Abbott Laboratories – What's the concept?
A look at the concept behind Don Ervin's 1957 logo for Abbott Laboratories.
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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That "a" design for Abbott Laboratories is a pure stroke of genius on the part of its creators. It amazes me that that logo continues to be used to this very day.