Gillette Logo, 1970
Dr. Fritz Eichler and Stefan May's 1970 logo for The Gillette Company.
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Following the acquisition of German company Braun by Gillette in 1967, Braun’s in-house team, under the guidance of Dr. Fritz Eichler, was tasked with crafting a new logo for what would become The Gillette Company. Their explorations took them through a meticulous process considering, not just aesthetics, but the deeper sense of what the logo should embody. At the core of their efforts lay a fundamental question: should a logo serve merely as a testament to corporate prowess or as a communication tool for consumers, reflecting ‘fairness’, ‘decency’, and quality? This query became the cornerstone of the project, aligning it with Gillette's ethos of internationality, reliability, and quality.
The new logo had to transcend borders and speak a universal language while harmonising with The Gillette Company’s diverse product range. This included, not just razors and razor blades, but brands such as Right Guard, ‘Flair’ felt-pens, and ‘Paper Mate’ ball-point pens, amongst many other products across a variety of categories for a multitude of people. The challenge lay in projecting Gillette beyond its razor-focused image and transferring some of the goodwill accumulated around these products on to its other brands, showcasing its multifaceted capabilities and progressive outlook.
Studies conducted by American design and branding consultancy firm Sandgren & Murtha suggested that the name Gillette had its advantages and could serve as an effective umbrella for the entire company, incorporating all of variety of products. With this recommendation, management settled on "The Gillette Company”.
Prior to the project, there had been no uniform use of the company’s name. The design treatment of ‘Gillette’ was determined ‘arbitrarily’. Lettering would change from product to product. By formalising the visual presentation of the name, it would be possible to amplify the presence of Gillette and build equity around an image which could be more easily leveraged in the future.
It was decided that The Gillette Company ‘sign’ should consist of two components: a logotype - ‘The Gillette Company’ - and a logo. The logo should have a ‘self-assertive unobtrusiveness’ that expressed the ‘high standard of quality’ people could expect.
The design team began defining the requirements for the new logo. These were split between two notions. ‘Radiation qualities’ (the emotional content) and the ‘graphic qualities’ (craftsmanship and aesthetic pleasure). According to both criteria, the logo should radiate: internationality, modernity and precision and express; elegance, ‘lightness in its charm’, have an ability to be noticed and have a timelessness. As well as this, the logo should be simple and uncomplicated on its own, and easily be combined with lettering and other elements.
The 'G' in Gillette became the design team’s focal point. They explored various configurations within a circle, testing multiple iterations to find a ‘delicate’ balance between simplicity and noticeability. They adjusted, across hundreds of different variations, the weight of lines and the positioning of the cross bar. The team tried using additional graphic elements such as negative space, arrows, inlines outlines and texture, and tested concepts such as light and shadow, depth and dimensionality, and various degrees of geometric abstraction.
Within what came to be known as the ‘Omnimark’ the alignment of three lines to the right and within an equally weighted circle placed an accent on the notions of ‘activity’ and conveyed ‘forward direction’ as they were ‘consistent with the direction of reading’. (Turn the sign the other way round and it gives the effect of stopping - or braking). And furthermore, the lines themselves were said to bring to mind flags and thereby a feeling of internationality.
As a technical consideration, when presented larger than 1″, the bars and spaces were equal. When below 1″, the ratio changes from 9 to 8. This way, the three bars would not become separated when viewed from a close distance.
As expected from a team that had already been designing Braun's communications for more than ten years, its process was thorough, methodical and highly focused. This also extended to how colours, backgrounds, and typefaces influenced the logo's overall impact and impression. 'Optima' Provided the sufficient contrast and precision needed to work with the final logo.
The team also scrutinised the logo’s integration with packaging, noting the ‘pivotal role it played in consumer perception’. Its vision extended beyond design; it was about creating a cohesive identity that bridged various product lines under the Gillette umbrella, instilling consumer confidence across diverse offerings. Despite the extensive and intense work done, there is little evidence to show that the packaging, as it was documented ever made it into production. The logo was used, but in a diminished role back-of-pack.
The logo lasted until 1974 when it was replaced with just a wordmark. It later returned in a slanted and cropped form in 1989, but would then be retired in 2009 following the acquisition of Braun by Procter & Gamble. The Gillette Company would cease to exist but the Gillette brand would continue to be sold and under the ‘Gillette’ wordmark we see today.
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That very logo for Gillette is pretty golden to see.