Claude Neon Logo, 1973

Freddi Jaggi & Gottschalk+Ash's 1973 logo for Claude Neon.

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Claude Neon was founded in 1904 as E. L. Ruddy & Co. and operated as a outdoor advertising company in Canada. In its early years the company made wood signs, and expanded into large format electrical neon signs and billboards for large corporations and retail following World War II. After the consolidation of subsidiaries in the early 1970s, which would bring these under the name Claude Neon, Toronto-based design studio Gottschalk+Ash, under the the direction of Stuart Ash, were brought in to develop a new logo and corporate identity that would befitting the company and new era.

Reflecting on the company's business of outdoor advertising, which would change often and need to catch the eye, as well as the general “character of the reorganised company”, it was decided that Claude Neon's new corporate identity should be developed around the theme of ‘variations’ and the notion that “change is the only constant”.

To express the themes of ‘variation’ and ‘change’ Gottschalk+Ash designer Freddi Jaggi, under the direction of Stuart Ash, devised a square and diagonal matrix, placing within this the initial ‘C’. From this simple matrix five different logos could be generated. Their individual character was formed through varying degrees of diagonal cropping, creating a incremental state change.

These five logos were then coupled with a palette of four eye-catching colours; red, orange, green and blue. These were then paired up to create 12 possible combinations. The basic corporate colours were selected to work together harmoniously, with printing inks specially formulated to achieve the necessary contrast and visual appeal. In conjunction with the logos, a possible sixty variations could be produced.

To maximise the sense of ’variations’ and ‘change’ throughout Claude Neon’s corporate identity, effort was made to see that the 60 possible combinations were used equally. For example, each staff member was given a set of 60 personalised business cards featuring all the variations. Further, it was stipulated that every letter would be typed on a different letterhead, with the colour and logo changing for each subsequent page, and placed within an envelope printed with another variation. As well as being placed on a solid contrasting colour, in instances such as corporate stationery, the logo could also be used as a solid colour on white.

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The variations were used throughout to create different promotional items such as badges, matches and posters, and gave variety to formal documents such as stationery, and annual reports. On brochures, ‘vehicle identification manual’ and folders, the symbol was used sequentially to create a dynamic and eye-catching graphic pattern that suggested change.

Helvetica Light was selected as the typeface for the Claude Neon logotype. For vehicle identification and other special cases, Helvetica Medium was used to increase legibility. The logotype was set across three lines reading vertically from bottom upward. In the Quebec divisional markets, the French version was used on both sides of the vehicle. For the Montreal divisional markets, the French logotype appeared on one side and the English on the other, reflecting the equality of status both languages receive in Canada.

The extent of this system; its combination of colour and shape, as well as the effort to apply all 60 possible variations was novel and ahead of its time. it reflected the changing nature of outdoor advertising, and more broadly reflected the more colourful side of modernist design quite unique to Canada.

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