What’s the story behind the brand name and logo design? Quite often, the answer is obvious, but there are some truly global brand names out there that have evolved into something much bigger than they ever expected to be and reveal some interesting stories along the way.
In no particular order, here are some short stories behind the brand names and logo designs.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi was founded in 1870 by Yataro Iwasaki – the son of a Samurai family – who played a leading role in transforming Japan into a modern industrial society. The company’s first venture was shipping. Its flags featured three triangular hishi or water chestnuts. From this emerged the famous trademark and the name Mitsubishi – meaning ‘three diamonds’. Source.
Volvo
Svenska Kullagerfabriken – SKF – was already a world-leading developer and manufacturer of industrial bearings when they realised the enormous market potential the automotive business offered for a business such as theirs, and accordingly started up a subsidiary to supply this industry – Volvo.
“Volvere” is the infinitive form of the verb “roll” in Latin. Compare it, for instance, with the word for a handgun with a rotating drum, revolver. In its first person singular form, the verb “volvere” becomes “volvo”, i.e. “I roll”. This tied in with their product range to create everything that rolls.
The logo was derived from the ancient chemical symbol for the metal element, Iron, in the form of a circle with an arrow. Actually, it was more ancient with the God, Mars, but that suggested connotations of strength and masculinity, so was adopted by the company. Source
Chupa Chups
Chupa Chups is a lollipop that many Europeans have grown-up with. Enric Bernat, the founder of the Chupa Chups Lollipop Company, and third generation confectioner, developed the lollipop in 1958. Many sweets/candy at the time were boiled sweets that children would regularly take out of their mouths to look at – a messy combination. Bernat had the idea of developing a sweet that could effectively be “eaten with a fork”, and the Chupa Chup lollipop was born.
The lollipop was originally going to be called “Gol”, which is Spanish for “Goal”, with reference to the ball-like shape and the open mouth ready to receive. However, an advertising agency, along with public opinion, developed the current name.
Most interestingly, however, it was Salvador Dali, of the Surrealist Art Movement fame, who developed the current daisy logo.
Playboy
The Playboy Bunny Logo has been in use, in exactly the same form, since the magazine’s inception in 1953. That is a long time in an industry that can be easily swayed by fashion and trend.
The playful rabbit idea was thought-up by graphic artist, Art Paul, and Hugh Heffner added the tuxedo effect to create a sense of sophistication around his product.
Interestingly, there is even a species of Rabbit that has been given the name ‘sylvilagus palustris hefneri’ in recognition of Hugh Hefner.
NAZI Flag
The flag design that was finally adopted by the National Socialists was designed by Dr. Friedrich Krohn, a dentist from Sternberg, Germany. Krohn’s design, the swastika on a white disk against a red background, was intended to symbolise the ideology of the National Socialist movement — in red its social ideal, in white its nationalism, and in the swastika “the struggle for the victory of Aryan man”. But Krohn’s flag featured a right-handed swastika, traditional symbol of good fortune, spiritual evolution and the triumph of spirit over matter. Hitler insisted on it being replaced by the left-handed swastika, regarded by occultists as the equivalent of a reversed crucifix, an evocation of evil, spiritual devolution and black magic!
