Minolta was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten (the Japanese-German camera shop) and changed its name in 1931 to Minolta, an acronym for Mechanism, Instruments, Optics and Lenses by Tashima. The company made the first integrated autofocus camera system and, for the early part of the 20th century, was mainly concerned with mechanical technologies for image capture.
As the company began to move from mechanical technology to advanced optics and electronics in the late 1970s, it engaged American consultancy Saul Bass (ALCOA, United Airlines, AT&T), Herb Yager & Associates to develop a new logo that would help the company outwardly reflect its new focus.
This is one of seven stories in our collection of the best Saul Bass logos, from Lawry’s in 1959 to Minolta in 1980.
