Just like people do, companies have a tendency to change over time. Some companies may be looking to develop a new brand identity, while others may want to fit in with new times and standards. Either way it is, companies, motivated by the desire to grow further and stay relevant for longer, ultimately come to rethink their visual identity. Consequent tangible modifications in their logos, mark a new chapter in the life of their products. This course of events feels natural and even rather customary, but do all of the companies take the path of change?
Both to my surprise and not, there are some brands that did not change their logos from the time they were first established. In this blog entry, I would like to talk about the oldest commercial logo in continuous use. Would you like to take a guess at what brand is it?
[SCROLL PAST THIS LINE AFTER TAKING A GUESS]
The brand that has been continuously using a logo designed in 1787 without modifying it is the British tea brand Twinings. It was founded by Thomas Twining in 1706 and is historically a tea brand that played a significant role in turning Britain into a tea-drinking country as opposed to the coffee-drinking country that it was. It took a bit more than 80 years for the brand to come up with a visual identity, which is still identifying it 235 years after.
Twinings brand logo consists of two components: the crest and the brand name underneath. Its main goal is to communicate the respectable status of Twinings tea and to hint at a heartfelt appeal that it has as a family-owned business. The first goal is achieved through the choice of the all capitals serif font for the brand name, which gives an impression of royalness, respectability, and authority. The lion figure on the crest also communicates power and respect because of its popular image of the king of the animal world. The logo also includes a picture of a hand that is holding two serpents, which can be seen at the top of the crest. This component of the logo is subtly accomplishing the second goal of this logo as it happens to be a key element of the original crest belonging to the Twining family (The Hatchwise, 2020). Another interesting element of the crest is the writing in Latin, “fortiter ac firmiter“, which translates as “strongly and firmly”. This oxymoron intriguingly and beautifully delivers the core of the experience that the Twining tea succeeds in serving for centuries. This phrase is currently trademarked as Twinings tagline.
Though I personally find the crest component of the logo beautiful, it is rare to see it on Twinings products nowadays. It is exchanged by the Royal Coat of Arms, the arms of the dominion of the British monarch. In 1838, the Twinings company was granted royal permission by Queen Victoria to display it in connection with their business (The Hatchwise, 2020). Displaying the Royal Coat of Arms on top of their products plays a sort of halo effect as it adds a sense of trust to this product. It’s approved by Her Majesty! The Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth! How can it not be trustworthy?
Though it is quite upsetting that the original crest is not as used anymore, I honestly didn’t notice it until I looked closely because of how both the crest and the Royal Coat of Arms are small and their details are rather hard to define unless looked at very closely.
One of the reasons for which companies are changing their visual identities is the clarity and legibility of the logotype. Both aspects are important for successful advertisement and digital use, as serif fonts tend to be more challenging to read from a distance or devices of different sizes (smartwatches, phones, tablets, laptops). Many luxury clothing brands and tech brands chose reading legibility over the uniqueness of visual identity.
Though Twinings is neither a clothing brand nor a tech brand, it is one of the best-selling tea brands in the world, making it important for them to adapt to the needs and tendencies of the current times to keep its position at the top. However, understandably Twinings brand chose to stick to the image that it has preserved for centuries and counting. Twinings has a stable image of a high-quality tea brand, which is proven by time. A change in the logo may make its clients assume that there was a change in its recipe and production methods as well, which is not a positive thing when the brand image is deeply intertwined with the product quality. It is also not advertised as a product for younger people, which makes it even less relevant for Twinings to follow current trends. To fulfill the needs of adapting the logo to different display formats, Twinings alternate between an arched logotype and a straight logotype.
Twinings is a brand that celebrates its heritage through its untouched visual identity. Though changing the logo may be a risk worth taking for the younger and less established companies whose main audience is relatively young and caring of trends, I find brands who cherish their history, roots, and unique identity very charming.
References:
https://www.hatchwise.com/blog/2020/04/17/the-worlds-oldest-recorded-logos-2-twinings-tea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_coat_of_arms_of_the_United_Kingdom
https://cecedesigns.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/twinings-logo.jpg
http://mariretief.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Twinnings.jpg
https://www.justgrabdeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/twinings-aside01.png
Dear Adina, thank you for your post. I think that the consistent brand identity helps Twinings maintain the traditionalistic image crucial in linking a tea brand with afternoon tea and tea-rituals introduced in the Britain.
Really interesting post Adina! I like how you analyzed the original logo and explained what each element really meant and how it was important for the brand. I’ve also noticed how companies that don’t change their logos for a really long time only make very small adjustments to, for ex, the font, like you have mentioned in your post. A great example is the BMW logo, it has been very similar to the original logo for a long time now. Check that out too if you’re interested!