangles, these have been given character in their rendering, or intersection with further motifs. Often applied to brands dealing by with the great outdoors (nature reserves, hiking equipment and ski resorts).

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Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (abbreviated to GMPTE) was a British public service originally formed in 1969 as ‘South East Lancashire North East Cheshire’, more commonly referred to as SELNEC.

SELNEC had branded its transport network and vehicles with a ‘dynamic S’ and an italic wordmark set through the centre, and employed an orange and white colour palette.

To differentiate each of the divisions that made up SELNEC the ’S’ was given a unique colour: magenta for Northern, blue for Central and green for Southern. For corporate operations, the parcel operations and coaching fleet, the 'S' remained orange.

In 1974, when the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester was formed, SELNEC was replaced by GMPTE, with the Greater Manchester County Council taking over the joint transport authority.

With the intention of continuing to expand it services by acquiring other operators (later this would include the Wigan Corporation which had a fleet of over 130 vehicles), a new visual identity was sought out to help unify the growing fleet and geographical extent.

To support this, the name Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive would be simplified to Greater Manchester Transport.

The goal of Greater Manchester Transport was to make journeys as easy, comfortable and attractive as possible and ensure recognition across places and for all people.

Establishing a unified design standard, applied across ‘common decor’ of bus stations, staff uniforms and vehicle liveries, would be essential in fulfilling these objectives. Part of this would include the design of a new logo.

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What’s the concept?

Big Creek Lumber is family-owned and operated business that has served Central California since its founding in 1946. Today, it continues to operate lumber yards, sawmills, a wholesale division, a logging operation and forestry department.

The company proudly states that it “grows redwoods for the future”. Its logo, designed by Ed Penniman in 1975, brings this notion to life, alluding to the future expansion of the business through two bold upward pointing arrows.

In addition, forest stewardship is also symbolised by combining and creating a relationship between the arrows.

Together, and using light and dark green, the arrows become a large and small tree, representing both mature and young trees, giving the logo a secondary meaning and further distinguishing from other tree and arrow logos.

The logo remains in use today.

Impossible Logos

Impossible logos catch the eye in their close relationship with, but ultimate subversion of, the physical world. They twist and fold into themselves to create mystery and intrigue, and aid recall.

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A shinkin is a local Japanese trust bank for individuals and families, as well as small to medium-sized companies conducting business in specific areas, and often run and financed cooperatively by its members. When the Japanese banking industry began to be opened up in the 1980s, these shinkin banks (see also: Kawasaki Shinkin Bank) were challenged by new market forces, and many were unable to compete as larger banks expanded and diversified. Making this more challenging was the differences in the corporate identities of these shinkin banks which, in terms of a unified and consistent image, were far removed from the better-funded larger commercial banks. Many had began to appear tired and struggled to keep up with the rapid modernisation that was happening.

Keen to maintain its position was The Sehoshu Shinkin Bank. This was founded in 1925 in the well-off suburban residential area of Tokyo known as Setagaya. In 1985, ahead of its 65th anniversary, and in response to these new market forces, The Setagaya Shinkin Bank embarked on the development of a new corporate identity. The intention was to reposition the bank as a 21st-generation, locally-based financial institution with a ‘pleasant image’ providing advanced information and services in a personable manner through a staff unified by a clear forward-focused message. The target of this new image would be the ‘young suburbanites’ who made up a large part of the Setagaya area.

Initial research indicated that a new image was needed fast. It was ‘family-oriented but had an unrefined aura’, one that was commonly associated with shinkin banks. Further, the new image should give the impression of friendliness and warmth, and have progressive feel, distinguishing it from other suburban banks, whilst also meeting the evolving expectations of customers that had been set in motion by the larger banks. This programme would include a new name, building designs and corporate image.

The old name, Setashin, was discarded in favour of ‘Surbank Setagaya’, the ‘Sur’ being derived from ‘suburban’ and also the Latin sur, meaning ‘above’ or ‘over’, suggesting going beyond expectations.

Driving the design of the new corporate image would design studio PAOS, (ASICS, Kenwood & Daiei) and the guiding notions of ‘friendliness’, ‘warmth’ and modernity, and the suggestion of a unique, leading-edge suburban financial institution. This would be achieved through the design and introduction of a colour palette, typography, store design and logo design. The latter would be outsourced by PAOS to the renowned Japanese designer Yusaku Kamekura (Tokyo ‘64, NTT & Shell).

For the new logo, Yusaku Kamekura, devised two tulips, set within a vertical lozenge shape, both with a single consistent line weight. The familiar image of flowered suburban parks and the geometric formalisation of a natural symbol gave the impression of a modern and friendly institution. The chosen logo was the simpler of the two, which in turn reflected a new architecture for the bank which had round columns and curved entrance doors. Colour amplified the sense of the natural and warm, and the new modern external cladding of the bank’s premises by combining warm red with a bright green and a cool grey. The system later devised by PAOS, was made flexible enough to allow for the addition of subsidiary colours as and when needed.

The logotype took its cues from the Kamekura’s logo, modern architecture and the need to appear welcoming and personable. These emerged through condensed letterforms that shared similar proportions with the logo, its consistent line weight, geometry rounded terminals and the removal of the cross bar from the ‘A’.

Together, logo, colour and type formed the basis for what was described in ‘PAOS Design: Corporate Identity in Japan’ as being ‘extremely lucid’ and giving Surbank Setagaya an image distinct from large commercial banks.

POAS developed a formalised system (which included additional assets such as patterns) for each asset across the diversified contexts of a bank, from stationery to forms, from signage to vehicle liveries. Few other shinkin banks of the time had managed to pull off such a resolved and unified visual image, to the level of the larger commercial banks.

On launch, marketing sent out to customers of the bank exclaimed that the new identity was new, warm and fun, and would help better serve its customers and position it competitively for future growth in a liberalised market place. The bank remains in business today, is celebrating its 100th anniversary and continues to use the tulip logo designed by Kamekura.

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What’s the concept?

Prior to Yusaku Kamekura’s involvement, The Prince Hotel Group had been represented by a logo close in form to that of a chrysanthemum flower. At first glance, this resembled the crest of the emperor.

This crest was considered old and as having a poor shape so, in 1968, it was decided that it be replaced.

At a meeting, group chairman had expressed a continued preference for a flower as a logo, and a desire to give the chrysanthemum a fresh new feel.

Following the meeting Kamekura designed a new modernist logo,and a bold new take on the flower, transforming it into a simplified geometric silhouette.

By introducing a series of circles in a ring shape, the designer added a feeling of a group whilst also continuing to allude to a flower.

Speaking of his logo, Kamekura said that the logo had “a harmony between Japanese elegance and a fluffy feeling.” The logo was used in a number of different colours, with each then representing the various hotels within the group.

Sun Logos

Radiant warmth is immediately called to mind when seeing sun logos. Warm summers, optimism that the winter will end, that there will be a new day to start over, energy and life. Such a rich world of meaning to draw on. Yes, it’s just a ball, but there are so many ways to capture the rays and generate a distinctive mark.

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Tokio Marine and Fire was founded in 1879 and, by the mid 1960s, had become the leader in Japan's non-life insurance industry. Although its early emphasis had been marine insurance the corporation had diversified its products and services, and moved into household insurance. This also included automobile, fire and casualty policies.

Tokio Marine and Fire was well-regarded. It was a household name in cities, listed on the stock exchange, and one of the top employment choices for many college graduates. Despite this, a careful investigation of the corporation’s image revealed that the ‘marine’ aspect was what people were most familiar with. This was emphasised further by the wave-like quality of the previous logo, very much in the style and spirit of Japanese ‘mon’.

With an expanding share of the corporation’s business going to household insurance and related products, and in view of the introduction of new information technologies and rivalries in the financial market a rethink was needed to help the corporation better align its visual identity and its primary product.

Japanese design studio PAOS was hired to undertake the strategy and design of a new corporate image and, true to its name (Progressive Artists Open System – which focused on outsourcing specialists) set up a logo competition from which a design system would be built from. Three design studios were selected from Japan, Europe and the United States, with each being invited to submit proposals.

In the competition brief, PAOS requested that the logo should express the notions of ‘intimacy’, ‘activity’ and ‘foresight’. Six concepts were put forward by the three studios. These included a ‘T’ knocked out of and forming the negative space within a diamond shape. A ‘T’ and a figure motif, a dolphin, and overlapping rings to form a ‘T’ which was then knocked out of the lower half of a blue circle.

It was the logo of American designer Ivan Chermayeff of studio Chermayeff & Geismar Associates that won. The logo created by Chermayeff developed the letter ‘T’ as its key motif. Through the use of negative space he introduced an arrow and the suggestion of a house with a pitched roof. Chermayeff described the logo as a ‘memorable and simple reminder of Tokio Marine’s continuing upward movement, its solidity and the protection of goods and people’. Further, the overall symmetry and proportions of the design added the suggestion of strength.

PAOS refined the logo and the colours of the original draft and worked this into a design system, introducing a logotype in Japanese and English. This preserved the unusual spelling ‘Tokio’ used since Tokio Marine and Fire's founding. The logotype was changed to a more condensed version of Univers which was proposed by Chermayeff, improving usability in a variety of space-limited contexts that included tall building signage common to the country. The Japanese version was evolved to be set in one typeface, used horizontally and vertically stacked.

The extent of Tokio Marine’s visual presence extended to all types of signs, as well as printed items including business cards, letterheads, pamphlets, catalogues, business forms, and insurance policy certificates. The new corporate logo played a leading role across these items, while the brand name Tokio Marine had a supporting role.

The condensed uppercase sans-serif and almost square composition of the logo, afforded the corporation flexibility throughout the diversity of its signage and printed materials, and was further supported by four different lock-ups.

Further elements were added such as decorative patterns made from the logo used across the brand guidelines, shopping bags and branded merchandise. Blue became the primary corporate colour and the red, originally included in Chermayeff’s original proposal, was removed from the logo.

The first step in applying the new design was the installation of a two-meter stainless steel logo in the lobby of Tokio Marine’s head office. This delivered an impressive first impression and was used to symbolise to employees and the public that a new era had begun for the corporation.

As the program rolled out, the ‘heroic’ proportions of new signage was used as a marketing tool as they were quickly erected. These were developed for the more than 500 Tokio Marine branches, and casualty service centres and around 40,000 agencies around the country.

With the introduction of the new Insurance Business Act in 1996, which saw comprehensive deregulation rolled out for insurance products across Japan, competition increased. This saw significant changes within Tokio Marine, including new subsidiaries and mergers, alongside a more global outlook. This would later demand a new image and saw Chermayeff & Geismar’s logo retired, replaced by a globe forming ribbon.

Discover Tokio Marine brand assets and assets from hundreds of other historical and contemporary brands at Brand Archive.

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What’s the concept?

The Centre National des Arts is a performing arts organisation and national arts centre in Ottawa. The project was launched in 1967 to coincide with Canada’s centennial celebrations and was opened two years later in 1969.

The centre features a distinctive architectural formation of hexagonal structures created by Polish-born architect and theatre design consultant Fred Lebensold. This was conceived as a ‘three-dimensional concrete landscape’ and ‘the Canadian Shield in miniature’.

The unique architectural formation of the three theatres and connecting buildings informed the direction of Enrst Roch’s logo design for the centre which features three interlocking hexagons.

As well as reflecting the centre’s architecture, the three shapes also symbolised the three performing arts; drama, dance and music. The logo was used throughout the centre and applied in print using purple.

Snail Logos

For some reason, the Japanese have favoured this small gastropod mollusk in the past and used it as a symbol for a whole host of businesses and brands. Often rendered in a cute and playful way, the spiral of the shell provides a distinct graphic motif that draws the eye in. Not often seen today in logo design, but it’s familiarity, slow but purposeful movement and shell offers designers an opportunity to play.

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H. Christensen & Søn was a Danish paper wholesaler founded in 1949. It became a subsidiary in 1966, acquired by De forenede Papirfabrikker as it tried to adapt to the new times by acquiring paper wholesalers and rationalising production. During this time, the company traded under a monogram contained within a diamond, later updated during its acquisition, moving from the industrial aesthetic to something more elegant. In an effort to further modernise its corporate image and communications, a design competition was set up by the firm in 1980 to find a new logo.

The publication ‘Logo 80’, put out in connection with the competition and the centenary of the firm, showcased the 898 proposals that were put forward. This publication contained a diverse variety of ideas and had the character of a logo inspiration book. Designers submitting work included Rolf Lagersson IDD, Jørgen Bak and Ib Borup. Many of these ideas explored folding and curving paper in three dimensions.

The winning design was created by freelance graphic designer Ole Friis, a graduate of The Graphic College of Denmark, who had a background in sign painting at the Københavns Skiltefabrik.

The logo was conceived of as a stylised letter ‘c’ set within the negative space of curved plains that brought to life the printing process with its rotating rollers and moving paper. It alluded to the nature of the business but also, by combining it with an initial, felt distinct from other similar ideas in the industry whilst remaining simple.

The logo was described in the design journal DD Bulletin No.7, September 1981 as being ‘simple but at the same time of graphic significance’. And commented on it being far more ‘applicable both in big and small sizes’. It differs markedly from the previous logo in tone and through its extensive use, beginning in 1980 contributed towards giving H. Christensen & Son A/S a more modern profile.

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What’s the concept?

Today, Abbott Laboratories manufacturers a wide range of pharmaceutical and medical products. That was also the case in 1963 when a new logo and corporate identity system were developed. It was this diversity that helped shape the design process.

A long study was under taken in which dozens of symbols were designed and tested, many of them suggesting medical or pharmaceutical origins. However, due to practical constraints such as the need for both severe enlargement and reduction, from signage all the way down to pills, it was decided that a simplified form was required.

The stylised lowercase ‘a’ created by a single continuous line was a solution capable of handling the extreme variations in dimensions required by Abbott Laboratories. But, and perhaps more elegantly, this was inspired by an Aesculap serpent.

Historically, the Aesculap serpent would often be depicted entwined around the staff of Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine.

The serpent has become a common motif today, used in trademark design for the medical and pharmaceutical industry. However, back then, constrained by Abbott’s reproduction requirements, and then shaped into the initial ‘a’ of Abbott, a striking, practical and ownable solution emerged.

Negative Space Logos

Negative space logos get more from less, often two images resolved into a singular form. This optical play immediately generates interest, a surprise and delight that can support recall and recognition. When done well, the two images play with both harmony and tension.

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The General Post Office (GPO) was the postal system and telecoms carrier of the United Kingdom. In 1969 the GPO was set to be abolished and all of its assets transferred to The Post Office. This would change its status from a Department of State to a Statutory Corporation.

Going forward, The Post Office would operate a number of services which would be under the control of different departments. These departments oversaw the ownership and operation of telephone equipment, and the provision of banking and postal services. Together, these created a complex set of disparate offerings and a multitude of contexts in which to design for, with no governing design policy. In order to address this, Post Office engaged FHK Henrion in a three year consultancy service.

The outcome was a proposal by FHK Henrion to develop a visual identity and logo system for the four departments; Royal Mail, Post Office, Postal Services (Road, Sea & Air), Telecommunication & Data Processing and Banking services known as National Giro.

To help differentiate the services easily and establish a continuity (imbuing each service with some of the equity and goodwill associated with the Post Office) there was a need to achieve both a “likeness and difference”.

Several systems were proposed by FHK Henrion. These offered varying degrees of likeness. The proposals (above) shared a common grid system and combined arrows with the Union Jack. The visual language of inward pointing arrows alluded to a centralised service and the flag to national infrastructure.

The Royal Mail logo was the simplest, four inward pointing arrows, with Post Office then being identified with the addition of a crown. The Postal Services introduced the initials of the Queen, ‘E.R’. While telecommunication and data processing presented the inward pointing arrows as a series of circles with the intention of suggesting ‘packets’ of information.

National Giro deviated from the other logos and grid system. It instead played with a typographic element rather than a flag.  The G of Girobank assumed a ‘double meaning of a circular arrow propelling a dot which symbolised a coin.’ The word ‘giro’ was derived from the Latin ‘girare’-going around, so the letter also becomes symbolic. This was brought to life in the campaign ‘Giro helps your money go around’.

At the time, many smaller communities in the country lacked easy access to banking, but often had a post office. National Giro was a significant political effort to bring banking to more people through computer technology and the existing infrastructure of the Post Office. While FHK Henrion’s proposals for a system of ‘likeness and difference’ never came to fruition, it was, perhaps, these unique conditions of the time that saw the National Giro logo singled out and applied. It was in use until 2003 when National Girobank was merged with Alliance & Lester.

Key Takeaways

The GPO was a complex tapestry of products and services. The Post Office was present in people’s daily lives, by employing a ‘likeness’ some of that importance, trust and good will would be transferred to other services.

Creating a unified visual system for a complex service and product offering would have helped leverage the combined scale of the individual divisions to economise on production of forms and documents, whilst delivering enough visual range to differentiate them.

While FHK Henrion was a pioneer in corporate identity design and known for their iconic logos, they were strategic, often helping businesses to better structure and present their offering. Working within a political system presented a shifting ideological landscape that saw their bigger picture idea discarded.

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What’s the concept?

In 1974 Great Lakes Paper was acquired by Canadian Pacific, a company created in 1971 to hold properties formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway. With this, its name was changed to Great Lakes Forest Products.

In the mid-1980s the company was amalgamated with Canadian International Paper Company, a former subsidiary of International Paper, to become Canadian Pacific Forest Products Limited.

The company produced a wide variety of products including newsprint roles, paper and roll cores, as well as living tree seedlings. It also offered services such as custom printing on paper products and the harvesting of wood.

The company’s formation was part of a line of takeovers and mergers. It now had a diverse product offering and a new name. These conditions generated the requirements for a distinctive new logo.

The logo balances a number of different elements whilst remaining simple. The circle represented the company’s increasing global presence and the cropped concentric rings referenced both rolls of paper and the growth rings of a tree.

At the centre, set within the negative space of the rings, a tree represents the source of all the company’s products and services.

The company later became Avenor, retaining the logo and pairing it with a distinctive bold logotype. Avenor was then bought by Bowater in the late 1990s. This saw the end of Avenor and Stuart Ash’s distinctive logo.

Eye Logos

There’s something wonderful about eye logos, perhaps it’s their immediate recognisability and connection, but also a whole host of associations that come with these, from literal sight to knowledge and insight. Despite the ubiquity of the eye, there’s real magic in making an eye logo distinctive and own-able. What’s your favourite eye logos?

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In 1966 Co-op France celebrated its centenary. It had closely followed in the footsteps of the cooperative movement that begin in 1883 with the co-operative consumer societies of Great Britain. Just like the initiatives of other European countries such as Italy and Germany, Co-op France had expanded and diversified its activities post-war. This was further catalysed during the 1950s and 1960s economic and industrial boom. As Co-op France grew it sought to maintain its core purpose of ‘protecting consumer life’ whilst introducing new activities that included manufacturing own-brand goods, expanding into logistics and vocational training, as well as operating leisure facilities.

The introduction of a new design policy intended to clearly align all these diversified activities, continue to develop trust in Co-op across new areas and products, and develop a visual tool to attract new customers. The responsibility for developing this new design policy was c.e.i, the design studio of renowned designer Raymond Loewy.

The diversification of the Co-op created a complex tapestry of new products and services, and by extension, the use-cases and surfaces the logo and visual identity would need to operate within. With this in mind, the logo was required to have a flexible and systematic composition made from simple elements. Further, the design should increase the visibility and legibility of the brand on the street, across own-brand ranges, and throughout its publishing activities which included Consumer News, Coop Product Test Reports and Overseas Coop News. Finally, the new logo and visual identity should be adaptable, flexible and easy-to-use, standardising the process and lowering the cost of designing new packaging and print communications.

In answer to the brief, Loewy developed a simple visual language of co-operation through a flexible system of circles. Alongside co-operation, these circles, which adapted to various contexts, also symbolised the ‘dynamic and wide-ranging activities of the cooperative’ as it continued its expansion and diversification. The system of circles was derived from the the letterforms of the Co-op name, which were also drawn as rationalised geometric forms. The use of a bright orange added a warmth and, alongside the pattern and proportional size of simple geometric forms, delivered visual impact across items such shopping bags and signage.

The basic version of the logo had a double row of two circles to the left of the letters, and six circles to the right. The logotype ‘CO-OP’ could be used on its own in black, or alongside outlined circles. However, the full effect came with the orange circles used as a ‘long belt’ across packaging and signage, or at large scale across print advertising, making it difficult to ignore.

Although the Co-op’s of the world are unaffiliated, the common purpose and business model, naming and diversification programmes of the mid-60s generated similar briefs but quite different results. Albe Steiner in 1963 for Co-op Italy, Raymond Loewy for Co-op France in 1966 and Lippincott & Margulies for the Co-op Great Britain in 1967, each offered their own take. However, it would only be Co-op in Great Britain, after the reintroduction of the logo in 2016, that is still in use today.

Discover more Coop brand assets and assets from hundreds other historical and contemporary brands at Brand Archive.

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What’s the concept?

Tama Art University is a private university located in Tokyo. It is known as one of the top art schools in the country.

In 1995, almost 60 years after its opening, it was decided that a new trademark be designed. This responsibility would be given to the renowned Japanese designer Takenobu Igarashi.

In reverence to Hisui Sugiura, the first Dean of the University and a pioneer of Japanese graphic design, Igarashi modelled a logo after the character 美 which means beauty or art in Japanese, and part of 美術 (bijutsu) which means fine arts.

In this combination of form (balance and elegance) and word (beauty and art), it evokes the technique of a mixed-surrogates, also known as picture writing, common in Japan.

Bird Logos

One of my favourite sub categories in logo design is the ‘bird logo’. A symbol of freedom, the bird logo has come to represent things such as human rights and peace and more corporate notions of speed and efficiency. During my research, bird logos have proven to be particularly popular in Japan, and often around unexpected industries such as construction companies, and more globally, for air travel. What are your favourite bird logos?

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Esprit was founded in 1969 by Susie and Doug Tompkins. The duo set out to create a lifestyle brand that would harmonise with the spirit of the time. Their approach was distinct, employing a 'mix and match' post-modernist approach that used colour, pattern, shape and style in complementary and contrasting fashion across a diverse range of products for ‘teenagers and young women up to the age of 35’. These products included everyday clothing basics, as well as sunglasses, watches, shoes, bags and umbrellas. Through their designs, which were highly graphic yet functional everyday items, Esprit expressed a bright outlook on life, a sunniness straight from the American state of California.

The brand developed from this central concept and a harmonisation of product, organisation and marketing. This manifested itself in many ways, and evolved over time. This would include the commissioning of ideologically driven architects for regional store design (Shiro Kuramata, Norman Foster, Ettore Sottsass and Antonio Citteri), an experimental approach to packaging (Tamotsu Yagi) and the way products were advertised, for example, using images of employees which was pioneering. This led to a brand that was highly specific in its target audience, eclectic, engaging and dynamic. Despite this mix and match approach, the brand was able to develop a graphic through-line, a visual identity that had a basic expression (just like the clothes) but could be reconfigured, played with endlessly and be a critical part of the appeal of the products.

As the foundation of a new Esprit brand was a wordmark designed by John Casado in 1978–Casado also designed the trademark for the first Macintosh computer. The logotype was a derivative of Helvetica, a modernist and highly functional typeface. This was given a further sense of utility with the addition of stencil cuts and moments of reduction (the R) and redaction (the E). This was then redrawn, moving it further away from its formal origins. This would replace a wordmark that had become fixed to the 1970s zeitgeist in its letterforms affording the brand more range within the fashion world that was quickly evolving. The abstraction of letters and move towards simplicity freed the brand to be more flexible and playful, and was described being bold in the unambiguous appeal to a specific target audience.

Some practical aspects were also considered, with three different weights (regular, bold and extra bold) drawn for different sized applications, with the heavier weighted version being used for smaller contexts. As the cap height decreases the letter thickness remains the same.

Where Helvetica was uniform, colour was not, employing six colours for the six letterforms. The mix of modernist shapes yet playful use of colour developed the ideas of functional, fun and fashionable. These notions would be furthered by reinterpretations of the wordmark throughout the 1980s.

An overlapping version was later developed in 1987 in an attempt to give motion to the wordmark without affecting its overall readability. When printed, each letter appeared in a different colour or series of colours depending on the palette created for that season.

As the corporation expanded its divisions in 1987 to include ‘Collection’, ‘Sport’, ‘Kids’, ‘Bath & Bed’ and locations such as Los Angeles, Dallas and London further versions were introduced. This continued growth was also supported by the introduction of a custom display typeface, also designed by Casado, and derived from the logotype. This afforded the brand increased flexibility, and used alongside Helvetica and Univers 59.

Additional projects called for special adaptations to the logotype although excessive modification of the logotype was avoided to keep the image simple and in character with the original design. However, geometric shapes; circles, triangles or squares were seen as natural embellishments and part of a post-modern aesthetic of individual expression rather than practical need. These logotypes had various applications, as graphic prints on t-shirts and other products to tags and signage.

From the late 1970s to the 1990s, Esprit grew significantly as it expanded further into the international. As an expression of its post-modernist vision, Ettore Sottsass, the Italian architect and founder of the Memphis Group was commissioned to build Esprit’s European headquarters in Düsseldorf, as well as set the visual direction for the brand’s retail stores.

However, as the brand sought to increase its market share and audience its idiosyncratic qualities were gradually lost. While the wordmark designed by John Casado remains intact, the single colour version and the absence of embellishments marked a departure from the sunny Californian outlook it had kickstarted in the 1980s and reflect the financial set-backs it experienced throughout the 2000s and administration of its European operations in 2024.

Discover more Esprit brand assets and assets from hundreds other historical and contemporary brands at Brand Archive.

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What’s the concept?

The logo for ‘Ville de Montréal’, designed by Georges Huel, principally draws its inspiration from the city’s historical coat of arms, but is also a confluence of other ideas and representations.

The intersecting lines at the centre of the logo symbolise the city’s vocation as a crossroads of communication and civilisation.

These line work their way outwards to form a flower whose petals create the letters V and M, and four tessellating hearts.

The four hearts represent Montrealers’ attachment to their city, with the ‘undulating’ outline line referencing the island they live on.

Finally, the shape of the logo, described as ‘plant-like and aquatic’, expresses the richness of Montréal’s natural environment and the care Montrealers take to preserve it.

Outline Logos

To use an outline is to allude to something, to not make it heavy in its volume but to define it only by its boundaries. Line weight becomes of critical importance, especially around scaling and in the moderation of the immediacy of visual impact. Outline logos take more ‘reading’ but often benefit by that draw to look closer.

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Noritz launched its first product on to the Japanese market in 1958. This was a bathwater heater that sought to broaden Japan's bathing culture and improve people's living standards. Between 1961 and 1970 it was at the forefront of switching over to gas-powered bathwater heaters and became a market leader.

Founded on the belief that quality baths bring joy to people, the company positioned itself, not as an engineering innovator, although it was at the forefront, but as a company that seeks to use this knowledge to improve the lives of both individuals and wider society. In 1984, working with Takenobu Igarashi and PAOS, Noritz introduced a new and more personable corporate image to better reflect this belief.

Prior to the development of Nortiz’s new corporate image, the Japanese water heater specialist had had little experience in putting forward a cohesive image of itself. This absence of experience proved problematic as the company began to expand its product line and develop a marketing strategy that was more customer-focused.

Noritz looked to PAOS to develop a simple, integrated and manageable design system to address the practical issues of reproducibility across a diversified product offering and associated marketing, and develop a logo that would be original and highly symbolic. Leading the design was Takenobu Igarashi.

Igarashi developed a number of different options with three showing the most promise; a distinctive cloud-like form around an ‘N’, a sharper abstract N created from a square, oblique form and circle. And finally, a v-shaped combination of over-lapping circles in which the overlaps created a flower-like negative space. These concepts were presented to Noritz with examples of their application across shopping bags, van livery and product packaging.

The stylised ‘cartouche’ cloud-form logo in red, out of three options, was felt to have best symbolised the activities of Noritz as it grew. It expressed a sense of ‘abundance’, ‘warmth’ and ‘gentleness’.

The logo was then created as four different variations that would address the increasing product lines and, by extension, the logo's use-cases. Alongside the solid and outlined versions, Igarashi also produced two tonal striped variations with different line thicknesses.

The logo proved a success and, since its creation in 1984, continues to be used today as it was originally designed, appearing across large format signage, window decals, packaging and car liveries.

Key takeaways

Due to a diversified product line and increased marketing effort the company required a logo that was capable of working on many different surfaces and contexts.

The new logo was made from geometric forms and produced in four variations. This allowed it to be applied to many different surfaces using different print techniques. The effect would be to establish the logo over time through continuity and consistency.

Although Noritz was known for its engineering innovation, and pioneering the move to gas, it sought to position itself as a company that improved lives and society.

The cloud-like soft rounded forms and a warm red avoided technological and engineering motifs, instead, it suggested and invitational warm and coziness, distinguishing itself through belief rather than product.

Thank you for subscribing to Logo Histories. If you enjoy reading this short you may also enjoy these resources from the same team:

New! Portal – Design-driven jobs board and applicant management.
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LogoArchive Shop – Vintage design books & LogoArchive Zines.
BP&O – Contemporary design editorial.