BMS Logo (Bristol Myers Squibb Logo) PNG
Medical brand logos should represent support and compassion. The visually simple BMS (Bristol Myers Squibb) logo fully meets these requirements, symbolizing customer focus and a love for people. The company lends a helping hand to all who need it, offering effective drugs to treat various diseases.
Bristol Myers Squibb traces its history to two separate 19th-century businesses. In 1858, military doctor Edward Robinson Squibb founded a pharmaceutical company in Brooklyn, New York, with a focus on drug purity. His experience with poor-quality medicines during wartime shaped the company’s standards, and Squibb products were supplied to the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War. The company later created its own medical research institute, where Capoten, the first ACE inhibitor, was developed in the 1970s.
The second line began in 1887, when William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers bought Clinton Pharmaceutical Company in Clinton, New York, for $5,000. Renamed Bristol-Myers Company in 1900, it grew through consumer products such as Sal Hepatica, a mineral-salt laxative that became a major seller by 1903, and Ipana toothpaste, launched in 1901. In 1959, Bristol-Myers acquired Clairol and later strengthened its position in oncology.
By the late 1980s, research costs and competition from companies such as Merck & Co. pushed the industry toward mergers. In November 1989, Bristol-Myers and Squibb Corporation announced a $12 billion merger. Richard Gelb became chairman and CEO of the combined company, while Richard Furlaud became president and head of pharmaceuticals.
BMS expanded through biotechnology in 2009 by acquiring Medarex, whose work led to Yervoy, approved by the FDA in 2011, and Opdivo, approved in 2014. Eliquis, developed with Pfizer, became a major anticoagulant. In 2019, BMS bought Celgene for $74 billion, adding Revlimid and a wider oncology and immunology portfolio. In 2021, Abecma became the first U.S. CAR-T therapy for relapsed multiple myeloma.
Meaning and History
Before Bristol-Myers and Squibb merged, each had its own logo. They were used on the labels of drugs sold under their respective brand names. For example, Squibb’s products featured an ancient building with three columns; after the merger of the two pharmaceutical giants, a company with a completely new visual appearance was created. Its emblem, featuring a geometric symbol with six triangular petals, remained relevant for several decades until 2020, when the Siegel+Gale agency changed the blue flower into a purple hand. The updated graphic symbol is intended to showcase BMS’s rapid growth.
What is BMS (Bristol Myers Squibb)?
BMS (Bristol Myers Squibb) manufactures biologics and pharmaceuticals to treat various diseases, including rheumatic diseases, cancer, HIV, diabetes, etc. It is one of the leaders in the international pharmaceutical market and among the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company owns numerous research centers in different states, where drugs for AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases are invented.
1989 – 2020
Bristol-Myers Squibb was founded in 1989 through the merger of two corporations. The merger created eighteen business lines: six major and twelve minor. The designers presented them as an equal number of mini-triangles forming six pyramids (when viewed from above), arranged in a circle. The geometric pattern resembles a stylized flower or snowflake. All contours are colored in blue, which is typical for the pharmaceutical industry. The brand name is also blue. It is on the right side and written in an elegant serif font. Some letters have through spaces due to unfinished strokes.
2020 – today
The decision to redesign the BMS logo was made for several reasons:
- Many of the company’s original lines of business no longer exist, so the abstract pattern of eighteen triangles no longer makes sense: that number is not associated with anything.
- In 2020, Bristol Myers Squibb acquired the biopharmaceutical corporation Celgene. This event marked the beginning of a new era, which necessitated an updated logo.
- The company owners wanted to shift the focus to the patient and their problems. They decided to draw attention to the drug manufacturer rather than individual brands.
As a result, the abstract geometric symbol was replaced with five purple stripes that outline a palm. This hand symbolizes the help that BMS provides to sick people. It serves as a symbol of humanity and an individualized approach to drug development. The company name is on the right side in a gray sans-serif font.
The logo was designed by branding firm Siegel+Gale and in-house marketing experts at Bristol Myers Squibb. Before this, research was conducted to determine which design would attract the most attention.
Font and Colors
The early version of the logo featured a formal serif typeface resembling Brighton SB Medium. Its thin lines conveyed a sense of classic elegance. Later, the brand adopted a more modern design with simple, clean lettering. Like Helsinki Light, the new typeface is characterized by clean, even shapes and calm geometric contours, making it visually pleasing.
The color scheme followed a similar evolution. Initially, a deep blue dominated, conveying trust and professionalism, key qualities in the medical field. Over time, the company switched to a brighter fuchsia tone to emphasize originality and an emotional approach to health and care. The gray color of the text balances the vividness of the main shade, adding restraint and stability to the company’s visual identity.
The purple tone of the emblem evokes associations with care, warmth, and support. As a result of the changes in typography and color, the brand gained an image that combines reliability, modernity, and attentiveness to patients.