The BP shield
In 1920, BP employee A.R. Saunders won a competition to design the first British Petroleum (BP) logo. The shield, however, didn’t address larger challenges the corporation faced as it expanded its products, services and international reach.
In 1958, the Paris-based design firm C.E.I. led by Raymond Loewy, was commissioned by BP to examine their visual language. Research indicated that the logo had a high visual equity so, rather than redesign the logo, it was refined and a new modernised house style was introduced.
Self-service stations and a new brief
The introduction of self-service petrol stations throughout Europe in the 1960s had proceeded faster than in the United Kingdom and, in particular, Sweden, Germany and Denmark. To reinforce BP’s market image as it grew, Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes were given the task in 1968 to develop its UK self-service stations and packaging.
This is one of seven stories in our collection of the best oil company logos, from PAM in 1965 to São Paulo Petróleo in 1986.
Key Takeaways
A shield worth keeping
BP’s 1920 shield had built high recognition, so C.E.I. refined it in 1958 rather than replacing it.
Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes
In 1968 the future founders of Pentagram were asked to develop BP’s UK self-service stations and packaging, surveying stations across Northern Europe.
A corporate typeface for coherence
With products spread across brands and countries, a corporate typeface was chosen to give BP a much needed coherence.
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Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes, working with Kenneth Grange (later, they would form Pentagram) visited BP and other self-service stations across Northern Europe in order to systematically survey the infrastructure and requirements.
The BP logo, designed by A.R. Saunders and adapted by C.E.I, was to remain unchanged having established recognition in many countries and markets. However, with the need to develop a coherent visual character across all of BP’s growing services and products which were spread internationally and under different brand and divisional names (these included Air BP and BP Marine International) it was decided that a corporate typeface would provide BP with a much needed coherence.
Continue reading to discover BP Alphabet, the corporate typeface designed with Adrian Frutiger, and how it unified BP’s signs, liveries and packaging →
