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Geico Logo Design History and Evolution

GEICO is one of the best and most internationally renowned insurance companies in the world. Being the second largest auto insurer in the USA, GEICO is headquartered in its own subsidiary, Chevy Chase, Maryland. The company and the GEICO logo are best known outside of the United States thanks to the internationally famous GEICO Gecko commercials, meant to entertain and draw in viewers through their surreal, humoristic, and often satirical nature.

Started in 1936 to provide insurance to members and employees of the federal government, as well as to their families, GEICO would eventually become the second largest private auto insurance writers in the United States, as well as the largest TNC insurance providers for drivers.

GEICO Logo Design Elements

The three main elements of the GEICO logo are, of course, the font, the color of the text, and the always entertaining GEICO Gecko. While this is neither the most simplistic, nor the most complicated entry on this website, the GEICO logo is certainly one of the most well-designed logos we have covered so far.

We can talk a lot about how well designed each element of the GEICO logo is, and we will, but we first have to mention that the people in the design team behind the product have definitely not wasted their efforts. The results of their brainstorming sessions can be seen in the highly memorable and successful GEICO brand.

Changes and Evolution

Whether for the GEICO insurance quote, GEICO claims, or GEICO roadside assistance logo, the insurance company has only changed its logo once in all its years of existence. The change came in 1994, and it gave birth to the GEICO logo and brand we all know and love today. Before the 1994 rebranding, the GEICO insurance logo simply claimed “GEICO Indemnity Company Home Office: Chevy Chase, Maryland”.

Afterwards, regardless if they took the form of the GEICO Gecko, the Cavemen, the Rhetorical Questions, or Maxwell the Pig, the GEICO logos were always exactly what the company needed in each respective market. The Martin Agency did a great job establishing what the people wanted to see, and did an even better job putting that on the small screens of everyone in the country.

Shape

While the GEICO logo has had several variants over the years, the text and main shape have remained the same – GEICO, written in a non-serif font, with the tiny “Registered” symbol in the bottom right corner. Over the years, several representations of the logo have appeared – one featuring the word DIRECT right below GEICO, another one featuring the company’s website, geico.com, written below, and the most famous one, the one with the GEICO Gecko on its side, smiling appealingly to the viewer.

Despite the fact that the GEICO logo has had more than one mascot, the gecko is, without a question, the most famous. Going through a few changes and phases of his own, the GEICO Gecko is one of the most renowned anthropomorphic animals in commercials – and with the amount of famous animals we’ve had in commercials, that’s saying something.

Initially portrayed as an anthropomorphic Day Gecko voiced by Kelsey Grammer and asking people to stop calling him instead of GEICO, he then moved on to being a representative of the company, voiced by Jake Wood sporting a Cockney accent. Later, the accent was made more working-class, so as to make the GEICO Gecko more identifiable, and he was even subsequently interviewed by Chelsea Clinton.

Color

Despite the gecko being green, the main color of the GEICO logo is, of course, blue. The blue of the GEICO logo has been there ever since the company’s rebranding, standing out on a white background. Since we did mention that the GEICO logo is one of the most effective we have covered on this website, let’s take a look at what exactly is going on with the logo’s color scheme.

Often associated with stability, blue is used to symbolize trust, confidence, faith, intelligence, and loyalty. These are exactly the right concepts one would want to be associated with an insurance company. However, when we add the white background into the mix, things get even more interesting.

Most frequently associated with light and purity, white is often used to inspire safety, goodness, and a successful beginning. The two colors of the GEICO intertwine perfectly to inspire clients and potential clients into believing that they are making the absolute best choice in the matter. And seeing as the company is the second most profitable insurance provider in the United States, it would seem like the marketing was very successful.

Font

There actually isn’t all that much to talk about when it comes to the font of the GEICO logo. It’s a simple custom typeface, a sans-serif type which inspires trust, seriousness, and a no-nonsense attitude. While this may seem like a simple trick to get people to take the company seriously, a far more complicated strategy than that is actually involved.

While the commercials were always goofy and surreal, with a very quirky feeling about them, the font was made to inspire the opposite of that. This had the very successful effect of creating a disassociation between the two. So, while the commercials were very endearing and fun, the font suggests that while they do know how to entertain, they also take the business very seriously. One again, an example of marketing done right.

Inspiration and Trivia

One of the biggest mysteries that have surrounded the GEICO logo and brand over the years is the exact source of the GEICO Gecko. Many have speculated over the years, some coming up with more convoluted theories than others. However, most believe that the real source of the GEICO Gecko is, in fact, the most obvious one.

When the first GEICO commercials and ads started being aired in the ‘90s, people kept either mispronouncing or misspelling GEICO as GECKO. So, the marketing team hired by the company decided to take advantage of the common mispronunciation and made the first GEICO Gecko commercial. The rest is history.

One of the most famous insurance companies in the world, GEICO owes its phenomenal success to its high-quality services and to its fantastic marketing teams. The teams tasked with developing the GEICO logo and brand have done a wonderful job creating a series of compelling, funny, and smart commercials, perfect for selling the company’s mostly impeccable services.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Audi Logo Design History and Evolution

By Anthony Pena Leave a Comment

One of the world’s leading automotive brands, Audi has had a long and interesting history. The company and the Audi logo have become synonymous with German efficiency, style, elegance, and technological evolution. The German automaker is renowned for the company’s luxury vehicles, and it is one of the most successful automobile companies in the world.

The company’s history is particularly interesting seeing as it resulted from the merger of four different companies, one of them already named Audi. The name comes from both the Latin word for ‘listen’ and from the name of the company founder, August Horch – Horch meaning to listen.

Audi Logo Design Elements

The main design elements of the Audi logo (not to be misspelled as Audy, as it so frequently is) are, of course, the four rings. The truth is that while everybody knows the evolution and Audi logo history, it is yet unconfirmed what the original inspiration for the logo was.

While some claim that it was inspired by the Olympics rings and that you can take that to the bank, other tend to disagree without offering any alternative. The truth is yet to be revealed, but we’ll get to that later.

Changes and Evolution

Over the years, the Audi logo took many shapes and forms. Pics of the logo depict it throughout its transformation over the years, from when the company was actually four different ones that eventually merged into one. So, the true Audi logo meaning is basically unity.

Back in the last two decades of the 1800s and in the first decade of the 1900s, there used to be four different car companies priding themselves on being the best at engineering their vehicles – Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. Two of them, Audi and Horch, were owned by engineer extraordinaire August Horch.

Each of them had their own logos, with Audi having an upside down equilateral triangle with the number one stylized as a gearshift rising from behind it. Around 1932, the four companies merged into one – the Auto Union AG.

This led to the unification of their logos as well, and also to the first incarnation of the Audi logo. Over the years, many minor changes would eventually lead to the new Audi logo present on the high-quality luxury and sport cars we know today.

Shape

The shape of the modern Audi logo first began to take shape in 1932. When the Auto Union AG first came to be, the conglomerate’s logo consisted of four interlocking rings with the logos of the four companies inside each ring. It was meant to stand for unity and cooperation.

Over the years, the logo slowly and steadily became what we know today. It dropped the logos of the four companies, replacing them with the words Auto Union, only to eventually drop everything and only keep the four interlocked rings.

The last change came in 2009, with the company’s 100^th anniversary. The rings were slightly modified, making them look more welded together than interlocked. While on the one hand it suggests the idea that with time and cooperation a true unity can be born, on the other hand it sort of takes away from what the logo stood for at first. Interestingly, people use the new Audi logo wallpaper more than they used the old one. Pretty much every Audi logo is available for download in HD.

Color and Font

First of all, let’s talk about the color of the Audi logo. The bright and slick silver chrome coloring of the car maker’s logo gives the brand a very modern and sophisticated touch. It is meant to symbolize the brand’s innovative power and creative design, as well as its elegance and sophistication.

Traditionally, silver is used in logos and other designs to transmit meanings of modernism, industrialism, sleekness, and high-tech. It is often associated with sophistication, glamor, grace, and elegance. And, of course, pretty much every Audi car, such as the A3, A4, A6, Q7, R8, RS, or TT, has those characteristics made obvious in their design.

Meanwhile, the black color often seen in commercials and other types of publicity alongside the silver-chrome Audi car logo is meant to represent elegance, power, and formality. Of course, the German automaker stands for all of those qualities. That is best seen in the Audi S line, on cars such as the S3, S4, or even S5.

As for the font in which the Audi name is written alongside the logo whenever it is featured, it also has a story of its own. In fact, the Audi logos only have the Audi name written next to them since 2009. Previously, in 1997, the Audi Sans font was created by Ole Schäfer,

Later, around 2009, MetaDesign was commissioned to design the custom corporate typeface for Audi. Designed by Pieter von Rosmalen and Paul van der Laan, Audi Type would go on and be featured in most of Audi’s products and marketing materials ever since, including on things such as floor mats, tires, and plenty of pictures and wallpapers.

Inspiration

As with many old companies that are still up and running these days, the origin of the Audi logo is mostly shrouded in mystery. One theory in particular has gained the most traction, although there really is nobody who could confirm or deny. The theory is made even better by the fact that Audi got sued by the Olympics Committee for copying their logo.

Back in 1936, the Summer Olympics took place in Berlin. Since it was around that time that the four automotive companies merged to give birth to Audi, it widely believed that the Olympic Games logo actually was the inspiration source for the Audi logo. Nobody actually confirmed this theory, however.

Trivia

Perhaps one of the least mentioned, yet most interesting things about the Audi logo is how much it resembles the Olympic Games logo. While most people see it as just a passing resemblance, the Olympics committee didn’t see it as such at one point. This is how the International Olympic Committee sued the company in 1995.

Back in 1995, members of the Committee thought that the Audi logo resembled the Olympics logo too much to be just a coincidence. So, they sued the company in the International Trademark Court and ended up losing. This is despite the fact that the most prominent theory regarding the inception of the Audi logo involved the Olympic Games.

While the Audi logo truly is one of the most recognizable logos in the world, the company’s slogan didn’t fall too far from the tree either. Vorsprung durch Technik is Audi’s corporate tagline, and it is translated literally as Progress through Technology. However, the tagline has been changed in a few countries in an attempt to make it sound better.

This led to some pretty awkward discussions when the emissions scandal came to light last year. One of the most memorable things that happened was when Kermit the Frog poked fun at the disgraced Audi CEO by saying “It’s not that easy being green.”

Another interesting little tidbit about the Audi logo is that there is a knock-off logo that gets even more hits on Google than the original company logo. The dope Audi logo, as it is referred to, simply consists of the word “dope” stylized to look like the famous logo. The internet is full of vector images, be they EPS, PNG, and pretty much every other image format of the knock-off logo.

Belonging to one of the most beloved and respected automobile companies in the world (with the exception of the 2015 emissions scandal), the Audi logo represents the brand perfectly. Both the color and shape of the logo transmit the same qualities the German automaker stands for, making it one of the best logos in the world.

Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4

Baskin Robbins Logo Design History and Evolution

By Tanya O’Donnell Leave a Comment

One of the most beloved and instantly recognizable brands in the world, Baskin-Robbins has always had a knack for making their customers feel comfortable. In fact, the Baskin Robbins logo and products are considered to be some of the most comforting out there. From their taste testing to their philosophy of being “America’s Favorite Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop”, there are few things Baskin-Robbins gets wrong.

Started nearly three quarters of a century ago, the two ice cream shops which would eventually become Baskin-Robbins haven’t actually had an official logo. Well, the two stores had their own logos, but the official Baskin Robbins logo wasn’t born until 1953, eight years after the first Snowbird Ice Cream came to be.

Baskin Robbins Logo Design Elements

The Baskin Robbins logo can be best defined by three base design elements – the Baskin-Robbins text, the 31 flavors of ice cream featured in the logo, and the pink spoon used to sample the ice cream. All three elements have been included in the most recent Baskin Robbins logo in one way or another.

While a company with a logo and name such as Baskin-Robbins’ would have most likely failed quickly in today’s market, the company managed to find the perfect time and place to launch. This way, Irv Robbins’ and Burt Baskin’s dream of becoming ice cream tycoons came true. But how did they know it was the right time to launch their stores? Baskin-Robbins always finds out.

Changes and Evolution

The company has only really had one bi logo change, and that took place in 2007. Up until that point, the old Baskin Robbins logo remained the same from 1953. Still, the new logo was viewed as a commercial success, with the majority of critics offering overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Fans loved it, the company loved it, and the critics loved it just as much. While the logo redesign was no small matter, with the two logos looking almost nothing alike, they did manage to get the same feelings to come across and to give it a similar air.

Shape

The first shape of the Baskin Robbins logo remains a classic to this day. The white circle with Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream and 31 written inside of it can very well be seen as resembling a serving of ice cream. This image is helped even more by the pink and brown circle made by the polka dots present inside the white circle.

While the advice given by the local Carson/Roberts advertising agency worked wonders in helping establish a name and brand for the recently franchising company, the old Baskin Robbins logo didn’t have all that much thought put into. Or, if it did, it was nowhere near as much as for the 2007 Baskin Robbins logo.

The new logo is simply a graphic design masterpiece. Many have wondered about the Baskin Robbins logo meaning, and many have speculated about the Baskin Robbins logo hidden message. Of course, the answers are very obvious and plain to see once you know what it’s all about.

Globally regarded as one of the most easily recognizable and iconic food logos in the world, the new Baskin Robbins logo came to be after a very extensive rebranding campaign started in 2006. The campaign culminated in 2007 with the reveal of the new logo, brand name, and with the redecoration of all the Baskin-Robbins stores around the world.

The so-called secret meaning or message of the logo refers to the way the letter BR are written so that they will also show the number 31 – so often associated with the company. The 31 in the logo refers to the 31 flavors of ice cream the shop had once the two small stores joined forces. It is reported that the 31 also stands for one flavor for every day of the week.

Color and Font

The color and the font have about as big an importance as the shape of the logo itself. While the Baskin Robbins logos font itself isn’t as important, it does fit in perfectly with the rest of the logo. The original font was a simple, straight custom typeface, while the current logo features a more stylish, yet somewhat goofy italic font.

As for the color of the Baskin Robbins logo, it goes all the way back to 1953. Carson/Roberts advised the newly franchising Baskin-Robbins to use cherry and chocolate polka dots (pink and brown) in order to remind people of clowns, fun, and carnivals. Today, that reasoning wouldn’t have worked, since clowns and carnivals are becoming increasingly less popular, but in the ‘50s it helped the two co-owners strike gold.

The color scheme of the new Baskin Robbins logo was also extremely well thought out. Each color is meant not just to look good, but each color in the logo stands for something. The pink is meant to stand for the little sample spoon used to taste test the flavors, while the blue and white are meant to stand for the company’s excellence, purity, elegance, and reliability.

Inspiration and Trivia

Many people seem to not be aware of the origins of America’s favorite neighborhood ice cream shop, and that’s a shame seeing as it’s such a long and interesting history. Plus, it’s very tied into the Baskin Robbins logo history.

Initially, the worldwide franchise started off as two different ice cream stores. The shops belonged to two brothers-in-law, Burton Baskin and Irvine Robbins. The two loved old-timey ice cream and ice cream shops, and had a dream to own an ice cream store where to provide their customers with a large variety of flavors and with a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Irv was the first to open his ice cream shop, in 1945. Naming the shop Snowbird Ice Cream and basing it in Glendale, California, Irv decided to offer his customers 21 different flavors of ice cream. This was utterly unheard of at the time. Burt followed suit in 1946, opening Burton’s Ice Cream Shop in Pasadena, California.

By 1949, the two already had between them more than 40 shops in Southern California. It was the year 1953 that finally brought the two stores together, giving birth to what is now the most renowned ice cream company in the world. The rest is history.

The Baskin Robbins logo and brand have served as a refuge for many a pedestrian in danger of heatstroke and insolation, or maybe simply in the mood for a delicious, milky treat. We hope you’ve enjoyed our short history lesson, and we ask you to leave any comments and impressions in the comments section below. Until next time, remember: Baskin-Robbins always finds out!

Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4